Since my last visit to Yosemite National Park was 6 years ago (in 2013), Inna and I decided to re-visit the park during the off-season (spring) to re-acquaint ourselves with beautiful hikes, spectacular waterfalls, and tall redwoods and pines.
We started our drive from San Jose to Yosemite Valley on Friday, April 19, 2019, at 8:30 am, through Hollister (152 East), encountering very little traffic. Though some roads were poorly paved, we arrived at Half Dome Village in Yosemite Valley around 12:30 pm. It took a while to find parking, as even on a workday in April, Yosemite was quite busy. Eventually, we found an open parking spot near shuttle stop #14.
After eating a minimal breakfast, we decided to eat lunch before our hike. At first, we considered eating pizza at the Half Dome Pizza Patio & Bar. However, the line for pizza was quite long and barely moving. In addition, the pizzas coming out did not look very promising.
We decided to explore other options. A nearby general store sold several ready-to-eat items, and we purchased lunch there. I selected a pre-made Caesar Salad with chicken, a small container of freshly prepared hummus, and cookies. Inna found a pre-made pita sandwich and Kettle chips, while Alex decided to try the frozen pizza pockets (microwaves were available to reheat) with Haagen-Daz pistachio ice cream. We really liked the hummus and the ice cream!
After lunch, we decided to hike the relatively flat Mirror Lake trail. We boarded the Yosemite shuttle at stop #14 (Curry Village Parking) and took it to stop #17 (Mirror Lake Trailhead).
From the trailhead, we decided to join the other lemmings walking on the right side of the trail. Mirror Lake is a popular trail and was heavily trafficked by Yosemite visitors. We encountered lots of people hiking.
It was hot (even though the weather report promised temperatures in the sixties); the temperature reached the high seventies. The hike is meandered by Tenaya Creek, with beautiful views of Half Dome and surrounding cliffs. Unlike last time, we started the hike on the right side of the creek, encountering different parts of the trail. I thought there would be a way to cross to the trail's other side (Northern side), but we never found a dry place to cross over.
A few people were bathing and playing in Tenaya Creek. The actual Mirror Lake was relatively small and shallow. We decided to stop for a short break and enjoy our quick snack of cookies there.
After finishing the hike, we boarded the return shuttle to stop #14 (Curry Village), where we decided to eat dinner at the Half Dome Pizza Patio & Bar.
Alex selected a medium Cheese pizza with pepperoni, while Inna and I shared a medium Buffalo Ranch pizza. We also ordered 3 hot teas. The pizzas were edible but highly overpriced and made quite slowly. I would not recommend eating there again.
The drive back to nearby Mariposa, where we had hotel reservations at Best Western Plus, took some time on the dark, twisty Hwy 140. It took us about one hour. It would have been more convenient to stay closer to Yosemite, but costs would have been much higher (and reservations require much more planning ahead).
We started our drive from San Jose to Yosemite Valley on Friday, April 19, 2019, at 8:30 am, through Hollister (152 East), encountering very little traffic. Though some roads were poorly paved, we arrived at Half Dome Village in Yosemite Valley around 12:30 pm. It took a while to find parking, as even on a workday in April, Yosemite was quite busy. Eventually, we found an open parking spot near shuttle stop #14.
After eating a minimal breakfast, we decided to eat lunch before our hike. At first, we considered eating pizza at the Half Dome Pizza Patio & Bar. However, the line for pizza was quite long and barely moving. In addition, the pizzas coming out did not look very promising.
We decided to explore other options. A nearby general store sold several ready-to-eat items, and we purchased lunch there. I selected a pre-made Caesar Salad with chicken, a small container of freshly prepared hummus, and cookies. Inna found a pre-made pita sandwich and Kettle chips, while Alex decided to try the frozen pizza pockets (microwaves were available to reheat) with Haagen-Daz pistachio ice cream. We really liked the hummus and the ice cream!
After lunch, we decided to hike the relatively flat Mirror Lake trail. We boarded the Yosemite shuttle at stop #14 (Curry Village Parking) and took it to stop #17 (Mirror Lake Trailhead).
From the trailhead, we decided to join the other lemmings walking on the right side of the trail. Mirror Lake is a popular trail and was heavily trafficked by Yosemite visitors. We encountered lots of people hiking.
It was hot (even though the weather report promised temperatures in the sixties); the temperature reached the high seventies. The hike is meandered by Tenaya Creek, with beautiful views of Half Dome and surrounding cliffs. Unlike last time, we started the hike on the right side of the creek, encountering different parts of the trail. I thought there would be a way to cross to the trail's other side (Northern side), but we never found a dry place to cross over.
A few people were bathing and playing in Tenaya Creek. The actual Mirror Lake was relatively small and shallow. We decided to stop for a short break and enjoy our quick snack of cookies there.
After finishing the hike, we boarded the return shuttle to stop #14 (Curry Village), where we decided to eat dinner at the Half Dome Pizza Patio & Bar.
Alex selected a medium Cheese pizza with pepperoni, while Inna and I shared a medium Buffalo Ranch pizza. We also ordered 3 hot teas. The pizzas were edible but highly overpriced and made quite slowly. I would not recommend eating there again.
The drive back to nearby Mariposa, where we had hotel reservations at Best Western Plus, took some time on the dark, twisty Hwy 140. It took us about one hour. It would have been more convenient to stay closer to Yosemite, but costs would have been much higher (and reservations require much more planning ahead).
Strava said our Mirror Lake hike was 6.3 miles long with an elevation gain of 282 feet. It took us 3:22 to complete it (though we walked past Mirror Lake).
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