Nature's Grandeur - sounds hokey, but it's true!
Written: Apr 03 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Scenery: |
 |
|
| Crowds: |
 |
|
| Time needed for visit: |
 |
|
|
Pros: breathtaking scenery, lots of things to do
Cons: can get crowded, need to be careful
The Bottom Line: The most beautiful place you'll ever see. Respect the land and be careful, and you'll never forget or regret visiting.
|
|
|
| shadowcat's Full Review: Yosemite National Park |
Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful places I have seen on this planet (it might be rivaled by Kauai in Hawaii, but in a completely different way).
I recommend that you find someplace to camp outside of the park itself; the local campgrounds get incredibly crowded and are expensive to boot. Only about 5 miles northwest of the western gate to the park was a very nice uncrowded campground for about half the price, and in this scenery, you won't mind the extra drive.
Wherever you camp, though, follow the regulations and heed the posted warnings! They are there for a reason, and the large numbers of people passing through the park every year are taking a toll on the environment. Clean up after yourself, and especially in the park, be careful about keeping your food away from bears. Outside the park, hiding food in your car is usually sufficient, but inside they have learned what coolers look like and where to look for them.
Even if you're not a championship hiker or mountain climber, there are quite a few easy and moderate trails. My husband and I climbed the trail to the top of the lower Yosemite Falls - strenuous for us, but well worth it. There's also a very easy trail to the foot of the Falls that should be doable for even small children. Bridalveil Falls is also magnificent, and very easy to get to. You can't get anywhere near the legendary Half Dome without being an experienced mountaineer, but you can see and appreciate it from nearly anywhere in the park; it and El Capitan dominate the skyline.
One thing to watch out for when hiking, or even just walking around, is that your lungs have to work a *lot* harder at seven or eight thousand feet to get the oxygen they need. A hike that may be a piece of cake at lower elevations may take you by surprise at its difficulty here, so be careful, take plenty of water, and don't feel like you're out of shape if you have to rest a lot!
Go see all the waterfalls you can. Take millions of pictures. Take your time and soak it all up - there aren't all that many places like this anymore.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
shadowcat
|
|
Member: Heather Keith
Location: Chelmsford, MA
Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Human consciousness lies somewhere between Pavlov's dog and Schrodinger's cat.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.