Yosemite Rest Day Activities
Despite how perfect the Yosemite trip felt, my partner and I did alter our itinerary to accommodate closures and our own physical limitations. On these days we chose activities that still allowed us to experience Yosemite while our bodies rested and repaired in time for our other planned hikes. These last-minute scheduling changes spanned multiple days, but I have decided to talk about them all in a single post. On our rest days, we ventured north to Hetch Hetchy, spent time visiting historical sights around the park, and indulged in a little bit of shopping for souvenirs.
A meadow showing off spring color on the way to Hetch Hetchy.
Our first real rest day was our adventure up to the northwest to visit Hetch Hetchy Valley and the sights hidden up at the gateway to the High Sierras. We were greeted into the upper reaches of Yosemite by meadows that had just awoken from their winter slumber and painted the earth with the colors of spring despite the California summer warming up the valley just a short drive away. Shortly after departing the Hetch Hetchy main entrance, we rounded a turn in the road and were caught our first glimpse of the O’Shaughnessy Dam tucked away in the mountains. After a brief pause, we continued on to the dam and the reservoir that held in place. From atop the dam, we could see the spring waterfalls that feed the massive body of water and took our time reading the signs that detail the controversy embedded in the history of Hetch Hetchy Valley.
The first glimpse
Mirror Lake. Photo Credit: Ethan Wick.
The Majestic Yosemite Hotel. Photo Credit: Ethan Wick.
The other rest days were spent in Yosemite Valley and around the Wawona area where we visited the museums, historic sights, art galleries, and gift shops. For the most part, we opted for the self-guided options at the museums that followed a combination of signs and pamphlets, but we did manage to catch a tour of the Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly the Ahwahnee Hotel). The tour took us around the grounds of the hotel and spoke about the history of the building and the current legal dispute that required the temporary name change. While we waited for the museums in the valley to open, we made the short walk out to Mirror Lake, unfortunately, the water level had already dropped too low to catch the iconic reflection of Half Dome that can be found on countless postcards and travel websites.
In Wawona, we stopped by the visitor center in the preserved studio of artist Thomas Hill and strolled through the Pioneer Yosemite History Center. The gallery portion of the visitor center was arranged to look as if one had stepped back through time into the studio of Thomas Hill, and was modeled after a historical photograph of the studio in its glory days. The walls were lined with paintings, animal skins, antlers, and artifacts from the local Native American tribes, while different display cases were filled with letters and other items of historical significance. At the Pioneer Yosemite History Center, we had the opportunity to view the wagons that were used to carry anything from guests to supplies into Yosemite and walk amongst the preserved log buildings that had been moved to the location in the name of historical preservation. The day was a nice look back through time and we returned to camp that afternoon with plenty to reflect upon while we played cards and enjoyed dinner that evening.
Yosemite transport wagon. Photo Credit: Ethan Wick.
Looking back, it was most definitely a good thing that we had the rest days so that we did not injure ourselves on the strenuous trails. Without these days of relaxation, I doubt that we would have been able to complete the trails that we had tackled and the Half Dome hike on the final day would have been impossible. I did learn that in future plans I need to already have rest days worked in so that we do not need to make those decisions last minute and run the risk of disappointment.
