Tioga Pass - Yosemite National Park

The only way to enter Yosemite National Park from the east is to use Tioga Pass Road.  Also know as Highway 120, it is a beautiful drive, but be prepared.   We parked the motorhome in nearby Lee Vining, CA and drove the minivan into Yosemite each day during our visit.  When we last visited Yosemite National Park in 2011, Tioga Pass Road was not opened due to winter snow falls.  This year the pass was opened early in May and we hurried to see what we missed. Here's a link to our previous visit Yosemite 2011

For some eastbound drivers, the worst bit can be the final descent as you exit the park and travel the pass down to Lee Vining.  Driving close to an edge that drops off sharply around 2000 feet isn't what most drivers are used to, so it can be challenging. 

This scenic drive demands concentration due to the tight bends and drop offs, but it has stunning scenery if you can hold your nerve.

Tioga Pass is typically closed from November through May, but we got lucky as the pass opened on May 11, 2013.  You can still see plenty of snow piles along the route.

Someone even had time to make a snowman.  Tioga Pass Road is 62 miles in length from Lee Vining on the East side of the park to Big Oaks Flat Road on the West side of Yosemite National Park.

The snow melt provided rapid water in the streams as well as spectacular waterfalls. 

You can see here that Mammoth Lake is still frozen.  

Medlicott Dome is one of the biggest domes in Tuolumne area, if not the biggest in sheer size and volume. It has a huge number of climbing routes, most of which are bolted faces with occasional cracks and offwidths.  

We were very lucky to see two climbers coming down the mountain.  In this photo, one of the climbers is resting about halfway down the peak.  

We drove the entire length of Toga Pass Road and we were about 3-miles down Big Oaks Flat road when I took this picture of the center of Yosemite Valley.

If you click on this photo, and look in the center, you can see water running down the mountain from snow melt off the Tioga Pass Road area. 

This is a close up photo of the Merced River running directly through the park.  It is most well known for its swift and steep course through the southern part of Yosemite National Park, and the world-famous Yosemite Valley.

Tioga Pass at 9945 feet is the highest automobile pass in California. The road to the pass was constructed in two parts. The first part was a wagon road, 56 miles long, going frrom Crane Flat on the west side to a silver mine on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada. It was constructed in 1883 at a cost of $61,000. This part terminated a short distance east of Tioga Pass. The mine was closed the following year as it was not profitable.

Construction of the second part from Lee Vining on the east side to Tioga Pass was begun in 1902 and was completed in 1910 at a cost of $63,000. Considered a monument to the skill of the state engineers, it was routed up Lee Vining  Canyon and had a maximum grade of 7%. It was a narrow, exciting road with a steep drop off to Lee Vining Creek below.

Lower Antelope Canyon - Page AZ

Click on any photo to enlarge. 

We would like to thank our friends Barbara & Andy for recommending the Lower Antelope Canyon.  We met Barbara & Andy (who are from England) back in 2007 at Yellowstone while we were waiting for geysers to erupt.  Lower Antelope Canyon, called Hazdistazí, or "spiral rock arches" by the Navajo, is located in Page AZ. The road to Antelope Canyon is gated by the Navajo Nation. 

From above, Lower Antelope Canyon is just a crack in the ground. The excitement and joy started to take over on the first sight of what is below the ground.

Even following the installation of stairways, it is a more difficult hike than Upper Antelope—it is longer, narrower in spots, and even footing is not available in all areas.

Despite these limitations, Lower Antelope Canyon draws a considerable number of photographers, though casual sightseers are much less common there than in Upper.

The lower canyon is in the shape of a "V" and shallower than the Upper Antelope. Lighting is better in the early hours and late afternoon.

 To show only a few of the exquisite photos of the canyon would not do it justice.

On a bright sunny day the colors of the canyon are incredible. 

 Today, ladder systems have been bolted in place, and deployable cargo nets are installed at the top of the canyon.

