65 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
65 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
# National Parks — Places to See
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*Candidate menu of sights (with seasonal notes) for the Yosemite and Sequoia / Kings Canyon legs. The chosen, day-by-day version lives in [`days/`](days/) (Sep 22–26).*
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---
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## Before you go
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- **2026 nonresident fee:** from Jan 1, 2026, non-US residents pay a US$100 per-person surcharge at Yosemite and at Sequoia & Kings Canyon, on top of the US$35 vehicle fee. Everyone in the car is a nonresident. Per [nps.gov](https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm) the **US$250 nonresident annual pass** admits the entire vehicle and waives the surcharge — one pass covers all four at both parks (vs ~US$870 without). The digital pass was purchased 2026-09-22; see [`TODO.md`](TODO.md) and the [pass record](bookings/activities/america-the-beautiful-pass-2026.md).
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- **Yosemite entry reservation:** none needed — the park [dropped the timed-entry system for 2026](https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm). Drive in through the South Gate on Hwy 41
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- **Sunset ~6:55 PM** in both parks on these dates; drives back to the cabins are in the dark
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## Yosemite (Sep 22–24)
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### Valley
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- **Tunnel View** — classic valley panorama, on the Wawona road (Hwy 41); best light at sunset, so take it on the way out to the cabin
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- **Bridalveil Fall** — 5-min walk from the car, right near Tunnel View
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- **Valley View** — Merced River framing of the valley
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- **El Capitan** — view from the meadow below. *Note: Horsetail Fall firefall effect only happens in February; waterfall likely dry in September*
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- **Cook's Meadow Loop** — flat 1-mile walk, Half Dome framed over open meadow, great for golden hour photography
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- **Mirror Lake** — Half Dome reflection; ~2 miles out and back from the shuttle stop, 5-mile full loop. Usually dry or nearly so by late September
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- **Lower Yosemite Falls trail** — easy 1-mile paved loop, ~20-30 min, gets you right to the base
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### Above the Valley
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- **Glacier Point** — Half Dome faces west, so it is backlit in the morning and glows at sunset. ~1 hr from the Valley, ~1 hr to Wawona; Washburn Point on the same road
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### South (near Wawona)
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- **Mariposa Grove** — largest giant sequoia grove in Yosemite, 10 min from the cabin
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---
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## Sequoia & Kings Canyon (Sep 24–26)
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> **No cell service** near the Miramonte cabin — screenshot maps and notes before arrival.
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### Sequoia — Giant Forest area
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- **Giant Forest Museum** — orientation, start here
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- **General Sherman Tree** — largest tree on Earth by volume; shuttle access
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- **Congress Trail** — 2-mile paved loop through giant sequoias; better than just the Sherman stop
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- **Moro Rock** — granite dome, ~350 steps to a panoramic summit
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- **Big Trees Trail** — easy flat loop around a meadow
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- **Tunnel Log** — drive-through fallen sequoia, on the Moro Rock / Crescent Meadow Road
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- **Crescent Meadow** — end of the same road; 1-mile flat loop, Tharp's Log cabin, bears often graze here at dusk
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- **Tokopah Falls** — ~3.5-mile round-trip hike from Lodgepole
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- **Crystal Cave** — marble cave, guided tour only, tickets in advance. *Note: usually closes for the season in late Sep / early Oct — verify dates*
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### Kings Canyon
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- **Grant Grove & General Grant Tree** — the "Nation's Christmas Tree", quieter than Sequoia
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- **Panoramic Point** — 2.5-mile side road from Grant Grove, short walk to a Sierra crest overlook
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- **Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (Hwy 180)** — dramatic descent into the canyon; walls glow in afternoon light
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- **Roaring River Falls** — 5-min walk from the byway
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- **Grizzly Falls** — roadside stop on the byway, 20 min below Grant Grove
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- **Canyon View turnout** — just east of Cedar Grove; the U-shaped glacial canyon profile, 2-min stop
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- **Cedar Grove** — services at the canyon bottom: lodge, market, snack bar, toilets; seasonal, usually closed from around the end of September
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- **Boyden Cavern** — marble cave on the byway below Grant Grove, guided 45–60 min tour, concessioner-run; the cave fallback if Crystal Cave is closed
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- **Zumwalt Meadow** — short loop, canyon walls + river
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- **Road's End** — end of the byway, trailheads (~2 hrs each way from the cabin)
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- **Mist Falls** — from Road's End, 8 mi round trip, ~4 hrs; the canyon's signature day hike, falls modest in late September
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- **Big Baldy** — Generals Hwy between the Wye and Giant Forest; 4.5 mi round trip, ~2 hrs, ridge walk to a granite summit with views west
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