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A three-day weekend in Golden Yosemite
Two wheels, good to go. Exploring the valley by bike is a rite of fall. You can rent comfy SoCal-style cruiser bikes in Curry Village ($24.50 per day; 209/372- 8319; bike rentals also available at Yosemite Lodge, 209/372-1208). Heading north and west from Curry Village, ride along 12 miles of paved bike paths, past the Merced River and Swinging Bridge, taking in the dry, golden meadows and craggy black oaks. The valley’s famous waterfalls have slowed to a trickle or disappeared entirely by now, but you can see black streaks of lichen on the granite where the rush comes in spring. “When the falls go dry, we like to say Yosemite Falls becomes Yosemite Walls,” jokes the park’s Tom Medema.
Dessert before dinner. As the afternoon fades, ride over to the Mountain Room Lounge at Yosemite Lodge to roast your own s’mores on their indoor firepit (s’mores kits $3 at the bar). The Mountain Room Restaurant ($$$; www.yosemitepark.com or 209/372-1274), just steps from the lounge, is an elegant choice for dinner.
Spot climbers. October is usually a prime month for big-wall climbers on El Capitan (stop at pullouts along the Valley Loop Dr. at the southwest end of the valley). Watch them in action during the day (bring binoculars), or spot the twinkle of climbers’ headlamps on granite by night.
Day 3 Sunday
Spend a few early-morning hours in the valley, then drive south to the Wawona section of the park.
Lazy or adventurous? Splurge on the Ahwahnee’s Sunday brunch buffet (brunch $32, $16.50 ages 5–12; Sun only, reservations recommended; 209/372-1489), then decide whether you’re in the mood for a hike or a rest. The trailhead for a 3-mile out-and-back hike to Mirror Lake is behind the hotel. Or pick up the Sunday paper at the Ahwahnee Sweet Shop and settle down by the fire in the Great Lounge (nonguests are welcome in all public spaces at the Ahwahnee).
Road-trip to the big trees. Leave the valley by late morning to get to Wawona and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. At the grove, you have two choices for exploring: a narrated, open-air tram tour ($8.50 per person; 209/372-1240) or a meandering, self-guided hike. Unless you’re completely pooped, the hiking option is a more intimate experience. The massive, 209-foot-tall Grizzly Giant is an easy 0.8-mile hike from the parking area, and the Fallen Wawona Tunnel Tree is a moderate 1.5-mile hike past the Giant.
Victorian spirit. Four miles from the Mariposa Grove is the cheerful white-clapboard Wawona Hotel. Check out the circa-1918 golf course (free to stroll, $18.50 to play nine holes; 209/375-6572), the oldest in the Sierra. Have trout for dinner in the hotel’s pleasingly retro main dining room ($$$; 209/375-1425), followed by gooey pine nut pie—fuel for the drive home.
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