Antelope Canyon is visited exclusively through guided tours, in part because rains during monsoon season can quickly flood the canyon. Rain does not have to fall on or near the Antelope Canyon slots for flash floods to whip through, as rain falling dozens of miles away 'upstream' of the canyons can funnel into them with little prior notice.

August 12, 1997, eleven tourists, including seven from France, one from the United Kingdom, one from Sweden and two from the United States, were killed in Lower Antelope Canyon by a flash flood.

Very little rain fell at the site that day, but an earlier thunderstorm had dumped a large amount of water into the canyon basin, seven miles upstream.

At that time, the ladder system consisted of amateur-built wood ladders that were swept away by the flash flood. 

They say that the right center section looks like the face of an Eagle coming out of the rock.

Our guide takes a picture of Kathy and me.  The floor of the canyon is sand which is easily removed during a severe storm.  The guides then have to haul in sand to reinstall a new floor. 

Look at the contrast of colors in the following photos. 

The walk at Lower Antelope Canyon is long, narrow, and there were a few spots where there was hardly any footing.

Grains of sand fall from the funnel rock formation. 

  

For the most part when we were inside Lower Antelope Canyon, we felt like we had the canyon all to ourselves. There were other tourists of course, but the canyon is long enough for us to spread apart and have our small private spaces. Occasionally, we bumped into each other, or we had to stop because someone was taking a picture or was composing a picture, but for the most part, our time at the canyon was fantastic. 

At the end, the climb out requires several flights of stairs.

We had about a 1/4 mile walk back to our staging area.  We would highly recommend this canyon to anyone passing by Page AZ.  It was truly a great experience!  Kathy & I agree that the Lower Antelope Canyon tour is in our top 5 of places that we have visited in our travels.

Day 4 - Zion National Park

Emerald Pools is a Zion classic: an oasis in the middle of the desert. The hike is a collection of short trails that meander past a small, lushly-vegetated stream that rolls down from the cliffs and forms several interesting "pools."

Cross the footbridge and follow the trail that goes north along the Virgin River.

The kids take a photo with Mom on the edge of a large rock.

In less than half a mile, the vegetation becomes more lush and the trail makes its way along a tall alcove under two tall waterfalls and the pools below.

Sydney draws a cute flower along the trail.  

There are several spots during the hike where you have some very good views of the east side of Zion.

Another great photo of Mom and the kids.  

  

The year round water supply provides for abundant vegetation, some that grows directly on the vertical rock. 

Kathy and Sydney stop for a short rest on the trail. 

Samantha and Andrew rock climbing.  

Trey and Mom rest for a bit. 

Everyone decides to get into the act. 

Something gets the girls attention while the boys are feeling quite at home.

The first part of the Riverwalk hike is paved and takes you by a swamp and lush vegetation. It seems so out of place in the desert. Then the trail ends at the river.

The well-traveled path, host to approximately 3,000 people a day in the summer, ends where Navajo Sandstone walls close in and water is forced into the narrow walls of the world renowned Zion Narrows.

The ease and beauty of this hike is the reason for its popularity and many young people do play and delight in the river at the end of the pavement on hot summer days.

Be warned that the water in the North Fork of the Virgin River is frigid in the winter and spring.  A fellow hiker aids Andrews in crossing a short section of the stream.

Mom and the kids decide to take a break and pose for a photo.

The Narrows is one of the most unusual hikes on the Colorado Plateau. Hiking is done largely in the river as, for a third of the route, the river runs canyon wall to canyon wall. The walls are vertical and sheer, and often red in color. Water levels change from season to season; most hikers will wade at least waist-deep and many will swim a few short sections.

  Here you can see two hikers returning wearing wet suits.

On a good day this trip is popular, and depending on your tolerance for your fellow visitor you might consider it crowded but its certainly worth the trip.  We hope Dr. Chris and the kids had a great time visiting their first National Parks .  We thoroughly enjoyed being their host and look forward to future adventures.