Yosemite is a National Park I had been hearing of from friends and in general. I heard of how great it was, how beautiful it was.
Well, I was not disappointed. Yosemite National Park is everything I ever heard it was and more.
Travel
I originally booked a flight to Reno in September with the intentions of going to Yosemite. Unfortunately, I didn’t know about their ticket to gain entry system until after I had booked the flight.
Luckily the beer bug has given us a world with free ticket changes, so this ended up not being a problem at all. I waited until the first of September and got a reservation in October. Tickets seemed to go reasonably fast, but I got mine for entry on Sunday October 18. I had wanted for Saturday, but that was fine.
Flight
The flight Oklahoma City (OKC) to Reno (RNO) was $178 round-trip on American Airlines in Main Cabin. What a steal. The fact it was still available a week or so later to rebook was even more insane. I headed up Friday the 16th after work and arrived into Reno late.
Reno and Tahoe
Friday was not a good day, and I started the day off Saturday on a sour note. I had gotten in late, so I didn’t get up particularly early, and headed out around noon. I visited Donner Pass and drove around Lake Tahoe. Tahoe is absolutely gorgeous and the commercial aspect of it has been kept at a minimum – I’m pretty impressed.
As I headed south, I admired the beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountains. This was truly my first look at them in person. It is truly a beautiful range, much more than they are given credit for.
Mammoth Lakes
I decided to base myself on the east side of the park in Mammoth Lakes. I stayed at the Holiday Haus for 3 nights and my total was around $250. The room was really nice too! The smoke was thick in Mammoth, however. Devil’s Postpile National Monument was closed due to fire, which was disappointing as I wanted to get a NPS stamp.
Yosemite National Park
I had 3 full days in Yosemite starting Sunday the 18th. Each day I entered through the Inyo National Forest and went over Tioga pass at 10,000 feet. What a beautiful drive into the park. Once you are actually inside Yosemite, the views just ontinue to get better. I spent 3 days driving the entire park and valley. These are the photos as a result.
