Yosemite National Park and Yosemite Valley

Despite the hantavirus scare, we kept our camping reservation for Yosemite National Park. We stayed in Yosemite Valley at Housekeeping Camp. Although not a traditional camping experience, the Housekeeping camp did provide a central location and pretty riverside views . We did two hikes while in Yosemite. The first hike was to the top of Vernal Falls, located in Yosemite Valley. This hike boasts a 1,000 foot elevation gain over 1.6 miles. It hurt and our legs paid for it the next day! I saw a lot of hikers bail once they realized there was no break from the steep elevation gain. Those who make it to the top are rewarded with views of Nevada Falls and Emerald Lake. The second hike was in the Tuolumne Meadows section of Yosemite. This eight-mile roundtrip trans-sierra hike led to surreal subalpine views of Mono Pass and Mono Lake. A photo of Vernal Falls (and a rainbow) in Yosemite Valley: A photo of the view once at the top of Vernal Falls. The falls in the distance are Nevada Falls: A photo of Half Dome as seen from Tioga Road: A photo of one of the views during the hike to Mono Pass: