Yosemite National Park is utterly magical. There is nowhere like it on earth. It is deeply special to both of us; in fact, one of our first dates was crashing a wedding in the Valley. If you haven't been, we highly recommend you go. If you want to head to the park, email Nat for specific advice to maximize your fun.

Unfortunately, it can also be totally swamped on a holiday weekend. We suggest heading in early (before 8:30am) before the line up at the park entrance gets too bad. If you can find a way to avoid driving around the Valley loop road between noon and 6 pm, you'll be happier. And if you want to keep crowds to a minimum, Glacier Point and the trails starting from the Glacier Point Road offer precipitous views down into the Valley from the rim while keeping you out of the craziness of the Valley Floor. If you take a little more time, Tuolumne Meadows also offers spectacular views and hiking with somewhat reduced crowds.

Driving time from Paradise Springs to Yosemite Valley is 1:45, to Glacier Point is 2:00, and to Tuolumne Meadows is 2:45. None of these times include traffic. Maps and more info here.

Just a little way up the road from Paradise Springs is a lovely grove of giant sequoias, some of the largest trees on the planet. There are several options for hikes, including the 1-mile Shadow of the Giants loop trail, which has interpretive signs identifying some of the local plants. Great for kids! See the link for more details.

There are also two other hikes that start at a trailhead near the Nelder Grove Campground, the Chimney Tree loop (~1 mile) goes past the burned-out (but still alive!) Chimney Tree and the monstrous Bull Buck tree. And the Graveyard of the Giants trail (~5 miles) takes you past some impressive standing dead sequoias as well as live ones. More info on all the hikes here.

An interpretive guide to Nelder Grove and its trees may be found here.

Rising high above the forest at 7000 feet of elevation, Fresno Dome is a little slice of Yosemite located outside the park. There's a short hike to the top where you'll get commanding views of the surrounding Western Sierra ridgelines and the vast Central Valley. Climbers will find up to five pitches of Shuteye-style knobs and plates on bomber granite, as well as some fun sport lines.

To get there, turn right out the Paradise Springs driveway and continue up Road 10 for 9.1 miles to the trailhead. The road soon turns to dirt. It is bumpy but passable for normal 2WD cars; probably not a great idea to bring your Ferrarri.

On Saturday, July 1, we'll have a family climbing day for those interested at the Hawk Dome section of Fresno Dome. We know many of you feel most comfortable climbing in spandex and sparkles; we wouldn't want to do anything to discourage that.