Trying for Yosemite
It took awhile but we finally made it. We had been trying to get to Yosemite National Park for two years. We kept trying to go over the less busy winter. Over the Christmas/New Year’s week slow down of work to be precise. The first time we made our reservations and were all ready to go at the end of 2020. Then, a few months before we were supposed to make our way to California from Oregon we got the news. All camping in California had been shut down due to COVID, and that included the National Parks. What a bummer. We had been making the best use out of our RV by being relatively isolated from other people while traveling around and enjoying nature. We had our own kitchen, our own toilet, and even our own shower. What a great way to travel without having to interface with the public even at rest areas! Well, it was not to be. We took it in stride and decided we would try again in 2021. We got our reservations and were all packed and headed to Yosemite! As the park is about a 13.5 hour drive from our home we decided that we would break the trip into two days driving. Little did we know when we planned all of this that the worst winter storm in some time would hit up and down the west coast. It started the night before we were to leave. We were prepared for some snow as we knew that you had to carry chains in Yosemite during the winter and the roads can often be snow or ice covered. Little did we know that we would start driving in the snow from the very beginning of our trip just outside of Portland. It was slow going and by the time we got to Ashland, near the Oregon-California border, chains would be required. So, we pulled them out for the first time and chained up the outer tires of our rear duel tires. It felt a little sketchy putting them on in dumping snow, in the dark, alongside the I-5 freeway. We got them put on and back on our way. From Ashland to Lake Shasta we were chained up. Just outside of Shasta we were able to take the chains off and make our way to the KOA in Red Bluff. Just a bit over half way to our destination. What should have taken us about 6.5 hours, took us 11. We pulled into the KOA and got settled in. Ready and excited to get up in the morning and make our way to Yosemite, which we knew would be a winter wonderland. As we were relaxing in our adventure-mobile and having some dinner I decided to check my email. I had a message from recreation.gov. I thought it was going to be some sort of welcome message and what to do upon entrance to the park and campground. Instead, it was a message that said that all roads in to Yosemite were closed due to snow and all reservations for the next several days were canceled. Ugh.
We were a little bummed and were forced to switch up our plans a bit. The next day we would head to Mount Shasta and camp there and have some fun with our dogs and visit the cute shops and restaurants in that little burg. We had a late January trip to Hawaii planned so already had some time off work scheduled. We decided to cancel that trip and take a third run at Yosemite. Third time is a charm right? So we got back online and got the very last campsite that would hold a small 24ft RV like ours. There are no hook ups or anything but the parking pad in the campsite was just big enough to fit us. So we reserved it and were ready to take another shot in three weeks.
Delaying for three weeks turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The drive down was beautiful. We discovered that the road into Yosemite from the Sacramento area is VERY curvy with steep grades and lots of cliffs to the side. We would have been white knuckling it and super stressed the entire way had we been driving that in the snow. As it turned out, we were driving on dry roads until we got to Yosemite Valley. In the valley itself there was still snow and ice mixed in with dry roads, but it was drivable without chains. And the weather. Every single day we were there was a bluebird day. Many trails that had been closed or unusable three weeks earlier became amazing. There were still trails that were on the south side of the valley and mainly shaded that were icy, but nothing that a couple of trekking poles could not help with. Aside from the parking pad, our campsite was completely filled with snow.
I can’t stress enough how amazing Yosemite is in winter. There were no crowds. We could hike many trails without seeing anyone for long stretches at a time. The snow and ice made for a gorgeous landscape. Upper Yosemite Falls fell into a beautiful blanket of snow that turned into the lower falls. Mirror Lake was a mixture of ice and water that was simply amazing. And if you want to get a meal at a place like the fantastic restaurant at the Ahwahnee Hotel, it is not too hard. The views of Half Dome and watching climbers on El Capitan were spectacular. Everywhere we went it seemed like the magnificent Yosemite Falls were following us. The views were everywhere.
To sum up this trip, it was worth the wait. It took a bit of an effort to finally get to spend our week in Yosemite but it all turned out better than we had hoped. We hiked to our hearts content, enjoyed some of the most amazing natural sights in the world, and had fun staying in our little RV in the snow. If you ever have a chance to visit Yosemite in winter, you will be very glad you went.
