Tips For Renting A Cabin In Yosemite
Renting a cabin or lodge in Yosemite is the ultimate way to enjoy a Yosemite adventure. Cabins are available year-round and offer private bedrooms, private bathrooms, fully-equipped kitchens, central heat/AC and parking. Traditional camping amenities, such as a fire pits and outdoor grills, provide a timeless outdoorsy feel. Families with children and teens can enjoy a day hiking in the park, before returning home to a cozy cabin with television, Wi-Fi, and board games.
Unlike campsites that only sleep up to six visitors, most cabins and lodges accommodate eight to twelve visitors. Pet friendly options are available as well. With a wide variety of properties available, it is easy to choose the perfect rental home to match any traveling style.
Whispering Pines is a rustic, one bedroom, one bathroom, cabin in the woods stocked with modern amenities. It is perfect for couples, friends, or small families. Whispering Pines is pet-friendly and is located only a short walking distance from the Merced River. This cabin truly feels like a camping adventure, while also offering creature comforts such as a satellite TV and propane BBQ.
The Best Time To Visit Yosemite National Park For Avoiding The Crowds
The park is open year-round, but nearly 75% of visitors come from May to October, ensuring a wonderfully quiet and crowd-free park from November through April. But don’t worry, all the splendor and beauty of Yosemite remains, even during the cooler months. You can head out on a truly serene winter hike or watch Yosemite Falls make its impressive plunge.
Just keep in mind that while the Yosemite Valley and Wawona areas are accessible by car all year, Tioga Road and the road to Glacier Point are usually closed sometime in November, depending on the weather. In the winter months typically mid-December through early April the park starts plowing the Glacier Point/Badger Pass Road to the Badger Pass Ski Area.
For travelers truly looking for peace and quiet, January is historically the park’s quietest month and there tends to be a surge of visitors over the holidays.
Winter Rv Camping In Yosemite
Its true, traveling and camping in an RV during the winter presents unique challenges, but with a little planning, youll be all set for a fun and relaxing vacation in the mountains. For starters, you should always check current road conditions before attempting to drive into Yosemite during the winter. Call 372-0200 for updated road conditions. Snow tires and chains may be required. It is also important to go easy on the brakes and leave an ample amount of room between you and the next driver. Tire preparation is especially important during the cold winter months, so dont forget to check your tire pressure before hitting the road.
It may be necessary to winterize your RV to protect you and your rig from injury due to freezing temperatures. As a rule of thumb, even if your RV is in use, its best to winterize your rig if the following conditions apply: Temperatures are consistently 20 degrees Fahrenheit or below You are unable to insulate or heat your RVs underbelly You dont have heated tanks on your RV You are boondocking and can only operate your furnace on occasion
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Campgrounds Near Yosemite: Best Camping Outside The Park
There are tons of open campgrounds just outside the park if you strike out with in-park camping. Many of these campgrounds have a longer camping limit too, meaning you can stay longer in one spot.
Keep in mind that almost all of these campgrounds are in bear territory. Always follow posted signage about food storage regulations.
How Many Days Do You Need
I could spend endless time in Yosemite and never get tired of it! Thats one of the reasons why I keep returning to this park year after year and always find something new to explore.
If youre planning a quick vacation, 2-3 days is a good amount of time to explore some of Yosemites main highlights and hike a few quick trails. If you can put aside more time, many long-distance hikes lead to jaw-dropping destinations but do take all day to complete.
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Youll Be Able To Park At Trail Heads And Viewpoints
If you have just a few days in the parkand youre the kind of person that likes to pack a lot into your time then being able to park at trail heads and viewpoints will allow you to see so much more. In the peak season managing to get a parking spot at one of the trail heads or major viewpoints is going to be far more unlikely.
Yosemite does have a great shuttle service but as soon as you add in queues to get on and lots of stops you just cant see as much in a day. Even though we werent pushed for time on our visit, being able to park wherever we wanted without queueing meant we saw pretty much everything that we had hoped to.
October Is The Perfect Month For Hiking In Yosemite
Yosemite is overflowing with truly awesome hiking trails. But they are renowned for being overcrowded in Summer months. Enter, October and traffic free trails.
You might be thinking its a bit late in the year, so the Half Dome cables are probably down for the season. We did too. But theyre not. The cables and permits for Half Dome are open until Columbus Day, the second Monday in October.
Therefore, you do still stand a small chance of getting a permit for one of the most iconic hiking trails in the US and even the world.
See more information about how to get a Half Dome permit.
But all hope is not lost if you are unable to get a Half Dome permit. There are still plenty of amazing hikes you can do, including the most heavily trafficked trail in the park Mist Trail.
