Yosemite worth it in December?

[DMenscha]

If you're like all the other drivers in Seattle in the snow or icy roads (I lived in the area for nine years after living in the high sierras) you may want to find a tour bus company that does day trips to Yosemite.
If you're not a bad driver in those conditions, just take it slow and go for it. The way this winter is going, you may just find that the roads are clear and getting there will be a piece of cake (Still icy spots though).

As mentioned above, Hiway 120 (Tioga Pass) is closed for the season, so there is no direct route from Yosemite to the east. It really is a place that no one should miss in their lifetime though.

[esmith143]

Guys, you're not paying attention. The original poster is from Seattle. She can probably see snow-covered mountains from her window 4 months a year. She lives within a 45 minute drive from a ski resort that dwarfs Big Bear, and within a 2 hour drive from a large number of mountain ski resorts.

There's nothing in Yosemite in winter that she can't see during a weekend day trip into North Cascades.

[DMenscha]

Originally Posted by esmith143

Guys, you're not paying attention. The original poster is from Seattle. She can probably see snow-covered mountains from her window 4 months a year. She lives within a 45 minute drive from a ski resort that dwarfs Big Bear, and within a 2 hour drive from a large number of mountain ski resorts.

There's nothing in Yosemite in winter that she can't see during a weekend day trip into North Cascades.

Seeing snow and driving in snow are very different. Seattle proper very rarely gets snow which is why they seem to be so inept as a whole in navigating snowy and icy roads. When it does snow, the local TV stations set up at the bottom of Queen Anne hill and record the follies. Insurance adjusters should probably congregate at the same location.

The nice thing about snow is that most folks stay home when it snows and the freeways are darn near empty.

[esmith143]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

Seeing snow and driving in snow are very different. Seattle proper very rarely gets snow which is why they seem to be so inept as a whole in navigating snowy and icy roads. When it does snow, the local TV stations set up at the bottom of Queen Anne hill and record the follies. Insurance adjusters should probably congregate at the same location.

The nice thing about snow is that most folks stay home when it snows and the freeways are darn near empty.

True - my point is that everyone praises Yosemite in winter because we all live in a coastal desert and we have to drive 6-8 hours to see real snow. For someone who lives in Seattle area, it would just be more of the same.

I mentioned Death Valley before. That would be a radical new sight for a Seattleite.