I have had no problems using my cell phones (both Verizon and AT&T) at Curry Village, and even further away at Happy Isle. In my experience, within Yosemite Valley, cell. phone reception only gets spotty around El Capitan and further west.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
If you look at the coverage maps from both AT&T and Verizon, they both show that most of Tuolumne Meadows has cellular coverage.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotefluxfluxa I found this recent article about alternative options to stay at/in Yosemite, with decent summaries and pricings. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/21/travel/la-tr-yosemitelodging-20110320 For some reason, the formatting of the web page is off using the above URL for the article. When using the following URL (for the same article) the formatting appears to be o.k.: httby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Actually, cell phone reception on the eastern side of Yosemite Valley is pretty reliable even as far out as Mirror Lake. As is the reception on the cliffs overlooking the eastern side of Yosemite Valley. It's on the westside of Yosemite Valley where cell phone reception is spotty and intermittent. If you don't have reliable cell phone reception in the eastern end of Yosemite Valley, then tby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
It looks like they have restored power back to Yosemite Village since the Ahwahnee Meadow Half Dome webcam is back online. But power to Turtleback Dome stills appears to be out (at least to the two webcams mounted there).by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Have you read the comments left by the readers of the story? Not a lot of love by some. It's funny (and sad) how negative some people can be when making (more or less) anonymous posts.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
You've done Muir Woods, but have you gone further north on US-101? Depending on how much you would want to drive, I would recommend traveling to Humboldt Redwoods State Park on US-101 (about 4 1/2 hours, 240 miles north of San Francisco) and seeing the Avenue of the Giants plus the other redwoods located in this wonderful state park. If you have more time, you could even drive further north tby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotewherever Yes, they are missing a lot. No, I'd rather see that mob doing their thing on the Half Dome Trail than have them scattered throughout the park. It's great that you can leave the trail, headed for Quarter Domes or whatever, and after a hundred yards see no one and no garbage. Keep them bunched up on the trail is my desire... My thoughts exactly. I'm glad that when the Park Seby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteAlmostThere Quoteplawrence QuoteAlmostThere Bragging rights for something everyone does? Uh, no. I'll brag about 17 miles with 6,000 feet of gain - without pain and suffering. That may not have had an icon at the end of it, but it's sure not something everyone can do. So tell us, what was the reason why YOU decided to climb to the top of Half Dome the first time you did it? And whatby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The Park Service supposedly wants "public" input so they schedule all the workshops inside the park itself in the spring during weekdays!?!? How many of the public at large can take a day off from work and travel to Yosemite to attend the workshop? Sounds vary insular to me. If they wanted real public input, they would have done what they did during the planning phase of the Yoseby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotemtn man I still say it's the T-shirt!! Probably my favorite T-shirt that I ever bought at Yosemite was one that said on back of it in BIG BOLD PRINT: MADE IT TO THE TOP with a large image of Half Dome. But in much smaller letters on top of that, stated: I Didn't :-) (And on the front of the T-Shirt it had the small Half-Dome logo that DNC uses with the words "Laid back in Yosemby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteAlmostThere Bragging rights for something everyone does? Uh, no. I'll brag about 17 miles with 6,000 feet of gain - without pain and suffering. That may not have had an icon at the end of it, but it's sure not something everyone can do. So tell us, what was the reason why YOU decided to climb to the top of Half Dome the first time you did it? And what is the main reason why you stilby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Remember though, these permits that sold out are for day hikers, according to the National Parks Yosemite's website: "Backpackers with an appropriate wilderness permit can receive a Half Dome permit when they pick up their wilderness permit with no additional reservation required." So if you plan your Half Dome ascent as part of an overnight wilderness backpacking trip, you should stiby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
