Climbed on the boulders all around and found more small, chill areas! A good hike for some kids. Proceed as noted above. Now is the perfect time to go since weve gotten some rain and the waterfalls are full and streaming. It is a little toasty in the tent cabins until around midnight when it cools down significantly. This is not on the shuttle bus route, so you must drive your car here. Not a lot of rush on the trial. Expect 30 minute delays from Spring- Fall 2023. Thanks! The hike is about 2 miles round trip depending on how muchexploring, rock scrambling, and climbing you do. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Other attractions include volleyball nets, multiple playgrounds, and aqua adventure park, geese, and peddle boats. We try to arrive before 10 am especially on weekends. Unfortunately this wasnt offered during our stay. Learn how your comment data is processed. Overall, if you want to do trail run/hiking, this place is pretty good. A permit is required to camp overnight. Its on top of my US bucket list. We recommend visiting in the shoulder seasons if possible as the weather is moderate and crowds are less. Important to remember, especially at national parks. For those of you wanting a little more luxury during your visit, check out the only 4 star hotel in the park, The Majestic Yosemite. Little Yosemite is located in Sunol Regional Wilderness Park in Sunol, CA Little Yosemite is a scenic gorge on Alameda Creek about two miles upstream from park - Some cow poop on the side of the trail in certain parts Would recommend taking the time to scramble down to the stream at little Yosemite but be VERY careful. You can hike up about 4 miles from the Valley to this viewpoint if you want to spend more time here. Shes the East Bay mom of two little ones, a four-year old and a baby. It is wet and steep, so make sure you prepare for that. Gentle uphill on a wide gravel road with some occasional nice views of the golden hills. Even within Curry Village there are several options. Please do not short cut trails in steep areas or slide in the grass on hillsides or banks. The Outbound works best with JavaScript enabled. There are several paid tours and excursions available in Yosemite. Make sure to print your documents before arrival. It was quite informative for the adults and gave us a good overview of the valley. Note, as mentioned previously, Tioga Road is closed in winter (usually some time in November until May or June depending on seasonal snowfall. Gentle rise in elevation. Depending on how much you have already done or are planning for the day, you can continue hiking to the top of Lower Falls which is 2 miles in/out. Here youll be able climb the boulders along the gorge with cascading waterfalls. Overall though the park is quite shaded so you can easily avoid the blazing sun. Naturalist staff at the Sunol Visitor Center welcome you to the park. Today, camping, picnicking, hiking and back-packing attract thousands of park visitors a year. Time of start: 1130 The only negative during high season was the line for restaurants. There are several waterfalls and some dry out on hot days. One of the easiest walks in the park is here at Lower Yosemite Falls. This is a very popular area for birding and hiking, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. However its not bad at all, and seeing water in the river is heart warming. Check out the calendar for details on when it will run. Little Yosemite is known for its waterfalls and rock scrambling and its easy to get to. I would recommend it for kids 6 and up. also lots of people ignoring the do not swim/wade signs plus some graffiti on the rocks, both of which are so aggravating to me. I cant remember at this point if we had locks, but I feel like we didnt and it was fine. Little Yosemite in Sunol is a scenic hike offering breathtaking oak lined canyon views and dramatic waterfalls. Explore Little Yosemite, the hidden gem in Sunol Regional Wilderness in east bay hills of Silicon Valley. A few small things I don't give a full 5 stars which have everything to do with people and nothing to do with the place: LY is amazing but with it being small it can quickly feel crowded and I couldn't imagine what it's like on a weekend. There are camping options available as well. The Happy Isles Nature Center is a great place to visit in Yosemite for people with younger kids. $2 per dog (free for service dogs). This kid-friendly hiking trail is a must see in the Bay Area. Spending quality time with family is a good thing. There are so many hikes to do in Yosemite that you will never be able to fit them all in on one trip. Its crazy how far in advance you have to book for national park adventures! The pool at Curry Village may only be available to people staying at the cabins and tent cabins, but if you are, it is a great clean pool to let the kids splash around in and cool down. Curry Village is competitive, but not quite as bad as that. The NPS corroborates this on their website saying that many of the car camping sites book up within minutes of opening. Needing something a little different than burgers and sandwiches? Visited the Sunol park and chose to visit the Little Yosemite Trail. Go early or plan to be there for a while! We tried The Kebab Shop in Fremont. Little Yosemite is a scenic gorge on Alameda Creek about two miles upstream from the Visitor Center. If yo North Rim Trail to Eagle Rock is an out-and-back trail that takes you past scenic surroundings located near San Jose, California. We didnt walk far, so this walk can easily be handled by most people. Easy and nice hike! To find out more about our Privacy Policy, please clickhere. my friends and I went on a hike/ adventure to the water falls and had a blast. