As a family who is in love with the outdoors, Yosemite has pretty much been the holy grail on our places to hike. Both Melanie and I are huge fans of America's first great naturalist, John Muir, and have been constantly inspired by his words and conservation efforts to save wild lands across America. Obviously though, he is best known for his work which led to Yosemite or really Awahnee (Yosemite's real name) becoming one of the very first national parks in this country in 1864.
Upon entering Yosemite's 1200 square miles, it becomes immediately obvious why John Muir was so enamored by this wilderness. Views extend as far as the eyes can see over cascading waterfalls, mighty walls of granite, crystal clear rivers, sprawling meadows and mountain peaks which seem to touch the heavens. Famous view points like Tunnel View (pictured both above and below this caption), Glacier Point and Washburn Point emphasize the sheer beauty of this amazing park. We stopped at all theee of those view points multiple times, the view never gets old.
A couple things we were not aware of before entering the park must be mentioned here. We rented a cabin in Oakhurst just 13 miles away from Yosemite's south entrance to the park. Little did we know that from this entrance, it would take about an hour and a half without traffic (there is a lot of traffic in this area of Yosemite.) to get to Yosemite Valley and about an hour to get to both Washburn and Glacier Points. Granted, the drive to all three is well worth it and filled with amazing views along the way.
Another thing we noticed was the amazing amount trash being thrown on the ground by visitors to the park. Candy wrappers, coke cans and cigarettes were literally everywhere when we visited Tunnel View and Glacier Point. Washburn Point was the cleanest of the view points but most likely because not as many people stop at that overlook (the views are just as good as Glacier Point and only a mile or two away from there). It is mind boggling to this adventure loving family that people can come to this place of immense beauty and then throw their trash on the ground when there are trash cans within view. It just makes no sense. Please always remember this quote, "Take nothing but photos; leave nothing but footprints."
Probably the grandest view and most visited spot in the whole park, is the incredible Tunnel View (pictured above). Between 4 and 5 million people visit the park each and every year with Tunnel View being one of the main stops for them before they head to the valley floor. This was probably the busiest spot we visited in the entire park. We chose to just leave Jake in the car with grandpa since the parking lot and road here were so crazy.
Above is a shot of the road that runs right next to the Tunnel View parking lot, I think we did a pretty good job of making the road look empty but behind me while taking this photo was pure selfie chaos at the overlook.
In fact, here's a photo of us taking a selfie with the majestic Tunnel View behind us. We pretty much had to muscle our away through the hordes of tourists to get to this spot but the end result was well worth it and it totally looks like it always feels when I'm with Mel, just the two of us.
Once we left the scenic overlook at Tunnel View, we traveled behind what seemed to be a never-ending convoy of traffic until we could see the sparkling Merced River which runs through the Yosemite Valley. We stopped at a point just a few minutes away from the valley's visitor center.
The very short hike form the road over to the river was very quick and easy with some amazing views of the meadows and granite cliffs.
The spot we chose to stop at ending up being incredibly beautiful, and devoid of people, which was awesome. The water was freezing cold but perfect for some photos of this untouched landscape.
The way the granite reflects off the Merced River is breathtaking when seen in person. Our photos really don't do the Merced River or really Yosemite as a whole justice. This is a place that really needs to be experienced in person.
Many activities are permitted on and around the Merced River including rafting, fishing, hiking and camping.
There's a wooden walkway to-and-from the area where parked alongside
Just feet away from the Merced River you will find some of Yosemite's renowned meadows which offer excellent opportunities for some creative and fun photography.
Just about anywhere you drive inside of this epic national park you will find countless spots to pull over and take in the truly awe-inspiring wonder of this still natural landscape.
It took us hours to get from the main gate in Oakhurst to Glacier Point because we kept stopping at scenic overlooks like this one pictured above and below.
Of course we also had to take some time to pose for some photos in the wilderness.
Grandpa Matt and Jake trying to keep up with mommy and daddy.
This photo has ended up being one of our all-time favorite photos of the three of us and you may have noticed it as the first photo you see when you come onto the Fun Family Adventure site.
Little bit more of the view from one of the amazing scenic overlooks.
We highly recommend taking some time at the end of the day to embrace the beautiful sunsets at Yosemite. Don't forget your coat though, even in mid-summer it was cold during sunset.
Almost anywhere you are in the park, you will find an amazing place to view a sunset.
Sunsets in Yosemite truly highlight why people like Ansel Adams and John Muir fell so deeply in love with this one-of-a-kind landscape.
As a family we all truly loved the two days we spent roaming the wilds of Yosemite.
From exploring the Merced River to hiking the Mist Trail to take some family photos at Washburn Point, we found endless things to occupy our time.
We truly found Yosemite National Park to be a place of awe inspiring wonder which every family should try and take some time to explore one of the last great wildernesses in America.
