It’s impossible to boil down the essence of Yosemite into a couple of landmarks—the park is too big, too spectacular—but there are certain sights that unforgettably exemplify its grandeur. Here are four must-see spots to experience during your visit to Yosemite with Scenic Wonders. Half Dome Half Dome is likely the best-known landform in the [...]
How Half Dome Formed
Have you ever wondered how Half Dome formed? Half Dome is one of the indisputable monarchs of Yosemite National Park, a lopsided, sheer fin soaring high above Yosemite Valley. Considering how Half Dome formed introduces you to the wonders of Sierra Nevada geology—which involves both molten fire and bulldozing ice! Here’s How Half Dome Formed The Granite [...]
Best Places to Swim in Yosemite
When you find one of the best places to swim in Yosemite, there’s nothing quite like cooling off in the water on a hot, sunny, spectacularly beautiful summer afternoon. If you’re staying with us at Scenic Wonders, you’ve got plenty of options for taking a dip—whether it’s in a wild waterway or a swimming pool. [...]
Are There Redwood Trees In Yosemite National Park?
A common inquiry among visitors to our heavenly area is: “Are there redwood trees in Yosemite National Park?” The answer is: “Depends on your terminology!” Yosemite is home to the world’s most massive tree species, the giant sequoia, which is sometimes (and increasingly rarely) called the “Sierra redwood.” (You may also know it simply as [...]
TripAdvisor Honors Scenic Wonders with 2013 Certificate of Excellence
Yosemite’s Scenic Wonders is proud and honored to announce that we’ve been awarded a 2013 Certificate of Excellence from the website TripAdvisor. Thank you to all of our wonderful guests who’ve helped us garner this distinction! It’s no small achievement: TripAdvisor is the biggest travel website on the planet, active in 30 different countries [...]
10 Things To Do In Yosemite With Kids
Explore these 10 incredible things to do in Yosemite with kids. Not only are these activities fun, and kid-friendly, they’re among the best things you can ever do in Yosemite National Park. 10 Things to do in Yosemite with kids (1) Glacier Point:Everybody should see the astounding view from Glacier Point at least once. From this [...]
Yosemite Hotels vs. Vacation Homes
If you’re considering Yosemite hotels for your upcoming vacation to this world-famous slice of the Sierra Nevada, take a moment to contrast Yosemite hotels with vacation rental homes such as those offered by Scenic Wonders. We like to think our beautiful cabins and cottages come out the better in such a comparison! Drawbacks of Yosemite [...]
Location, Location, Location: Yosemite Cabin Rentals Inside The Park
Staying in one of the lovely Scenic Wonders cabins–for a day, for a week–is the ideal way to escape an over-scheduled, harried world and submit to the deeper, slower rhythms of the Sierra Nevada. You couldn’t ask for accommodations more convenient to Yosemite National Park’s exceptional sights. Yosemite Cabin Rentals Close to the Attractions Yosemite [...]
Yosemite For Kids: Can You Pass The 1933 Yosemite Junior Ranger Test?
The Junior Ranger program is one of the offerings in Yosemite for kids—and it’s one of the most popular activities for children visiting this wonderful place. It has a long history–it got its start in 1930 with the initiation of the Yosemite Junior Nature School, which ran until the 1950s. Kids today studying to be [...]
The Waterfall Lover
Yosemite National Park ranks with any other corner of the world in terms of the beauty and number of its waterfalls. Particularly in spring and early summer–snowmelt season–the park seems to be surging everywhere with tumbling cataracts and cascades. (Here’s a list to chose a Yosemite waterfall to visit.) Certain falls, like Yosemite and Bridalveil, are [...]
Yosemite Cabins For Rent Near Wawona Golf Course
One of the more unusual opportunities available in Yosemite National Park is a round or two at the Wawona Golf Course. Our Yosemite cabins for rent in Yosemite West are a quick and easy drive from the links, offering the ideal accommodations for golfers who want to indulge their love of the game during a vacation [...]
Yosemite For Kids: Become A Junior Ranger Or Little Cub
If you’re staying at a Scenic Wonders rental cabin in Yosemite National Park with young children, consider the educational adventures available through the Little Cub and Junior Ranger programs. Through these time-honored traditions, Yosemite for kids can mean rewarding, hands-on learning about one of America’s most cherished landmarks. For decades, the National Park Service has [...]
