Yosemite Park Trip Questions (Fresno, Stockton: rent, hotel, camp)

[KO Stradivarius]

Hello, my wife and I (both ~ 60 y.o.) are starting to plan a trip to Yosemite likely in mid-late September (although we are flexible), hoping that will be a decent time to go and avoid all of the summer crowds that I have heard so much about. However, I have some basic questions. I have seen others post here asking about travel tips and some of the info is priceless, so I thought I'd try it. We are driving from Phoenix, and as such I have done some limited research but I was hoping the board here could provide some much better insight.

• Is mid-late Sep a good time to visit Yosemite Park? Is it less busy this time of year? Would October be better? We are planning to visit the park on weekday(s). When does the weather become much colder in these parts? I assume the East side is typically hotter than the West side of the mountains, although in the Fall it may reverse.

• We hope to take the route - PHX to Las Vegas, thru Nevada and hopefully cross the mountains near Yosemite, maybe visit San Fran/Bay Area, possibly hit Sequoia Nat. Forest, and then either thru LA or down I-40 to Needles, and return to PHX. Sounds like a nice road trip to us.

• Is there an issue taking the route in this order, or should we reverse and head thru CA to Yosemite and return thru Nevada to AZ? Am I just crazy and I really should avoid one of the routes altogether?

• Is there an issue crossing the mountains near Yosemite? (Probably via CA-120 from Benton to I-5 near Stockton). I assume just going to the park I would need to venture this way anyway. I have heard of some periodic somewhat frequent road closures, although there are none currently listed on the Nat’l Park Service site: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm. I have seen some hotel reviews where people do mention surprise road closures that completely screw up their plans.

• Where are generally the best areas to stay near the park? East or West side of the mountains? Benton, Lee Vining, Mariposa, Bootjack…I’ve really just scratched the surface here. Or any other small towns? Any hidden gems or recommendations? We will probably stay at least 1-2 nights each on each side. We may prefer to stay on the East side initially if we enter from that direction, since we will be likely coming from Vegas and it’ll be about time to get lodging. But after the 1-2 days at Yosemite we will probably venture to the West side or stop in the mountains and stay.

• Any other things to consider, tips/tricks, lessons learned? Any recommended websites to get good info?

I do hope this post isn’t too annoyingly long/frequently-discussed/high-maintenance. Any input would be greatly appreciated and hopefully would be helpful to others. Just hoping for a few pointers. We won’t be doing much hiking - my wife cannot. I did search the site for “Yosemite” which was admittedly broad but I did not find much helpful info. Mods, feel free to move to the appropriate section of the forum. Thank you.

[sacreole]

I believe that planning your visit on a weekday during mid-to-late September through early October is a good strategy. If you're coming up through the Owens Valley and over the Eastern Sierras, SR-120 (Tioga Pass Route) should still be passable. Check Caltrans when in doubt. Another route would take you up through the San Joaquin Valley and using Fresno, Merced or one of the Sierra Foothill towns such as Oakhurst, Mariposa or Sonora as a jumping off point. I would recommend taking the YARTS bus into Yosemite. The website is https://yarts.com

You could take YARTS from Mammoth Lakes and Lee Vining from the Eastern Sierras as well as from Merced, Fresno, Oakhurst, Mariposa and Sonora. Your park admission is included in the price of the ticket. In addition, YARTS operates intra-park shuttles.

[Ruth4Truth]

A friend of mine went in mid-to-late Sept., and said it was wonderful, and also more affordable outside of the main tourist season. There are more housing choices available. She was able to get some kind of tent cabin, and there were far fewer visitors. Also, at that time of year, fall colors should be showing en route. The only concern these days about a Sept. trip is the F-word. Rhymes with "hire". Shhhh.... don't jinx it!

[KO Stradivarius]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

A friend of mine went in mid-to-late Sept., and said it was wonderful, and also more affordable outside of the main tourist season. There are more housing choices available. She was able to get some kind of tent cabin, and there were far fewer visitors. Also, at that time of year, fall colors should be showing en route. The only concern these days about a Sept. trip is the F-word. Rhymes with "hire". Shhhh.... don't jinx it!

Thanks for the replies, both yourself and @sacreole. So far I have not received as much help here as I had hoped, but I gave it a shot. Someone also suggested using Trip Advisor, which is good advice.

Smokey the Bear did cross my mind. Thanks for confirming that!

[AnythingOutdoors]

Sept is a wonderful time to visit. The mountain passes are almost always open through September. October is less certain, but usually okay unless there's a big early storm.

The eastern side is drier, so I generally expect higher daytime and lower nighttime temps vs. the western side. Warm days and chilly nights are the norm, with higher elevations being cooler overall. You may even see some fall colors at higher elevations. Be prepared for lots of different conditions -- in Sept I've been snowed on in the high Sierras even while it was 80F in Bishop.

You should absolutely drive up 395 and cross over Tioga Pass to reach the Valley. The Eastern Sierras are incredibly beautiful, and the drive through the Yosemite high country is not to be missed. Plan on spending some time (at least a few hours) exploring Tuolumne Meadows.

As for the direction of the route, if you can remain flexible I would plan on going east over Tioga Pass on your way there as long as the conditions are nice (good weather, no closures). But if that's not possible maybe see if you can hit it on the way back.

And yes, the F--- word is a concern that time of year, mainly the resulting smoke. With all the precipitation and end of drought hopefully this isn't an issue this year. I would just plan the trip and risk it. There's a good chance that you have clear sunny days and few crowds.

[evening sun]

Try & stay in the park if possible, staying on the outskirts, is a long tedious drive, in & out. I have had good luck booking housekeeping camp on a shorter notice. They are basic cabins, with elctricty & you can rent linens, & take the shuttle to grab something to eat.
Fall is Ok, but the waterfalls may have dried up by then, they are best in the Spring they rely on snow melt.