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Yosemite for People Who Don't Hike

Ahh Yosemite- one of the most beautiful places I've ever laid my eyes on.
My boyfriend and I were lucky enough to spend a week there in May. Now let me tell you, we aren't hikers. We enjoy spending time outdoors but we aren't the type to strap on a enormous back pack and do 13 miles in the mountains. We are more the type to pack a lunch and go on a 2 or 3 mile "mild to moderate hike" on paved paths with minimal black bears 🐻. I'm going to tell you what we did- cause it worked for us- we got to see everything we wanted to & we weren't flat out exhausted everyday.

DAY ONE- Wednesday

Flight from PGH to Oakland, CA. First thing we did was pick up our rental car (which is a MUST HAVE) for Yosemite if you're not staying in the valley. Everything is so spread out and you want to be able to drive to each location & groceries, etc. Then we headed to Safeway and bough shelf stable foods for the week (we survived off of PB sandwiches and bananas 🍌). PS- the Westerner in side of me loved Safeway so much lol. I think its extremely important to bring your OWN food cause it is expensive as sh*t within the park. We probably saved hundreds just by eating out own food.
It was a 3.5 hour drive from Oakland to Yosemite. We were staying at Big Tress Lodge- which is in fact by the big trees. SEE BELOW FOR HOTEL REVIEW. Once we arrived we went to bed- cause we left at 3AM and needed some sleep!


DAY TWO- Thursday
We went to the valley!

Tunnel View- Great place to get pictures! It can get VERY crowded. Go early in the morning and on a week day if you can. 
Bridalveil Falls- One of the first stops on your way into the valley. Easy short "hike". 
Merced River- Walking along the river was beautiful! If it were warmer, you could probably swim. Great place for a picnic.
Lower Falls- Short "hike", crowded but pretty!

DAY THREE- Friday

Glacier Point- cut the crap and go to the less crowded Sentenial Dome... It's 10x better than Glacier Point and nobody talks about it!!
Sentenial Dome- our favorite! Short hike (I think it was 3 miles- all up hill) with an AMAZING view! This isn't talked about enough- this is a must see!!

DAY FOUR- Saturday
Chill day at our lodge

DAY FIVE- Sunday

Fresno- we really needed some city vibes at this point... We got Del Taco (thanks Grace and Frankie) and went to some of the local shops. I got to see their Whole Foods & I am extremely jealous of a lot of the foods that California has (everything is lime flavored) YUMMM!!! The fruit- especially Strawberries and peaches were out of this world. Basically, I want to move here :) 

DAY SIX- Monday

Meadow Loop- we were sick of driving, this was on our hotel property. 3.5 mile flat trail!

DAY SEVEN- Tuesday

Vernal Falls- SO COOL! Totally something everyone should do. It was a 3.5-4 mile trail that was 95% uphill... You climb 1000 ft. to the top of vernal falls. On a sunny day there are rainbows 🌈 within in the mist. You will get really wet though so wear a rain jacket!!

 Overall- I feel like all you need in Yosemite is four days. A week was a bit overkill, not to mention pricey. I wish we spent four days there and 3 days in San Fransisco. Now we know for next time!
Our hotel was expensive AF, but one of the cheaper ones around the area. It was just "OK". All you get is a room with a bed. You shared bathrooms. The rooms had an old lodge feel. The bathrooms and showers were always clean, but I don't like taking shits with people in the morning. We wanted so badly to go see the red wood trees- which were in the back yard of the property- but there were closed for restoration. 

You gotta see Yosemite sometime in your life! It's breathtakingly gorgeous! See pics below 😘

Lower Falls
Tunnel View
Merced River
Glacier Point
Top of Sentenial Dome
^ Vernal Falls >

THANKS FOR READING! I hope you enjoyed 😘


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