I've long wanted to visit Yosemite in winter. I'm not sure if it was an Ansel Adams photo or a story about early settlers living in Yosemite Valley, or a combination of multiple factors, but I've wanted to see the park covered in snow for ages and in particular Yosemite Valley. I've visited the park numerous times now across decades and seasons. I've seen snow at higher elevations in the dead of summer and no snow in the valley in the heart of winter.
The last two times I visited I finally got lucky. On one trip we got snowed on while hiking the 4-mile trail up out of the valley. There was no snow when we started and then lots of snow on the trail and in the Valley as we came down. It was magical (and a little scary)!
On my most recent trip, we'd planned a snowshoeing adventure months ahead of time. This past winter was a dry one and I'd been checking webcams in the weeks leading up to the trip and was starting to accept that we'd have to settle for hiking instead of snowshoeing. At fate would have it, it ended up being a dry winter until the day we drove to Yosemite! We barely made it to our lodge from all the snow falling. The first day we were there all the roads were closed, so we couldn't get into the park and snowshoed around Rush Creek Lodge.
The next day, we couldn't get to the ski and snowshoe area because there'd been too much snow! (BTW this is great news in California since it means we will have water to drink next year and water to irrigate crops!)
On the plus side, there was lots of snow in the valley, and over a foot on the valley floor. Something I'd not seen in over a dozen trips! We got in some great hikes, saw amazing waterfalls and lakes, and then went back to the comfort of our lodge.
The photos below are of these trips and some of my favorite trips past.
Enjoy!
For more photos and tips on visiting Yosemite, visit my old blog:
http://trailsofarkansas.blogspot.com/search?q=yosemite
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Check the road!
