Yosemite 5

BY LISA KRIEGER

Far below us, as we watched Yosemite’s infamous traffic inch along the Valley floor, the distant din of cars, buses and crowds seemed as remote as another planet.

We stood atop Yosemite Falls, with spirits as high as the granite cliffs, relaxing and rejoicing in our 3.5-mile, 2,425-foot ascent to the top of North America’s tallest waterfall — and a soul-soothing place of peace and grace.

Then my daughter and I rinsed our hands in its cold and wild creek, and toasted our trek with crackers, oysters and a stunning Sierra Nevada view. We laughed, with head-spinning vertigo, as we peered over cliffs to watch its waters plunge down vast vertical walls.

This is what awaits you in Yosemite’s high country in May. As days lengthen, temperatures climb and snow melts, the park’s world-famous waterfalls are thundering.

Pick one: Sentinel Falls (2,000 feet), Ribbon Fall (1,612 feet), Horsetail Fall (1,000 feet), Bridalveil Fall (620 feet), Nevada Fall (594 feet), Vernal Fall (317 feet), Illilouette Fall (370 feet), Wapama Falls (1,400 feet) or Chilnualna Falls (2,200 feet), with its series of gorgeous pool-and-drop cascades.

For a strenuous climb, try our favorite: Yosemite Falls, immortalized by photographer Ansel

Adams and generations of other artists. For more remote adventures, seek out the lesser known Royal Arch Cascade, Pywiack Cascade, Staircase Falls, Three Chute Falls or Wildcat Falls.

Many more waterfalls — smaller, unnamed and ephemeral — spill off the Valley rim in the spring, just waiting to be discovered.

If you don’t want to climb, they can be admired from below. Take a trail to the base of Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Fall. The stroll out past Mirror Lake — in springtime, with water, there’s a reflection — offers a world-class view of the Half Dome monolith.

To be sure, every season is lovely in Yosemite. Summer brings long days, cobalt blue skies and meadows rich with subalpine wildflowers. Autumn is beloved for foliage: magenta dogwoods, yellow maples and butterscotch oaks. In winter, the park is a snowy wonderland, its rocks etched like crystal.

But spring is special. Even the smallest creeks rush with water; the most famed waterfalls reach peak runoff in May or early June. There’s still a chill in the morning air. The trees explode with fresh new leaves. Meadows are bright green corridors of grass. Snow still drapes over the beloved mountain aptly named Clouds Rest.

Wildlife is stirring, with bears, foxes, deer and lynx moving among the scented cedar and ponderosa pine trees. As spring progresses, the Valley is rich with blossoming white dogwoods and brilliant pink-purple redbuds.

Here’s another secret: The biggest crowds don’t arrive until Memorial Day. And — more good news — you can escape them. While an estimated 3.9 million flock to Yosemite every year, most people confine their visits to the flat Valley floor, just a tiny fraction of the park. The park is huge, covering 1,189 square miles of wilderness — about the size of the state of Rhode Island.

As you climb the trails out of the Valley, ascending waterfall routes into the high country, the crowds suddenly vanish.

The wild card in all of this, of course, is the weather. Spring in the Sierra Nevada can be unpredictable, ranging from sunny, warm days to sudden snow flurries that cover the granite landscape like an ermine coat. Be prepared — a fleece jacket or pullover is useful. Remember a raincoat if you’ll be near waterfalls.

Yosemite’s highest elevations can remain snowy into June or later, and backpacking options are limited. In 2018, there will be steeper competition for slots in the High Sierra Camps, because they were closed for the entire summer of 2017 due to snow, and many guests moved their reservations to the following summer. Remember that tire chains are sometimes required even during spring; carry them, and know how to use them.

With deep respect for its moods and mighty power, my daughter and I took one last look from our perch atop Yosemite Falls. Already, the sun was beginning to drop behind steep cliffs. A chill was setting in. We had miles to descend before darkness. Civilization, far below, was waiting.

We vowed to return, and hoped, once again, to have Yosemite all to ourselves.

