Re: Yosemite Falls

On June 20th, the family and I will be flying from Mobile, AL to Las Vegas for a week long visit. We'll be traveling from Death Valley to Lake Tahoe with a 2 day stop in the valley.
Looking at the falls webcam on the Conservancy website, its looking pretty weak.
DO you think it can hold on for 3 more weeks?

Well, there's a storm coming in right now but I doubt that this will change much. My guess is there'll be very little water coming down in 3 weeks.

I was in Yosemite Valley over the weekend. Yosemite Falls actually looks just fine – for now.

In my opinion, its flow this past weekend looked like how it usually looks in mid-July of a typical snowfall year. In other words, there's still a lot of water tumbling down, but not like how it is usually booming in early June of most years.

My guess is that in two weeks there will be a diminished but nevertheless still a decent flow of water over the top of the falls (probably how it would look in late July of an average snowfall year).

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Well, not much water coming down this morning. Unfortunately for Dewey this means my prediction wasn't too bad as it'll slow down even more in the next 7-10 days (depending on when Dewey will arrive in the valley).

It'll be next Saturday and Sunday when we are there. I checked out the halfdome.net time-lapse from yesterday, and as long as there is SOMETHING, we'll be satisfied. It looks like there might still be a little.
We are so looking forward to this trip. Me and my wifes employer, a newspaper that has sites in Alabama as well as New Orleans, announced massive layoffs this week. Fortunately we both get to keep our jobs, but this vacation couldn't happen at a better time.
Thanks fo rall of your replies.
Dew

I used to be disappointed when Yosemite Falls wasn't huge, but it still has its charms when it is smaller. I now think of it like the differences in season changes. Its kind of cool to see the different looks of Yosemite Falls. It can blow around like crazy when it is smaller.

There's more than just Yosemite Falls, although that does appear to be the star attraction along with Half Dome.

If flow levels are lower, I find that Vernal Fall is actually better looking. When it's really raging, I don't find that it looks as nice as when it comes down like a sheer curtain of water. I'd really consider taking at least the Mist Trail to see Vernal Fall relatively up close.

Yes, I couldn't agree more. Yosemite Falls are nice but there is much more out there and Vernal Fall is a good recommendation.
Plenty of good stuff to do if time is limited: hike Sentinel Dome or Lembert Dome - both are easy plus rewarding if you don't have the time for longer hikes. As Saturday and Sunday are usually busy days it might be a good idea if you spend a day at the Tioga Road which has tons of nice things to see and do.

Tis true. Take the bus from the Valley to Glacier Point ($25 per adult, $15 a kid) and hike the 8 miles down via panorama trail and show them 3 waterfalls, great vies of half dome north dome and the valley, if the kids are old enough to handle it. I am taking my girlfriend for her first time, ten days from now (I'm not counting down), so I really wanted her to just see Yosemite falls. Either way your options are limitless, and don't forget about Tuolumne Meadows.

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cantwait2getback
Tis true. Take the bus from the Valley to Glacier Point ($25 per adult, $15 a kid) and hike the 8 miles down via panorama trail and show them 3 waterfalls, great vies of half dome north dome and the valley, if the kids are old enough to handle it. I am taking my girlfriend for her first time, ten days from now (I'm not counting down), so I really wanted her to just see Yosemite falls. Either way your options are limitless, and don't forget about Tuolumne Meadows.

A less expensive way to do it is to drive to GP leave your car, hike down and the next morning one adult rides the bus to retrieve the car.

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hotrod4x5
A less expensive way to do it is to drive to GP leave your car, hike down and the next morning one adult rides the bus to retrieve the car.

Very true. But with only two days in the Park, HE DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME!

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cantwait2getback

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hotrod4x5
A less expensive way to do it is to drive to GP leave your car, hike down and the next morning one adult rides the bus to retrieve the car.

Very true. But with only two days in the Park, HE DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME!

Oh, I missed that part.

The panorama trail is not for newbie non hikers. There is another thread about it where we outlined how difficult it really is.

But your right, It isnt for newb non hikers

This is my second time, but the rest of the families first. I hiked the Panorama Trail 4 years ago. I am from the flat lands of Alabama and have never hiked more than 8 miles at sea level. I am a man of larger carraige, but I had no trouble whatsover in completing that hike. To this day I rank it as my most significant acheivement in the outdoor world. Well, that and building a pizza oven out of clay. NOTE: Clay is heavy.
We are going to string together many small hikes during our trip. Some walks from Mt. Whitney Portal, Bristlecone, Mammoth, Wawona Falls, and maybe the 4 mile trail.
Its gonna be jam packed. As re-payment to my wife for putting up with it, it all ends with a stay at the Venetian in Vegas, which will be the low-point of the trip for me.
Thanks for all of the suggestions.

I was rooting for you and your family all week long. Not much water coming down YFs right now. I hope you still have a great time...heck...you WILL have a great time!

Some water is always a lot better than no water.
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Well, we did it! We had a great time in and around Yosemite. We constantly changed things that I had taken weeks to arrange, but it turned out well. Did a bunch of small excursions on trails. Short walk at Whitney Portal and Alabama Hills, and Horseshoe Meadows. Also, at the behest of a British gentleman I met at Horseshoe Meadows, we took in Mosquito Flats. Absolutely wonderful. A tip of the hat to him. Didn't make it to Bristlecone, but did check out Bodie. Very cool, and didn't seem as contrived as some suggested. Made it almost all the way to Wapama Falls, not Wawona Falls, till we realized that we hadn't checked in at the lodge and it was 6:30 PM. We were afraid they were going to give our room away. They didn't, but I think I set a record for getting back to that pay phone in the parking lot at the O'Shaughnessy Dam. I hadn't used a pay phone in 20 years and had a helluva time getting through to a human on a Saturday evening.
June Lake was spectacular. I could see myself staying there for a few days the next time we venture out west. But make no mistake, it is a MAJOR undertaking getting out there from Alabama. I envy you guys who live out there tremendously.
If my wife were up for it, we would pack up and move out there in a heart beat. I have spoiled myself by going to Yosemite, now no other national park east of Colorado will satify me.
It kills me everytime I see a list of National Parks to visit, and the Everglades is on there. I live on the Alabama coast, so I'm surrounded by an Everglades type environment, marshes, swamp, gators, bugs, and long, straight, flat trails.
Boring.
Also, apologies to Dan for not getting him the info he equested. I was actually looking forward to helping out someone with some needed info, but just wasn't at the right place at the right time.

Glad you had a great time.

Note that all the DNC lodging in the park is guaranteed for the first night (since you already had paid for the night). You can check-in at the wee hours of the morning (i.e. 3:00 AM) and your room would still be there.

The only downside of checking in late, you're more likely to end up with a crappier room.
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