Yosemite 2026

Remember when the kids were climbing at Sender One and I was like, “I want to take them on another adventure!” Well, at the last minute, we booked a trip to Yosemite and it was epic.
We stayed 2 nights in Mammoth at a super cute Airbnb and 1 FULL day in Yosemite National Park. Thank you Ella, for being eligible for the National Park’s Pass. We have a few more National Parks to cross off our list this year!

And thanks to the Shaka Guide, we had another awesome adventure that was perfect and memorable.

We entered the park on the East side and were pleasantly surprised that there was no line to get in, especially since it was a gorgeous June Saturday. As we drove in and watched alpine meadows and waterfalls come into view, we knew we were in for a fantastic day. 

Our first stop was a mini hike on a John Muir trail to a cute footbridge. We brought snacks and enjoyed the view. Then, we stopped at Tenaya Lake for a picnic lunch. We were blown away by the scenery and felt right at home making sandwiches on the beach. We walked out into the freezing cold lake onto a picnic bench which was fun. Our Geometry towel came in handy- glad I keep it in my trunk. I don't think anyone has had a more beautiful picnic lunch in the history of forever.

We drove the Tioga Road across Yosemite listening to the Shaka Guide talk story and made little stops along the way. We loved the grand view of half dome and driving through the tunnels. When we made it to the Valley Floor, we took a little hike through the forrest to Bridal Veil Falls. It was packed with people but Tanner, Rayleigh, and Jack walked right up close to the falls and they loved traversing the rocks. Adventure!

It was heating up so when we stopped at Swinging Bridge, the kids were brave and jumped off into the Merced River. Way to go, guys!!! It made me feel so proud of you to do something scary and cool! The water was cold but clear and beautiful. We laid out on our trusty Geometry Towel to get dry and warm up. The backdrop of our day with gigantic waterfalls around every turn was surreal. 

We stopped in the Village for some ice cream before embarking on our last and most challenging adventure of the day. We walked to the Mist Trail and had no idea what we were in for. Jack almost quit before we began but I'm so glad he stuck it out because wow, what an experience! We hiked almost completely uphill for a mile to a bridge at the base of Vernal Falls. We took some pictures and were feeling pretty good so we decided to keep going to the top of the falls and oh my gosh. It was over 660 of steep granite steps next to a peak season rushing waterfall. We got soaked and our legs were trembling. I had to take many breaks and we ooooed and ahhhed over the permanent rainbows cast by the incredible mist flowing off the water. But wow. WOW! What a view! What an experience! Yes, my legs were dying for 2 straight days after this hike. But it was so totally worth it. It was incredible!

We made it to the top, caught our breath, took some pictures, and soaked in the breathtaking view before heading back down. It took us about 3 hours to complete the hike which was over 6 miles. Luckily, we caught the shuttle at the end of the hike and didn't have to walk a mile back to the car. 

We drove to the meadow that sits beneath El Capitan and made another picnic for dinner. The sandwiches, chips, fruits, veggies, and Oreos never tasted so good! It was awesome to see the rock climbers looking like tiny specs on the side of the granite wall. Of course we came home and watched Free Solo when we got home and were in shock watching Alex Honnold climb El Capitan without any help, ropes, or safetly nets- just a man and his muscles!

We stopped on the side of the road to watch the sunset over the valley and left the park in darkness. We wanted to lay out and watch the stars but it was freezing when we got back to the east side of the park. There's still snow in those parts! We all slept so soundly that night and were so happy with our cute AirBnB. We packed up and drove home the next day and had time to make chicken n rice, sit in the hot tub, and watch a movie before bedtime.

I love my adventure loving family and for the memories we make together! We had a great time! 

Where to next???