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Visiting Yosemite National Park in Winter
Rate it! Votes (1) | Comments (0) By Cheri Sicard Posted August 6th, 2007 FabulousFoods.com Recommends: Yosemite, The Complete Guide: Yosemite National Park, by James Kaiser, (2007, Destination Press)	Yosemite, The Complete Guide: Yosemite National Park

TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, USA -- No matter how much else there is to see and do in Tuolumne County, Yosemite National Park is still the major draw of this area.

The park, which covers an area roughly the size of Rhode Island, offers many advantages to winter travelers including breathtaking snow capped scenery, gushing waterfalls fueled by melting snow and ice, and most importantly uncrowded spaces.

During the peak summer season the serenity of Yosemite can be difficult to find among the teeming hoards of tourists that flock to the natural wonder. The hotels and campgrounds are packed, the roads are crowded and, unless you want really get far off the beaten paths, you'll encounter fellow tourists (sometimes by the busloads) on the hiking trails and scenic points of interest.

In winter things are quieter, calmer and more relaxing. The scenery is just as spectacular -- some would say more so -- but you won't have to deal with as much humanity, and isn't that what visiting a national treasure like Yosemite is all about?

The weather is colder, but not prohibitively so, at least not in Yosemite Valley. A warm winter jacket or coat will suffice. For people from colder areas of the country, the 30 - 40 degree winter temperatures encountered in Yosemite Valley are far warmer than the sub-zero weather they came from.

The National Park service still runs their 2-hour guided tours, but instead of an open tram, you'll ride in comfort in a heated bus. The tour is a fabulous way to get a quick overview of the park as well as give you the chance to get some great photographs of all the major scenic vistas and points of interest to show the folks back home.

Winter and summer the Park Service operates free and frequent shuttle buses to encourage Yosemite visitors to park their cars and reduce congestion. Winter visitors can catch a shuttle bus from Yosemite Valley to nearby Badger Pass ski area for a day skiing, snowboarding or tubing. Curry Village's outdoor ice skating rink, shadowed by two of Yosemite's most dramatic sites -- Half Dome and Glacier Point -- has to be one of the world's most spectacularly scenic places to glide across the ice in a winter wonderland.

Practicalities:
Learn more about visiting Yosemite by calling 209-372-1000 or visiting the park website at www.YosemitePark.com.

For guided tour pricing, schedules and reservations call the tour office at 209-372-1240.

Badger Pass Ski Area is open daily from 9 AM to 4:30 PM mid-December through late March (weather permitting). For more information, call 209-372-8430.

Ice-Skating at Curry Village is subject to weather conditions, For more information call 209-372-8341.

You can learn more about visiting all the attractions in Tuolumne County by calling the Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800-446-1333 or 209-533-4420 or visit their website: www.tcvb.com

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