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Another option would be to book all cabins under one reservation, so you can get them all together. Little Yosemite is a scenic gorge with waterfalls within an hour of Oakland. Beautiful trail with so many wildflowers! Still bone dry despite the rains. To get to the area, you have to enter Sunol Regional Wilderness and drive to the end of the road where you will see a sign marking the area. Clear skies. The loop is shared by dog walkers, trail runners, hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. The trailhead starts near the Happy Isles Nature Center and begins with a steady 1 mile uphill climb to a wooden bridge where you can see Vernal Falls in the distance. I saw bats fly overhead on one of my midnight potty runs. The Village Grill Deck is located in Yosemite Valley and is open only seasonally. And those cabins look so cozy and fun! 2018 Raising Kids Wild. My pup is too young to go any longer. The trail is called Camp Ohlone Road and theres not a lot of shade so bring water and hats! While Yosemite is most known for Half Dome and El Capitan, the park is filled with beautiful waterfalls that are worth exploring during your visit. It is $35 to enter Yosemite by vehicle. Its a gravel road, sorta felt like walking down a street, not woodsy. For information about campsites in other parks, please visit theCamping Page. TravelerTip: Even if you go in the summer months, book a heated tent cabin. (Big kids will love to take part, too!) Some good views of the wildflowers! Parking: $5/seasonal, weekends and holidays. Something for everyone here. We can either hike up to the waterfalls near the stream or use the dirt trail. All the greenery and velvety blue sky bring up the serenity of nature. However, there are a decent number of less crowded trails in the area with some decent elevation gain. This is a very popular area for birding, hiking, and running, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. Impatient visitors will quickly see how this trail earned its name as it . Not to worry - well be back again soon. Gorgeous canyon views. While walking to the Lower Falls you will get a glimpse of the Upper Falls, however note that you cannot see the Upper Falls from the end of the trail. Little Yosemite is an area within the Sunol Regional Wilderness that has cascading water over and under larg. Better yet, bring your own bikes! It takes quite a while to get here up winding roads, so we recommend doing it on your way in/out of the park. Other than that, this trail is lovely and may need to be closed to give it some time to recover human interference. They're very easy to spot on the side latter half of the trail. As a reminder, please do not feed the animals as cute as they are! During our visit, we had several days of high 90s and 100s. Depending on where you stay, you will have different choices on where to eat, but in general there are limited choices within the park itself. Not busy ( Thursday hike). The next stage continues uphill, culminating in stairs (that get very wet and slippery the higher you go) cut into the path. Note, they are also magical without kids too! After entering the kiosk youll be able to pick up a brochure with a map at the trail head. Take I-680 south and exit at Calaveras Road/Highway 84 just south of the Sunol exit. When I left at 11:00 am, vehicle entry to the park was closed. The hiking trail is very flat and wide. Completed almost half of the hike having to turn back due to the narrow path and my dread of heights. If doing clockwise, the first mile is pretty steep. Not closed. Fill up before you get inside the park, even if you have half a tank. Camping is by advance reservation only (5 business days); phone 1-888-EBPARKS or1-888-327-2757press option 2, orvisit the Camping pagefor details. This vista point has views of the whole valley, including both El Capitan and Half Dome, and is a must-see for all ages. Excellent views of the park, Calaveras Reservoir and south bay area. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. In the spring, the green hills are so beautiful. Alameda Grove picnic area is available for reservation. There were two parking areas and lots of spots Going the scenic route brings plenty of stream side fun and exploring. Camping at designated campsites along the Ohlone Wilderness Trail is allowed by advance reservation only (5 business days), and separate arrangements should be made by phoning 1-888-EBPARKS or1-888-327-2757, press option 2. It has a range of ecosystems from the Alameda creek rushing down through granite fields (Little Yosemite) into a small forested area to grassy hilltop hiking trails. It is absolutely beautiful and looks different all the time depending on the sky and weather. Check your Yosemite map for directions on how to reach the beach. Will definitetly come back to this park! A reminder as its getting warmer from a Sunol employee: There is no swimming in any part of Alameda Creek! Wild flowers were blooming.Water was flowing and sun was shining. The family photo at the top of this post is from this viewpoint. counter clockwise vs clockwise. We like to stretch just afterthe gate and the kids join in too. There is also no cell service in the park! Buses: $25/per bus.Dogs: $2 per dog. 1-Oct. 31: 8am-7pm. While Yosemite National park actually encompasses a large area, most visitors to the park spend most of their time in Yosemite Valley. I only went about 2.5 miles in on the main trail. Visit the Sunol Visitor Center for information about these programs. The green fields are lovely. over all, loved this hike. Learn how your comment data is processed. . There are two other entrances less commonly used, unless you are heading to the more remote sections of the park. Went clockwise. Perfect weather to do this fairly exposed trail. They do seem a bit shy; a lot of them stopped moving as we passed. The Sentinel Meadow Loop and Cooks Meadow hike offers great views of Half Dome reflected in the Merced River. Good view of Calaveras Reservoir. Again, wait times can be long during high season and meal times. Bring snacks and lots of water. Bedrock mortars used by Native Americans for pounding acorns that were found in the area are reminders of Sunol's first inhabitants. Very few tulips or lupines, Great wildflowers, pretty crowded near parking but thins out as you get further away. Excellent views of San Antonio Reservoir and Mt. Turned back at the first small rocky falls. It's like . One-mile loop, self-guided nature trail - get booklet at Visitor Center. Leads through "Valley of the Giants." 9Sep. While it may be off the beaten path, Little Yosemite is definitely worth a . $4 per trailered vehicle. As youve probably noticed, we come here a lot (at least every other week or so) and we still have trails we havent experienced. Green and diverse terrain with a little bit of something for everyone -- exposed sunny hills, bay and oak covered trails, rocks to scramble on, creeks to jump through. Overflow options include one lot across the street and another by the Visitor Center. A bob cat? We like to take this trail because its near the streams and youll get to take in more nature. For more information on Yosemite Park lodging options check out theirwebsite. The Mist Trail is a beautiful hike with great views throughout. If you want to keep valuables in your bear locker, bring a lock from home to lock it. 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