You're probably a little curious about the title of this post, aren't you? Isn't Yosemite very outdoorsy? Why would you go there if you're not "outdoorsy"? Well, yes it is, but that doesn't mean you have to drive a Subaru and own hiking boots to go there and enjoy yourself. I am very much an indoor girl and I probably would have never gone to Yosemite had I not been living in California, but I surprised myself and really enjoyed our trip. So today's post is for anyone who likes nature, but maybe from a distance, or maybe doesn't love the idea of sleeping on the ground and sharing a bathroom with hundreds of people. The things we did are very doable, even for the non-outdoorsy or out of shape (raises hand).
We stayed at Evergreen Lodge, which is about 30 minutes outside of Yosemite Valley. No camping for this girl! It was nice, but still very much a lodge. As in there are bugs everywhere. Unfortunately that's not really something you can avoid. Also, there was only wifi in one building🙄, so if you want to check your email you can't do it from the comfort of your cabin. I did, however, enjoy that they had s'mores every night :)
Our first day was rainy so we didn't want to do any crazy hikes or driving since the weather was unpredictable. We opted for Merced Grove where you can see huge sequoias via a fairly easy hike. Be warned that it's downhill the whole way there, so then it's about 30 minutes of constant uphill to get back to the start.
On our first full day we were greeted with much better weather and we started off with the Mirror Lake trail. We were told it's deceptively named because it's more of a marsh and will dry up by the end of summer, but in early June it actually looked like a beautiful lake. This trail was quite easy because it was paved :) my kind of hiking! We then extended it by doing the Tenaya Creek trail which is more uneven and has some changes in elevation, but was still doable. Be warned that it will total about 5 miles around.
After we finished our morning hike we had lunch (pb sandwiches, natch) and then headed over to Yosemite Falls.
The last thing we did that day, and the absolute best part of the trip was Sentinel Dome. You drive up the mountain but then hike the last mile and a half to the top of the dome, which has 360 views of the Valley. I honestly could have skipped everything else and just done this because it was my absolute favorite. The climb up the Dome is a little hairy, but totally manageable and totally worth it. The next few photos are all from the top which is about 8100 feet!
On our last day we drove over to Hetch Hetchy, which is the reservoir where the Bay Area gets their water from. It was surprisingly cool to see the dam, and it just looked like a beautiful lake. We didn't do any hiking here because there weren't any short hikes, and we weren't in the mood for five miles :)
I would still say I'm an indoor girl, and have had my fill of the outdoors for the foreseeable future, but I'm really glad I went on this trip. It was a nice change of pace and I loved not having to do my hair or makeup for a few days ;)
Have you ever been to Yosemite, what did you think?
xo Catherine
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