We recently had a family adventure to Yosemite National Park and I think it’s safe to say that core memories were created there. WOW—like I knew the experience would include some beautiful sites, but I wasn’t prepared for how stunning it was. We are a family of five (kids 6,4,1) and it was our first time at a National Park. As an active duty military family, we were able to visit for FREE. As a matter of fact, with the America the Beautiful Military Pass, we are able to access any National Park without fee.
This pass is specific to the following groups: Current US military members and their dependents in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Space Force, as well as Reserve and National Guard members, US military veterans and Gold Star Family members. Read more about America the Beautiful annual passes, and how to apply HERE.
As far as heading to Yosemite with little kids, I would highly suggest considering a child carrier and/or stroller. Our youngest, Xander, is almost 2 and my husband carried him in a child carrier backpack. We’ve taken the carrier with us on routine hikes, through Point Lobos State Nature Reserve and through the mountains of Lake Tahoe. It is a lightweight, but sturdy, pack that keeps my husband Mark and Xander super comfy. We also packed our jogging stroller as an option for our 4-year-old.
I wouldn’t consider myself an avid outdoorsy gal, but I’ve quickly fallen for making memories doing so with my family. It’s simple, inexpensive, and we all always feel so good afterward. Above you can find a list of other camping/hiking essentials that we own. I personally love getting the kids excited for these kinds of trips with books and activities. These not only keep the kiddos engaged during car rides, but it sparks ideas of what to look for once we arrive. I think it totally adds to the entire experience. Find all of our gear HERE.
Before I dig into what we did and the details of our trip, I want to mention that we went into the trip making sure to manage realistic expectations with three small kids. Yosemite is HUGE with so many different hiking trails and marvelous things to see. We met up with good friends for the weekend, and we knew that this wouldn’t be one of those trips where we saw every single thing. With that being said, if you’re planning a trip with kids, I highly recommend doing a little research and deciding on some of your “must-sees” beforehand. I also recommend getting there as early as you can in order to find parking and beat any crowds–we arrived at about 7AM and did not experience either.
Where Did We Stay?
We actually rented a cabin in the city of Groveland, CA which is about a 30 minute drive to the closest park gate. The city itself was small and warm. We loved staying right by the golf course in a private home owned by the family of our friends we shared it with. I have zero complaints about our accommodations. We didn’t hit any traffic coming in or out of Yosemite. There are also on-site camping and lodging accommodations that you can research HERE.
What Did We Do?
We took on two trails: Lower Yosemite Fall Trail and Tuolumne Grove Trail
I would highly recommend the Lower Yosemite Fall Trail to literally anyone. It is a one mile flat and fully paved loop. The sights were gorgeous and we saw several families pushing strollers–so if you have smaller kiddos the difficulty level is perfect.
We chose the Tuolumne Grove Trail as we really wanted to experience the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias (we actually walked through one) . This trail is 2.5 miles long (round trip) and considered a moderate hike. There is a large incline which makes going down a breeze, but getting back up was quite the workout for our crew. Thankfully, we brought our jogging stroller along, and while Zarie walked down, we pushed her back up. Raegan, our 6-year-old, was totally fine on her own.
There is literally no shortage of scenery within Yosemite. We got a huge look at El Capitan and I still can’t believe that there are people who actually climb it.
What About Food?
Lots and lots of snacks LOL! No, seriously, we packed tons of quick snacks (think bars and goldfish) to have during the day. We had breakfast and dinner back at our cabin, and decided to try out Base Camp Eatery within the park for lunch. Full transparency: It wasn’t the best. We tried the hot honey chicken sandwiches and chicken tenders for the kids. I wouldn’t recommend either. It was quite expensive and tasteless. If I had to do it over again, I would have likely just grabbed one of the ready-made wraps or sandwiches they had there–or packed lunch from the cabin.
Also, don’t forget to pack tons of water. You’ll need it. I love that the kids’ hiking packs come with hydration bags. They can drink water from the spout without even needing to stop.
Overall, Yosemite was a dream. We cannot wait to get back to explore more of it. Feel free to check out more in my Yosemite Instagram Highlight and watch our mini vlog below. If you have any questions, or suggestions for next trip, please leave them below!
4 Responses
LOVE your trip!!! Thank you for the tips!
How fun! I made it to Yosemite once while we lived in California and it is a fond memory. Glad your sweet family could make the trip!
We’re planning to go next summer.
I was attempting research in places to stay in the park, but can’t find any that have it allow cooking??
I would like to save $ by cooking our own meals.
Any suggestions, recommendations on where to stay?