3beautiful Giant Sequoia Groves

1

Mariposa Grove

The largest of three relict groves of giant sequoias within the park, the Mariposa Grove has been closed since the summer of 2015 — but is slated to open in in spring 2018. I’ve missed it but am grateful for efforts to protect these trees for future generations. Gone are businesses like the gift shop and kitschy tram tours. The parking lot has been moved; roads have been converted into trails. The trees will be better protected. And there will be new trails, offering better access to all visitors. The Grizzly Giant Trail is the grove’s premier route. A gaze up at the 1,800-year-old Grizzly Giant is well worth enduring the crowds and the 1.6-mile roundtrip hike. A longer hike will take you to both the grove’s upper and lower sections.

Details: On the Wawona Road (Highway 41), near the park’s South Entrance. Check for the opening date before visiting; www.nps.gov/yose/ planyourvisit/mariposagrove. htm.

2 Tuolumne Grove

Smaller but less visited, the Tuolumne Grove has about 25 mature trees. Go here for a quiet, deep-forest experience. Joseph Walker described the trees in his 1833 expedition logs and his group is believed to be the first white settlers to see giant sequoias. The hike to the trees is about 2.5 miles round trip, with about 500 feet of elevation change. It’s downhill all the way — until you have to come back.

Details: The Tuolumne Grove is located on Tioga Road just east of Crane Flat.

The smallest of Yosemite’s giant sequoia groves, the grove is also the least crowded. The Merced Grove has about 20 large trees. The smooth and wide trail leading to the sequoias is flanked by conifer forest rich with wildlife. The hike is about 3 miles round trip, with about 600 feet of elevation gain. Like the Tuolumne Grove, it’s downhill to the trees, then uphill to get back.

Details: Located on the Big Oak Flat Road east of the park’s Big Oak Flat Entrance.

PLACES TO CELEBRATE THE PARK’S EARLY SETTLERSDON’T MISS

This outdoor setting contains a charming collection of historic buildings, each representing a chapter of Yosemite’s past. They weren’t all built here; rather, they were moved from locations in the mid-1900s when the demolition of John Muir’s cabin created new impetus for historic preservation. Strolling the site, you travel back to an era of log cabins, horse-drawn wagons, a blacksmith shop and a covered bridge, honoring the lives of the people whose hard work helped establish the park. Interpretive signs and self-guiding brochures tell its story. In the summer, wagon and horse rides are available.

Details: 8308 Wawona Road, near the grounds of the old Wawona Hotel (now Big Trees Lodge), Yosemite National Park; www. yosemite.com/what-to-do/pioneer-yosemitehistory-museum.

Visit the small cottage where Thomas Hill, a renowned 19th-century artist of the Hudson River School, painted the beauty and grandeur of Yosemite’s landscape. Along with other accomplished artists of his time, such as Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran, his paintings introduced the world to America’s natural world and helped preserve our first national parks. Inside, you admire its newly refinished Douglas fir floors, view pelts and antlers, admire reproductions of Hill’s art and learn about his role in promoting early tourism.

The cottage also serves as the Wawona Visitor Center, offering wilderness permits and selling maps, books and souvenirs.

Details: Open daily 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. at 8308 Wawona Road next to the old Wawona Hotel, Yosemite National Park; www.nps.gov/yose/ learn/historyculture/thomas-hill.htm.

The Pioneer Yosemite History Center lets visitors explore a collection of historic buildings from Yosemite National Park in the Wawona Pioneer Village.

The bar at Majestic

Soak up history over a mixed drink at the bar of the former Ahwahnee Hotel, now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel.

You don’t have to be a registered guest to savor the lodge’s famed hardwood floors, Native American wall hangings, stained glass windows and stone fireplaces.

Just pull up a chair at the bar and order the El Capitini — vodka, Cointreau, pomegranate and pineapple juices, topped off with Champagne.

Created to commemorate the first ascent of El Capitan, it comes with a keepsake carabiner. Or you can order something more classic, like the Yosemite Gimlet, the tequila-based Continental Drift or hot chocolate with tequila. After a long hike, a drink here offers one of the loveliest views in the park.

Details: 1 Ahwahnee Drive, Yosemite National Park; www.travelyosemite.com/lodging/ dining/the-majestic-yosemite-hotel.