Highlights:
– Free shuttle service throughout the park
– Good rock climbing weather in November
– Prescribed fires
– Quieter hiking than in summer (but still lots going on)
There were only two parks where we did not plan enough in advance, and Yosemite was one of them (Zion was the other). Our luck at every other park until this point had been excellent: we could show up with no reservation or book a camping spot the day before or the day we arrived without any problems. This was absolutely not the case in Yosemite, despite being the off season. Although park visitation was lower than in summer, the park closes most of the campgrounds, meaning that spots were quite limited. Paired with the unusually warm weather for November, this meant that we arrived to find no available campsites. Another thing to note, while we were there, the shuttle service was still running its usual routes, but they also get cut back in the winter. If they are still running, though, do consider using them to navigate the park!
We considered our options and spoke to a ranger who recommended a campground just outside the park at Indian Flat RV Park for $20. This was a bit inconvenient and not as picturesque as camping in the park (though it did have a pool!), but if we had checked even a few days in advance for a spot in the park, this could have been avoided.
The second night in the park, we camped in Camp 4, the climbers’ camps. Now, this is not necessarily sanctioned or encouraged, but it seemed to be what most people were doing and ended up being very fun. We arrived early in the morning (since the campground is first come, first served) and walked around to see if anyone was leaving. Once we found someone who was packing up, we asked if we could set up our tent in their spot. The unusual thing about this campground is that, instead of one tent per camping spot, there are often 3-6 unrelated groups squeezed into one campsite. No one seemed to complain, so we set up our tent and headed off for our hike for the day. Camp 4 is perfectly situated for climbers attempting some of the big walls in Yosemite and for hikers like us enjoying the valley. The downside is that it was incredibly crowded and, compared to every other campground we’d been in, much messier and fewer bear precautions (i.e. food or trash bags left out overnight). However, the camaraderie there was great, and we loved having dinner and a fire with our campsite-mates.
Besides seeing the main attractions in the park (Yosemite falls, El Capitan, Tioga Pass, Half Dome from various viewpoints), our favorite hike was one to the top of Yosemite Point. We left right from the backyard of Camp 4 on this 13.5km (with 1135 m elevation gain) hike beginning around 9 o’clock in the morning. This was much appreciated, as much of the middle part of the hike is in direct sunlight and could get quite warm, even in the autumn. We made our way up the relatively steep path for a few hours before reaching a river crossing (the top of Yosemite Falls, actually) and continuing onwards a bit. The view from the top of Yosemite Valley and Half Dome was spectacular, and we were completely alone as we enjoyed our lunch and the sunshine before heading down again. We had been disappointed before that we couldn’t hike Half Dome (the permitting season had already ended), but this hike was enough of a challenge with perhaps an even better view.