Colder October mornings will require early rising hikers to consider base-to-mid layering appropriately, but usually by mid morning you will be fine in light layers.
Personally, we would rather hike in 65 to 70 degrees than 80 or 90 degrees in Summer months. We hit a ton of Yosemite trails and enjoyed the comfortable temperatures.
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Happy Isles To Little Yosemite Valley Backpack
For a truly family-friendly backpacking trip, consider Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley, a very popular area precisely because it is such a great place for day hikes to Half Dome and for bringing the family on a short backcountry adventure. Be aware it is one of the most difficult places in the park to get a wilderness permit.
Spend a couple days hiking around this long, flat valley surrounded by granite domes, waterfalls and the Merced River that cuts through it. The campground is pretty rustic with shared food lockers and a pit toilet.
Camping is not allowed between Yosemite Valley and Little Yosemite Valley, so you have to set up camp a minimum of two miles past the trailhead. This means at or beyond either Moraine Dome or the Half Dome/John Muir Trail junction. Camping is not permitted on top of Half Dome or at Lost Lake.
You will need a wilderness permit to backpack in the park. Sixty percent of permits are available via a lottery 24 weeks in advance on www.recreation.gov. The remaining 40% are available seven days ahead on a first-come, first-served basis, also on www.recreation.gov. Log on the second permits become available for your best chance at getting one of these very competitive campsites. If you plan to hike Half Dome on your trip, you will need to add a Half Dome permit to your wilderness permit.
Camp 4 In Yosemite Valley
Camp 4, located near Yosemite Falls, is the parks famous rock climbers campground. Its situated near the base of granite cliffs that draw climbers from all over the world.
All campsites at Camp 4 are tent-only. You cannot drive right up to your campsite. Instead, youll have to park in an area adjacent to the campground and walk your gear a short distance to set up camp.
Because of its popularity with the Yosemite climbing community, Camp 4 reservations are issued through a one day in advance lottery. The lottery runs daily between mid-May and mid-September. Applicants must apply to the lottery the day before their desired reservation date. Find more information at www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10004152.
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Camping In Yosemite Mid October
Hello,
I am planning a 1 or 2 night trip to Yosemite in mid October , and I was curious about any advice on how to see the best sites/makle the most out of our trip. There are 4 of us, and both of the wives will be in their early 2nd trimester, so we won’t do any serious hikes. We are planning to rent a camper van and stay in that. Any advice is helpful! Thank y’all.
Drake
Some easy hikes are the Mist Trail to the footbridge. Id do that after acclimating to the altitude. There is some elevation gain.
Also Mirror Lake which Im sure is dry is nice.
It will be a little different as I believe the shuttles arent running.
You could drive up to Tuolumne Meadows if that doesnt mean totally breaking down your camp.
Really you can also just enjoy walks around the Valley and the views.
We went to Yosemite in my 2nd semester and those were the hikes we took and just walking around the Valley with a lot of relaxing too.
Edited: 1 year ago
You can’t sleep in a campervan in Yosemite, unless you are in a designated campsite. The only campground open in Yosemite is Upper Pines at 50% capacity. These Campsites have been booked for months, you can check for cancellations… but don’t get your hopes up.
You can sleep at RV Parks outside of the park.
I would look for regular accommodations in the park or just outside–
Yosemite In October: 10 Important Things To Know Before You Go
Posted on Last updated: August 26, 2022
Planning a visit to Yosemite in October is easier than you might imagine. Yes, there are a small number of negative aspects to contend with, but all things considered, October is one of the very best months to explore spectacularly beautiful Yosemite National Park in California.
We know from first hand experience exactly what it is like to spend 4 days in Yosemite in mid October. Weather, roads, crowds, lodging, hikes and more factors will be covered in this detailed guide so you can prepare for your visit the right way.
There are 10 key things you need to know before you plan your Yosemite Itinerary. Were going to explain everything you need to know with tips, advice and resources to get you ready for all eventualities.
After visiting over 30 US National Parks, we can confidently say that Yosemite is one of our favorites. We want you to have the best possible time during your own visit, so lets get right into the Autumnal action!
Important 2022 Update: Yosemite National Park now requires reservations May 20th through September 30th, 2022. This will apply to anyone driving into the park between 6am and 4pm. For more information and to make a reservation, visit the NPS website.
*Please note this post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you!*
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In Mid To Late Fall The Glacier Point Road And Tioga Pass Road Will Close
Yosemite Valley is world famous but many of our favourite spots in the park, are along the Glacier Point Road, including the Sentinel Dome trail and Taft Point which are musts for sunset! Both the Glacier Point and Tioga Pass Roads close when the snow fall becomes too great. That tends to be sometime in November.
