# Sep 23 (Wed) — Yosemite

**Stay:** [Cabin — Wawona](../bookings/stays/cabin-yosemite-wawona.md)

## Logistics

- Out-and-back along Hwy 41: south to Mariposa Grove (10 min) → north to the Valley (1 hr 10) → south to Chinquapin junction, east up Glacier Point Road to the Taft Point trailhead (1 hr), then 2 mi on to Glacier Point → back to Chinquapin, south to Wawona (1 hr)
- ~~Screenshot the Miramonte door code today~~ — arrived Sep 23 evening: **0110 + unlock**; saved in the Sep 24 file and the booking record
- Mariposa Grove: shuttle confirmed running (see below); park at the Welcome Plaza, ~300 spaces, fills by late morning

## Plan

> Menu: [`parks_sights.md`](../parks_sights.md). Order follows the light: Half Dome from Glacier Point is backlit in the morning and best at sunset.

- **Morning** Mariposa Grove — leave the cabin ~7:40 for the first 8 AM shuttle; Grizzly Giant loop ~2 miles, back at the car ~10:30
- **~11:40 AM** Valley floor — park at the Yosemite Village day-use lot; lunch in the Village:
  - Degnan's Kitchen — sandwiches, salads, soup, coffee; fast, decent, the default. The Loft upstairs does pizza and has seating
  - Village Grill — burgers and fries from a walk-up window, outdoor tables; quick if the weather is good
- **~12:30 PM** Lower Yosemite Falls loop — 1 mile paved, ~30–45 min, walk from the Village lot (or shuttle stop 6); falls may be dry
- **~1:20 PM** Cook's Meadow Loop + Sentinel Bridge — park at Sentinel Bridge; 1 mile flat, ~40 min; Half Dome from the bridge
- *Optional, ~2:15 PM:* Mirror Lake — likely dry, no reflection; skip in favour of a slower afternoon or Sentinel Dome. Park at the Curry Village trailhead lot; no parking at the trailhead itself. Shuttle stop 14 → stop 17 (East Valley shuttle every ~20 min), or walk ~0.7 mi along the road. 2 miles out and back on the paved path, 100 ft, ~1 h walking; ~1.5 h door to door. Not the 5-mile loop (2–3 h)
- *Hanging valley viewpoint — location TBC*
- **~2:30 PM** Leave the Valley west on Northside Drive; *optional* 15-min stop at El Capitan Meadow (pullouts in the Sep 22 file). Chinquapin, then east up Glacier Point Road, ~1 hr to the trailhead
- **~3:30–5:00 PM** Taft Point — 2.2 mi out and back, 400 ft (all on the way back), ~1 h walking. Trailhead lot is small; overflow along the road. Forest path, no exposure until the end; the point is a flat granite shelf with a short railing at the tip and the unfenced Fissures just before it. El Capitan head-on, Valley floor 3,000 ft down. Same trailhead serves Sentinel Dome (2.2 mi, steep granite finish) if there is time and energy
- **~5:15–7:00 PM** Glacier Point — 2 mi further up the road; Washburn Point on the way. Half Dome and the high country at sunset
- **Evening** Back to Wawona, ~1 hr, in the dark

## Mariposa Grove

> Shuttle from the Welcome Plaza runs 8 AM–7 PM on Sep 23 (last bus down 8 PM), every ~15 min. Free. Coordinates from OpenStreetMap; Grizzly Giant cross-checked with Wikipedia.

**Loops** (times from NPS unless marked est.):

| Loop | Distance | Gain | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Trees Loop | 0.3 mi | flat, accessible | ~20–30 min (est.) |
| Grizzly Giant Loop | 2 mi | 300 ft | 1.5–2 h |
| Guardians Loop | 6.5 mi | ~1,000 ft | 4–6 h |
| Mariposa Grove Trail → Wawona Point | 7 mi RT | 1,200 ft | 4–6 h (est.) |
| Washburn Trail (plaza → arrival area, if no shuttle) | 2 mi each way | 500 ft | ~1 h each way (est.) |

Budget ~2.5 h door to door for the Grizzly Giant Loop, including the shuttle each way. Cheapest upper-grove add-on: Faithful Couple, ~0.6 mi past Grizzly Giant, ~40 min out and back.