The Forgotten Waterfalls of Yosemite
As we discussed in a previous post about the waterfalls of Yosemite, Yosemite National Park is rich in spring—and many of the falls are surprisingly low-profile despite their size and grandeur. Seeking out some of the park’s lesser-known cataracts is a great excuse to familiarize yourself with the full breadth of the Yosemite landscape. Quaking Aspen [...]
Glacier Point Couldn’t Be Closer To Our Yosemite Lodging
Our Scenic Wonders rentals are conveniently situated near the road to one of Yosemite National Park’s finest attractions: Glacier Point and its vast panorama. The route up to this lofty vantage is usually snowed in until May. The start of Glacier Point Road, which accesses Badger Pass Ski Area on the way to its terminus, [...]
Visit The Mariposa Grove Of Giant Sequoias From Our Yosemite Cabins
The combination of stammeringly beautiful mountains and some of the world’s most diverse and titanic conifer forests is one of the Sierra Nevada’s most spectacular features. One of Yosemite National Park’s grandest timber stands is the Mariposa Grove—an easy drive from our Scenic Wonders Yosemite cabins, and usually fully accessible by April. The stars of the Mariposa Grove [...]
3 Months Ahead Is Best For Making Yosemite Reservations
Our Scenic Wonders rentals offer a top-tier combination of location, comfort, and affordability within the bounds of Yosemite National Park. Given the diversity of our beautiful cabins and condos and the incomparable convenience of their setting, it’s not a surprise they’re so popular. That means it’s important to think ahead when making your Yosemite reservations. [...]
Yosemite West: An Enclave of Private Vacation Rentals
The Scenic Wonders rental properties have the wonderful distinction of residing within the bounds of Yosemite National Park–specifically, in the tucked-away and woodsy enclave of Yosemite West. Ours is a neighborhood of beautiful cabins, chalets, and condominiums laid out within the sweet-smelling conifers, dogwoods, and manzanita of the Sierran forest. Browse through the full spectrum [...]
Yosemite Accommodations: Make Your Spring Vacation Memorable
Yosemite National Park is a wonderful place to go celebrate the vernal awakening. In spring, much of the park’s higher country is still laden with snow, but elsewhere signs of seasonal rebirth are unmistakable. With temperatures warming and rivers running beautifully strong, a Sierra Nevada spring is, in a word, unforgettable–and our Scenic Wonders Yosemite [...]
4 Big Waterfalls You Shouldn’t Miss
Yosemite Valley’s waterfalls aren’t the only ones in Yosemite National Park, naturally. There are scores of cataracts scattered along the river- and stream-courses, and all have their own special magic. Here are a few impressive cascades in other corners of the park that are particularly worth checking out in spring, when their discharges are at [...]
Yosemite Vacations: Visiting In April
By April, the Sierra Nevada is truly showing signs of springtime transformation, even as the snowpack still sits deep in the high country. The month is a wonderful time for Yosemite vacations, to usher in the warm season surrounded by mountain beauty. Places to Go April is one of the premier times of the year [...]
Yosemite Waterfalls: Countless Spring Waterfalls Fed By Snowmelt
Plentiful waterfalls are among Yosemite’s best-known natural features. The Sierra Nevada is a snowy place in winter—a result of the range’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean—and heavy snowmelt from spring through early summer feeds beautiful cataracts tumbling out of the highlands. Yosemite Valley is richly endowed with waterfalls, and spring, when they’re running at full [...]
Yosemite Accommodations That Let You Get Away From It All
Relaxing in a Scenic Wonders cabin in Yosemite National Park, you’ve got front-row seats to one of America’s premier places to shuck off the stresses of 21st-century urban bustle. Yosemite may be an internationally renowned vacation destination, but there’s always a way to escape the crowds and simply soak in the splendor of the Sierra [...]
Yosemite Trees, Plants and Flowers Near Our Cabins
Yosemite National Park is justly renowned for its tremendous geological formations, but it’s also a bastion for botanical splendor. If you’re enjoying a stay in one of our incomparable Yosemite cabins, take a moment or two to consider the immense wealth of wildflowers, shrubs, and trees that literally awaits just outside the door. Yosemite Cabins [...]
Things To Know About Yosemite Hotels
For many planning a vacation to Yosemite National Park, hotels are among the things that come to mind in terms of lodging possibilities. After all, the park has a number of Yosemite hotels, including such historic structures as the Ahwahnee. But when you break down a price comparison with vacation rentals, it’s a no-contest matchup: [...]
