National Park Journal Yosemite 2022

When I think of where I really learned to cook, it was in the wilds of Wyoming. I was 19 and had signed up for a three-month backcountry semester with National Outdoor Leadership School. I had never backpacked before, let alone touched a camp stove. But the school was big on teaching its students how to cook creatively outside, especially because we were out there for 96 days. I figured we’d eat ramen for three months straight. Instead, we made spicy bean soups and pizza from scratch with yeast. My personal highlight was learning how to cook gado-gado spaghetti, a peanut butter-based sauce topped with sunflower seeds. In this issue we spoke with Kena Peay, a trailside chef who has attracted tens of thousands of followers on social media with her unconventional…

EL CAPITAN Revered by rock climbers and travelers alike, this 3,000-foot-high granite formation sits in the Yosemite Valley. MARIPOSA GROVE OF GIANT SEQUOIAS The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias consists of 300-foot-tall sequoias and is located above the Yosemite Valley in Wawona close to the South Entrance of the park. Walk the moderate-rated Grizzly Giant Loop Trail, a two-mile loop that circles the edge of the grove. See page 10. OLMSTEAD POINT Pull over at the Olmsted Point parking area, and you’ll see a unique view of Half Dome. With a pair of binoculars, you can often see a line of hikers, climbing up cables to the top. To the left is the northwest face of Clouds Rest at 9,926 feet above sea level. VERNAL FALL A short 1.2-mile hike leads you to Vernal Fall, a gorgeous…

1 HETCH HETCHY ENTRANCE (Hwy. 120) Leave the crowds behind at the farthest north of the four western entrances. Less than 1% of the park’s 4 million annual visitors venture to the Hetch Hetchy Entrance. Access it via Hwy. 120 and by Evergreen Road. It’s open year round but only during daylight hours, unless you have a backcountry permit. Lower in elevation than other park areas, Hetch Hetchy has a long hiking season from early spring through fall. Two of North America’s largest waterfalls are here, flowing a thousand feet down over granite. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is a drinking water source, so it is off limits to swimming and boating. 2 BIG OAK FLAT ENTRANCE (Hwy. 120) Driving from the Bay Area? One of the two direct routes is through the Big Oak Flat…

1 EAT BREAKFAST AT WAWONA HOTEL This charming restaurant in a Victorian-era hotel has a great breakfast menu to fuel you for the day. 2 EXPLORE THE MARIPOSA GROVE Reopened in June 2018 after a lengthy restoration project, this grove is the largest of the park’s three groves and home to approximately 500 giant sequoias. 3 HIKE MIST TRAIL This trail climbs 1,000 feet to reach the top of 317-foot Vernal Fall in 1.2 miles. It continues nearly 1,000 more feet to the top of 594-foot Nevada Fall. Learn the details on pages 14-15. 4 FLOAT ON THE MERCED RIVER Cool off by floating down the Merced River. Go to the boat kiosk in Curry Village, formerly Half Dome Village, to rent your boat and learn the latest regulations. 5 PICNIC AT TENAYA BEACH Off of Tioga Road, Tenaya…

1 Hike Four Mile Trail Don’t let the name fool you. Four Mile Trail, especially in 2022, is a long adventure. This trail leads from the valley floor near Sentinel Rock and climbs 3,200 feet over 4.8 miles to reach the stunning Glacier Point. Along the way, you’ll catch incredible views of Yosemite Valley, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls and Half Dome. The road to Glacier Point is closed to all traffic in 2022 because of construction, which means hiking is the only way to access one of the park’s most iconic viewpoints. Since this trail is steep and can be dangerous when wet or snowy, it’s closed in the winter months beginning in November or December and re-opens sometime in May. Start early and pack plenty of water and snacks as this 9.6-mile…

WAPAMA FALLS Head to the Hetch Hetchy area to catch this 1,400-foot cascade careening over enormous boulders into the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Hike 2.5 miles (one-way) to the footbridge crossing the falls. Go in late spring to see the falls at their most impressive, but be careful of high water on the bridge. MAY LAKE From the trailhead on Tioga Road, you’re only 1.3 miles from dipping a toe in idyllic May Lake, making this trip a great one for kids. And if the view at the lake energizes you for more, continue on to the top of 10,850-foot Mt. Hoffman for a 5.4-mile round-trip hike. MIST TRAIL Yosemite’s most popular path deserves every bit of attention it gets. This spectacular, rainbow-streaked trail skirts 317-foot Vernal Fall and 594-foot Nevada Fall and extends to Little…