**Grizzly Giant Loop**, in walking order from the arrival area:

| Stop | Note | Map |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival area (shuttle stop, toilets, water, trailhead) | start of all loops | [37.50159, -119.611](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50159,-119.611) |
| Fallen Monarch | Big Trees Loop, ~0.1 mi; walk along a downed sequoia | [37.50254, -119.60898](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50254,-119.60898) |
| Bachelor and Three Graces | four trunks in a row, ~0.5 mi | [37.50415, -119.60465](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50415,-119.60465) |
| Grizzly Giant | ~0.8 mi; ~2,900 yr, the oldest in the grove; toilets 100 m east | [37.50355, -119.60072](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50355,-119.60072) |
| California Tunnel Tree | 100 m past Grizzly Giant; still-living tunnel cut in 1895 | [37.50427, -119.60031](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50427,-119.60031) |
| Grizzly Giant accessible lot | placard only; toilets | [37.50196, -119.60242](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50196,-119.60242) |

**Upper grove** — *optional*, adds ~4–5 mi via the Mariposa Grove Trail or Guardians Loop; skip if the Valley and Glacier Point are the priority:

| Stop | Note | Map |
|---|---|---|
| Faithful Couple | two trunks fused at the base | [37.50968, -119.60491](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50968,-119.60491) |
| Clothespin Tree | fire-carved gap you can see through | [37.51093, -119.60254](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.51093,-119.60254) |
| Mariposa Grove Museum (Galen Clark cabin) | toilets nearby | [37.51358, -119.59898](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.51358,-119.59898) |
| Telescope Tree | hollow; look up the trunk to the sky | [37.51128, -119.59538](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.51128,-119.59538) |
| Wawona Tunnel Tree | fell 1969; the famous drive-through, now a stump | [37.51473, -119.59483](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.51473,-119.59483) |
| Galen Clark Tree |  | [37.51659, -119.59396](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.51659,-119.59396) |
| Wawona Point | overlook at the top, 6,810 ft | [37.51871, -119.6007](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.51871,-119.6007) |

## Addresses

| Place | Address | Map |
|---|---|---|
| Cabin — Wawona | 2627 Spelt Road, Wawona, CA 95389 · green house on the left · **door code 0517** · wifi `Yosemitecabin` / `!Yosemite!` · host +1 209-347-6333 · staff +1 559-598-0890 | [37.54718, -119.64746](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.54718,-119.64746) |
| Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza | Mariposa Grove Road, off Hwy 41 at the south entrance | [37.50662, -119.63029](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50662,-119.63029) |
| Yosemite Village day-use lot | Northside Drive, behind the Village store | [37.74440, -119.58490](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.74440,-119.58490) |
| Curry Village trailhead lot (Mirror Lake) | Southside Drive, east of Curry Village; shuttle stop 14 is by the Curry Village registration lot | [37.73497, -119.56644](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.73497,-119.56644) |
| Mirror Lake trailhead (shuttle stop 17) | end of the road past the Pines campgrounds; no parking | [37.73978, -119.55985](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.73978,-119.55985) |
| Mirror Lake | 1 mile up the paved path | [37.74837, -119.54986](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.74837,-119.54986) |
| Sentinel Bridge lot (Cook's Meadow) | Southside Drive, Yosemite Valley | [37.74420, -119.58973](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.74420,-119.58973) |
| Chinquapin junction | Hwy 41 × Glacier Point Road, ~12 mi north of Wawona; turn east for Glacier Point | [37.65933, -119.70714](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.65933,-119.70714) |
| Taft Point / Sentinel Dome trailhead | Glacier Point Road, ~2 mi before Glacier Point, lot on the left | [37.71246, -119.58658](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.71246,-119.58658) |
| Taft Point | 1.1 mi west of the trailhead | [37.71311, -119.60461](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.71311,-119.60461) |
| Glacier Point | end of Glacier Point Road | [37.73067, -119.57367](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.73067,-119.57367) |