Unfortunately this means that anytime in November you are gambling as to whether these spots will be accessible. If you gamble and win youll get these places almost to yourself, if you gamble and lose you miss out completely.
To give you a rough idea of what to expect, you can use thecharts on this websiteto see when the roads have been closing over the last few decades.
There Will Be Far Fewer Crowds
In terms of numbers weve included more cons in this post than pros, but this one pro alone is enough to outweigh all the cons put together in our opinion. Yosemite is wildly popular, so popular that its one of the busiest parks in the US. If you like your time in the outdoors to be quiet and peaceful then fall is a great time to visit. It becomes less busy the further through fall you get, we think October is the sweet spot between lower visitor numbers and everything still being open.
Wed heard so much about the huge crowds at Yosemite before our visit and we were thrilled to find that we could get some incredible spots to ourselves – even gorgeous sunset spots like Inspiration Point and the summits of both the El CapitanandNorth Domehikes. On other trails we werent alone but we also werent crowded, we always had loads of space to find our own quiet spot to sit and take in the majesty of one of our favourite national parks in the world.
We still found there was often really lengthy queues for the restaurants though, so I could only imagine how bad that could be in summer!
Of course if you visit in winter you would find even less people but you would be severely limited in what you can do, in fall you wont have that issue .
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The Waterfalls Will Have Virtually All Run Dry
For us, this was the biggest con of all, and not something we realised until we went to look for Yosemite Falls and there it stood before us, dry as a bone! Most people rate Yosemites waterfalls as a highlight of the whole park so this is something you really need to think about when planning your trip in fall. Not every waterfall will be dry, but every waterfall will be a shadow of its former self.
During our visit Bridal Veil, Vernal and Nevada Falls had some water. Yosemite Falls, the grandest of them all had nothing.
Where Upper Yosemite Falls should have been
If waterfalls are really important to you and tracks like the Upper Yosemite Falls hike are on your bucket list then I wouldnt recommend visiting in fall, the best time to come is spring when they will be pumping.
Where To Camp In Zion National Park In The Fall
The two campgrounds in Zion Canyon, both located near the southern entrance in Springdale, are open until late November or early December, so youll have the chance to enjoy the parks fall scenery throughout the whole of the season. There are restrooms, trash bins and potable water at both campgrounds, but no showers, electrical hookups or outlets. All sites have a fire pit with grill and picnic table.
This parks popularity means the campgrounds are full every night pretty much all the time. Some sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis, but reservations are recommended if youd like a guaranteed campsite.
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Best Backcountry Campgrounds In Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park has two ways to camp in the backcountry: you can backpack the traditional way or you can stay in a backcountry High Sierra camp.
In 2022, the High Sierra camps are still closed but theyll open up for reservations with a lottery system in October 2022. Read more about the high sierra campsreservations.
Upper Yosemite Falls Trail
If youre looking for a challenging day hike, consider hiking the Columbia Rock & Upper Yosemite Falls Trail. Weve done this trek as part of our Eagle Peak backpacking tripand the views were just phenomenal!
The Upper Yosemite Falls Trail starts at Camp 4 in Yosemite Valley and climbs 2700 feet over 3.6 miles to the top of Upper Falls. This trail is accessible year-round although portions towards the summit can become icy when the temperatures start dropping.
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Pack For Winter Hope For Fall
We always say Plan for the worst, hope for the best. In other words, pack for all eventualities but hope for warm days and mild nights. Now, you might get lucky with both, but chances are slim.
If you are planning an early hike, a night hike, an astro photography shoot, or even just watching the sunrise and sunset somewhere in Yosemite Valley, you are going to need to pack accordingly.
Here are some of the packing tips we would suggest for October in Yosemite National Park:
- Wear breathable base layers for hiking until it warms up.
- We wouldnt go as far as ski jackets and pants, but certainly fleece layers, down jackets and waterproofs.
- Robust hiking shoes or boots, waterproof and windproof would be ideal.
- Gloves, hats, scarves and buffs are perfect for keeping extremities warm, particularly if you will be camping.
- You might want to reconsider camping or staying in anything other than a hotel room.
- If you are planning a longer trip, read our tips on how to pack for a road trip.
Dont forget plenty of food, water, coffee and even a stove to cook hot food on cold days. But there are also a couple of places to eat around the Visitor Center in Yosemite Valley if you dont have food in the car.
You will need sunglasses but you will not need to worry about bug spray in October. Sunscreen is a must on sunny days because you are at 4,000 ft in Yosemite Valley and UV exposure is much stronger at altitude.