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A Visit to Yosemite National Park
is Just Part
of a Stay At Yosemite Pines
 View a Gallery of Yosemite
National Park Activities!
There is always plenty for families to do at Yosemite Pines RV Resort
. As you stroll through our shady park,
you'll see vacationers enjoying our swimming pool,
hiking and biking the many scenic trails in the area,
playing volleyball, romping on the children's play
gym, or just relaxing as they soak up the California
sun. But by far, the most popular area activity is
visiting nearby Yosemite
National Park, a world-renowned natural beauty
of sculpted granite mountains, glacier-carved valleys,
rushing streams, shimmering lakes and tumbling waterfalls.
The magnificent Yosemite vacation
site is located in the central Sierra Nevada of California
about 150 miles east of San Francisco. Yosemite Park's
750,000 acres and 1,200 square miles contain thousands
of lakes and ponds, 1,600 miles of streams and creeks,
800 miles of hiking trails and 350 miles of roads.
Two picturesque rivers, the Tuolumne and the Merced,
flow westward from the Yosemite into the Central Valley
of California.
Yosemite National Park is open 365
days a year, 24 hours each day. Upon payment of an
entrance fee, visitors are permitted to drive in and
through Yosemite Valley without any requirement for
reservations. There are five main entrances to the
Park:
1. The South Entrance -
Highway 41 North from Fresno.
2. Arch Rock Entrance - Highway
140 West from Merced.
3. Big Oak Flat Entrance - Highway
120 West from Modesto and Manteca.
4. Tioga Pass Entrance - Highway
120 East from Lee Vining and Highway 395.
5. Hetch Hetchy Entrance - Hetch
Hetchy Road from Evergreen Road west of the Big Oak
Flat Entrance.
Current road conditions should be
checked prior to traveling and visitors are advised
that chains may be required anytime from October through
April. Public transportation to the national park is
also available. Check commercial airlines, bus and
train services for schedules.
The spring season (April and May)
is the best time to view the park's spectacular waterfalls.
As warmer weather begins to melt the snow, creeks and
streams are rushing with water, and many unnamed waterfalls
and cascades can be seen all along the rim of Yosemite
Valley. Roads closed during the winter season remain
inaccessible.
 The summer
season (June through September) is the peak
Yosemite vacation period. Some of the more popular
places to visit include the large, open sub-alpine
Tuolumne Meadows along the winding Tuolumne River,
the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, the breath-taking
outlook at Glacier Point and the Half-Dome, and the
silvery mists of Bridalveil Fall. The Yosemite Valley
offers endless opportunities to explore its world-renowned
spectacular waterfalls, granite cliffs, and unusual
rock formations. Hetch Hetchy, the lesser-known twin
to Yosemite Valley, is home to equally magnificent
scenery, as well as the starting point for many of
the less-used wilderness trails.
The fall season (October
and November) has fewer visitors, but still permits
access to large areas of the park during the month
of October, and sometimes into November. Since most
of the trees in Yosemite are evergreens, the park is
not known for its spectacular fall colors. However,
if the weather remains seasonable, a Yosemite vacation
still presents ample opportunity to explore the Park's
exquisite scenery at greater leisure. Short-term closures
may occur because of weather conditions although Yosemite
Valley and Wawona remain open all year.
The winter season (December
through March) is a Yosemite vacation opportunity for
those who enjoy skiing and solitude. While Yosemite
Valley and Wawona remain accessible year-round, the
Tioga Road and roads between Crane Flat and Tioga Pass,
including the Tuolumne Meadows are closed. From mid-December
through early April, the Glacier Point/Badger Pass
Road is plowed to permit access to the popular downhill
and cross-country skiing areas.
About 95 percent of Yosemite National
Park was designated as wilderness in 1984. Wilderness
camping is a viable alternative Yosemite vacation.
Camping permits are required year-round for all overnight
trips into the park's wilderness country. However,
unlike other Yosemite campgrounds and lodging facilities,
these wilderness camping permits are free. For those
who prefer to spend a Yosemite vacation day-hiking
along some of the park's 800 miles of trails (without
an overnight stay), no permits are needed. A trailhead
quota system limits the number of hikers beginning
from each trailhead per day.
If you need to find professionally guided hiking tours
and photography workshops in Yosemite National Park,
a great place to start is Yexplore.com.
New information is available
and updated regularly on the park's web site at www.nps.gov/yose.
For more detailed information about different areas
of the park, consult the Yosemite Guide newspaper.
For schedules of current activities, facilities,
fees and services check Yosemite Today. Both publications
are free and can be obtained at the park's entrance
stations, at visitor centers, and are also posted
on the park's Web site.
While Yosemite National Park
offers world renowned beauty, there are many other
nearby attractions to consider when planning your
vacation. These include Don Pedro Lake, Rainbow Pools,
the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, along with many
things to do in Jamestown.
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