Hello readers, I love writing travel posts because travel brings a lot of joy and memories. Whether it’s the anticipation of travel, exploration and field trips, or looking back on the good memories of the trip, the parent-child time and fun that travel brings makes me can’t wait to travel again. As a family of four, we would consider ourselves travel lovers and would take any opportunity to travel far (or near!).
This post is part two of my travel article about our winter trip to California. We are on vacation from Texas to California in December 2021.in my first article, I wrote about visiting San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, Union Square, Coit Tower, Lombard Street, Girardelli Square, Pier 39, and Fisherman’s Wharf.You can read our California Winter Tour hereIn today’s post, I’m writing about our visit to Yosemite State Park and Napa Valley, the second leg of our trip.
background
According to the official website Yosemite, Yosemite National Park features towering granite landmarks such as Half Dome, El Capitan, and Yosemite Falls, as well as some of the world’s largest and oldest trees—giant sequoias—and a wide range of Americas Aboriginal and Gold Rush History. It can be found in more than half a dozen museums.according to nps.govFirst protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles you’ll find deep valleys, majestic meadows, ancient giant redwoods, vast wilderness areas and more .
We hear Yosemite is breathtaking any time of year. We planned to travel in winter as we love visiting snowy places in December and Yosemite did not disappoint! There was snow everywhere to play and enjoy, but there was no snow or blizzard during the drive which made our trip perfect! You can camp, stay, overnight hikes with a wilderness permit, tours, ranger and interpretive programs, and more.You can learn more about things to do in Yosemite in winter here. Read on for our wonderful winter tour of Yosemite.
day trip
If you’ve read my previous posts, you probably know that we spent the first five days of our December vacation in and around San Francisco. We fell in love with the city even though it was very cold and windy the whole time we were there. We plan to visit San Francisco again in the summer to see the difference in the weather experience. We recommend Big Sur Avenue, Golden Gate Bridge, Union Square, Ghirardelli and Lombard Street.For more information on our SFO journey, read here.
We booked Yosemite National Park the 2nd day after arriving in California on the 26th with a day trip planned for the 29th December. The tour company called us the day before to inform them that the tour had been cancelled due to snow in the area. They postponed our trip to the next day and it was the perfect day to visit Yosemite! On the day of the rescheduling on the 30th, the roadside was cleared of snow, and there was snow on the trees when we entered the park. The mountain peaks were majestic, but there were no obstacles or obstacles on the road. driver. It’s picturesque and breathtaking!
The tour starts at 6:45am. We left the Hilton before 6:30am and walked 10 minutes to where the coach had prepared us. We had 13 people in our station wagon and it was a comfortable drive. The drive is about 4 hours. The tour guide is experienced and informative. We made a stopover at Safeway for brunch to anyone and we arrived at Yosemite National Park around 12:30pm. See the images below for our transition from green hills to snow-capped trees within an hour of our final drive.
We had lunch at the Yosemite Valley Inn. Not many tourists. It was a beautiful day – sunny and snowy all around. Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in Yosemite National Park, dropping a total of 2,425 feet from the top of the Upper Falls to the base of the Lower Falls. Yosemite is home to countless waterfalls, and we were fortunate to be able to view some of them through the trails while enjoying stunning views of Yosemite’s upper and lower falls. Did you know that Yosemite Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in the world, is actually made up of three separate waterfalls? Upper Yosemite Falls (1,430 feet), Middle Falls (675 feet) and Lower Yosemite Falls (320 feet). We saw Yosemite Falls from many places around Yosemite Valley, especially around Yosemite Village and Yosemite Valley Lodge. A mile-long loop trail leads to the bottom of Lower Yosemite Falls, and we follow it.
We started our return from Yosemite around 5pm and returned to our Hilton at 9pm. After a day trip to Yosemite, we ordered pizza, ate, slept, tired but satisfied.
Napa Valley
The next day, December 31st, we drove to Napa Valley. It’s only about 50 miles from San Francisco and an hour from the Hilton. Napa Valley is one of the world’s most famous wine regions, with stunning scenery and unique vines. According to visitnapavalley.com, Napa Valley has more than 375 wineries for wine tasting and 90 urban tasting rooms. Napa Valley is known for world-class wines, beautiful countryside, and near-perfect weather year-round. It is also known for its Michelin-starred restaurants, luxury accommodation and spas.You can find out more about what to do in Napa Valley here. We had lunch in town and took a few pictures in front of the beautifully decorated Christmas tree to get ready for New Years 2022.
in conclusion
After celebrating New Year’s Eve at San Francisco International Airport, we wrapped up our 8-day winter trip to California and flew back to Houston on January 1st. In this travel article, I write about two places we visit on our final winter trip to Yosemite and Napa Valley. We had a great December trip and ended 2021 with two trips to three states – Pennsylvania and New York in summer, and California in winter.
Dear readers, we would love to hear from you. Have you been to or heard of Yosemite and Napa Valley? Please share your travel ideas for this year or any travel experiences from last year.
related articles
