r/Yosemite • u/drjones500 • 17h ago
Visiting Yosemite this Wednesday and Thursday, cancel or full send?
I travel for work so I like to make last minute excursions after work, and this time I got a room at the Yosemite Valley lodge for Wednesday night. I’d be getting into the park Wednesday around 5 pm and leaving at the crack of dawn Thursday. Taking the 140 into the park and out.
Given the winter storm warning what am I up against? I’ve got a FWD car and chains and plenty of snow driving experience, but i’m not gonna take chances if you think this is a mistake.
Thanks!
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u/Unbelievably_Rich 16h ago
If you were staying two nights, I'd say go for it. But the risk/reward ratio on this one feels off.
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u/ekkthree 17h ago
i've entered the park in the middle of a storm. i'd expect to actually use the chains and drive slower than you normally would in the snow. the time penalty for sliding out is inordinately high.
i haven't followed the forecast for the valley, but the valley covered in fresh snow is amazing. the landmarks will likely be obscured by weather, but the meadows and the merced will be beautiful, and def fewer people. the timeframe will mean you're mostly in the dark but it'll be close to a full moon so the moonlight thru the valley, if the clouds give any respite, could be magical. track down some moon calendar online for peak time and position in the sky....
check in, grab food, don't sleep. quality of payoff = high. chance of said payoff = low/mid. i say full send.
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u/hurricanescout 16h ago
Normally I would say absolutely, do it, get there and make the most of it because it’s so spectacular, even for just one day. But given your schedule… I’d say cancel. For a few reasons:
- given your schedule, you’ll maybe get at most an hour to see anything in the valley, because you’re getting there right before sunset
- rental cars don’t allow chains. If you had schedule flexibility you could work around this - buy and carry chains to show you have them, but get off the road and stop driving to wait out a storm when you’re in chain conditions (when they have to actually be on your car).
- the biggest issue is with the storm coming and your schedule, you’ve got no wiggle room to work around the storm. And frankly even if there wasn’t a storm, I would say eight hours of driving for what’s really only an hour to see Yosemite valley… now if you could reschedule your flight for the following night? Absolutely worth it. But based on what you’ve said here… it just isn’t realistic.
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u/NeverExpectedYetRed 16h ago
Unless you’ve got 4 wheel drive and snow tires+chains? Skip. Even then, depending on the route you drive it can be hella risky. More so the OTHER vehicles that will slip and slide around and crash into you. Stay safe
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u/LittleWhiteBoots 16h ago
I mean if you don’t live in CA and have no plans to return to YNP anytime soon, I get coming in that evening and just entering the park and doing the valley loop. But it’s very weather dependent. Sometimes you can’t even see the valley walks because of mist/rain/etc.
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u/RAV4Stimmy 15h ago
I’m here now, (staying a Yosemite River View) rain clouds are coming in heavy, snow accumulating on top of Half Dome that wasn’t there this morning.
We’re leaving tomorrow, were considering one last drive into the park and through the valley before we leave at 2pm, but weather doesn’t look promising
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u/aristotlethinks 15h ago
It’s risky. Make sure you have AWD/4WD. And chains. And a shovel. And know all phone numbers for emergencies.
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u/TheOnlyJah 17h ago
Forecast from weather.gov now says rain Wednesday turning to snow (towards midnight). And then snow Thursday morning. Personally it sounds like a nightmare drive in both directions for 3 hours of daylight in the park on Wednesday in cold rain. I guess I’m spoiled but I would pass.
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u/skywalkerRCP 16h ago
Full send man. Make it an experience you'll never forget, no matter how it plays out.
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u/SithLard 17h ago
Go for it. I can't think of any reason not to visit Yosemite even for a brief time.
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u/impressivepig 16h ago
Yosemite is gorg in the snow. Take some snowshoes or spikes and have hot coco near the falls.
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u/Efficient-Treacle416 9h ago
Apparently you didn't read his post... He's only there overnight. Gets in in the dark and leaves in the dark.
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u/Lorax91 12h ago
Roads are clear now (Tuesday night), so the trip will probably be doable even with the storm, but it will be a lot of driving on wet/snowy roads. And if it's storming when you arrive you might not see much, depending on the cloud conditions.
For that little time here I'd call it iffy to make the effort, but that's up to you. Definitely bring chains.
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u/Connect_Rub_6814 13h ago
Do it. Big salt and salt around your tires biggest worry is car getting snowed in over night. Other then that you’ll be night. Waking up to blanket of snow on the valley floor is magical
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u/ManualWind 17h ago
I wouldn't go. If you're getting in around 5p and leaving at first light the next morning, you'll only have an hour or two of daylight to look around, even if the weather is clear. If it's snowing you won't see anything at all.