In the past one could travel up and over Mono Pass by car to Mono Lake too.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteDavidK42 Quoteplawrence Maybe the Park Service should hook one up between the top of Half Dome and Glacier Point! (Just kidding, folks) ;-) Well, you might be kidding but there were multiple proposals throughout the 20th century to build cable cars from the Valley to Glacier Point. According to Chapter III of Hank Johnston's Yosemite's Yesterdays: "In September 1913...W.H. Heby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I think it would be a good thing to a have a reliable bus connection between the Fresno Yosemite International Airport and Yosemite Valley. It has the potential to make it a lot more convenient to get to Yosemite without having to rent a car for many park visitors.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Maybe the Park Service should hook one up between the top of Half Dome and Glacier Point! (Just kidding, folks) ;-)by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Looking at the Princeton map of Yosemite, it shows the old alignment of the Four Mail Trail after it descends past Union Point heading toward the Valley. On the Princeton map, the beginning (first-half) of the spur that leads to Moran Point appears to be now part of the modern Four Mile Trail alignment past Union Point.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteeeek Quotechick-on Here's a really good map that should put the question to rest: http://gisserver.princeton.edu:81/navigatorMapViewer.htm?map=911 Access Denied. Interesting, I had no problem accessing the map. I suggest that you try again. If you still have problems, I would suggest checking your browser's security settings.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotechick-onHere's the view from Union Pt. which is about the same elevation and looks eerily similar to the Moran Pt. photos: Your photo looks eerily similar because Union Point lines up with Moran Point and Tenaya Canyon. So your camera is pointed in the same direction and your shot shows the same nearby ridge line on the left (albeit father away) as the classic Moran Point shots. Thatby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotebasilbop Here's a map that shows it w/ elevation: That map appears to be the most informative of where the real Moran Point is. Playing with Google Earth some more, I think you are right (and the official GNIS location is wrong). Here's an image that I got from Google Earth using these new GPS coordinate: 37.735155, -119.584188 At that location, you'll get a view of something likby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Note from this Carleton Watkins stereograph: And this photo by George Fiske: that one should be able to determine if they are at the classic Moran Point depicted in these two photos, since Moran Point points east with distinctive rock formations on the left and another ridge to its right and the ravine between the two ridges in the center that points directly into Tenaya Canyon.by plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotechick-on Quoteplawrence QuotebasilbopBased on old maps, the Moran Point trail seems like it would have followed the new Four Mile Trail north of Union Point, then continued past the first switchback. I do remember a faint use trail continuing in this direction, but many switchbacks on popular trails have similar informal trails... Nope. You can't get to Moran Point from that section of tby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotechick-on QuoteplawrenceNope. You can't get to Moran Point from that section of the Four Mile Trail unless you want to repel down a cliff. The topo maps leads to this confusion, but Moran Point is only about 1000 feet above the Valley floor, and not really accessible from the Four Mile Trail. To reach Moran Point from the Valley one would need to hike up the gully/wash from behind the Siby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuotebasilbopBased on old maps, the Moran Point trail seems like it would have followed the new Four Mile Trail north of Union Point, then continued past the first switchback. I do remember a faint use trail continuing in this direction, but many switchbacks on popular trails have similar informal trails... Nope. You can't get to Moran Point from that section of the Four Mile Trail unless youby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The National Park Service has expanded the need for a permit to climb to the top of Half Dome to all seven days of the week. (Before it was only required for weekends and holidays.) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/15/BA2U1GQIQM.DTL http://www.nps.gov/yose/parknews/hdpermits3.htmby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotehotrod4x5 Does anyone know if they serve salads and other typical food found at a pizza place like pasta? Or is it just pizza? Yes, they serve pre-packaged salads, hot dogs, and also chili. Their pizza is fine, definitely better than Dominoes or Pizza Hut, but avoid the chili -- it's mostly made up of flavorless beans. - Peterby plawrence - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I agree with the others. Even the best photographs will only give you a small "taste" of what is like being there. Seeing a photograph of a place I was about to visit has NEVER diminished the initial impact of seeing the place first-hand for the first time. It's a vastly different experience to see something in person versus viewing it through a photograph. I have never made an effoby plawrence - General Discussion
I won't be there for the opening, but I'll probably be up there on Saturday. - Peterby plawrence - General Discussion
From the National Park Service Yosemite web site (www.nps.gov/yose): Tioga Road Opens on May 11 at Noon. The Tioga Road (Highway 120 through the park) will open at noon on Friday, May 11. - Peterby plawrence - General Discussion