Map of Yosemite Rentals
One of the prime features of our Scenic Wonders website is the interactive map of our Yosemite rentals–an excellent way to orient yourself and explore your lodging possibilities for a one-of-a-kind vacation. Mapping Our Yosemite Rentals The Scenic Wonders Property Locator lays out our forested neighborhood in Yosemite West, close by Yosemite Valley and Glacier [...]
The Ultimate Yosemite Lodging Giveaway
One of the rewards for regularly checking in with the Yosemite’s Scenic Wonders Facebook page–aside from all the astoundingly beautiful pictures of Yosemite scenery–is the chance to participate in the contests we occasionally throw. Now’s just such an opportunity: For another round of our Ultimate Yosemite Giveaway, we’re giving away a FREE two-night stay in [...]
Yosemite Vacations For Those Travelling With Kids
Yosemite National Park is an outstanding destination for families with children. There are few better destinations for introducing kids to the power, majesty, and complexity of the natural world than this sublime slice of the Sierra Nevada. The not-so-secret flipside is that the experience is also uproariously fun. Yosemite vacations with kids can be as [...]
Easy-To-Use Online Booking System Makes Yosemite Reservations Simple
It just got that much easier to reserve some of Yosemite National Park’s finest accommodations. Come check out the newly redesigned Scenic Wonders website and peruse our rich offerings of beautiful woodsy cabins, condos, and studios–all enjoying a location and a price tag that can’t be beat. If you’re looking to make Yosemite reservations for [...]
Sunny Yosemite Skiing With High Hopes For Snow
Yosemite National Park offers some of the most unique skiing in the country. After all, the Badger Pass Ski Area is one of the few full-scale operations of its kind in a national park. Skiers get to experience the sublime Sierra mountains and forests at their most transcendent: nestled in snowdrifts and bearded with icicles. [...]
Yosemite Accommodations: Inside The Park Or Outside The Park?
Given Yosemite National Park’s popularity, you have endless options for lodgings in the general vicinity of its boundaries. However, there’s a lot to be said for finding Yosemite accommodations inside the park–as the Scenic Wonders rentals are. Yosemite Accommodations Outside the Park If you stay outside the park, you’ll be spending a good chunk of [...]
Yosemite Vacations: 3 Things To Do While You’re Here
You could–and should!–make a lifetime of Yosemite vacations, and never exhaust its surprises. Here are three places to visit that give you a little flavor of Yosemite National Park–a taste we’re sure is going to have you coming back for more. Half Dome One of the most iconic symbols of Yosemite is Half Dome, a [...]
More Yosemite Lodging Choices
Let’s keep touring some of the fine Yosemite lodging choices in the Scenic Wonders family! Our cabins all enjoy a prime Yosemite West location, near attractions such as Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point. Each, however, has its own distinctive charms. Sample this Scenic Wonders diversity by considering three neighboring cabins (interactive map): our Fiske, Christmas, [...]
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2 Charming Yosemite Cabins
All of our Scenic Wonders Yosemite cabins are memorably situated and tastefully arrange to serve up a wonderful back-to-nature Sierra Nevada getaway for you and your family. Two standouts–the Strawberry Creek and Serenity Pines cabins–give a sense of the kind of setup and location that make our lodgings so attractive. Strawberry Creek Perched at the [...]
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Compare Yosemite Hotels With Other Deals
Yosemite hotels can be wonderful, but why not broaden your pool of options by considering a Scenic Wonders rental instead? Our cabins offer plenty of unique advantages that a hotel room simply can’t supply. Affordability Rental cabins are often a bigger value than hotel rooms, which can be notably pricey in Yosemite. For the same [...]
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Yosemite Skiing: How To Get The Most Out Of Your Visit
Yosemite skiing is unique in the country. The Badger Pass Ski Area is one of the few developed ski facilities in a national park. Furthermore, cross-country skiers and snowshoers have the opportunity–restricted to the Sierra Nevada–of winding through wild groves of the world’s most titanic trees, the giant sequoias. The mountain scenery’s not too shabby, [...]
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Yosemite Rentals Open Year Round
Yosemite National Park is far from a one-season destination: Every month of the year has its special attractions, and there are also some magical constants to the place that ensure a rich visit whenever you choose. Our Scenic Wonders cabins are among the Yosemite rentals open year-round, so they offer the ideal perch–inside the boundaries [...]
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How to Save Money When You Make Yosemite Reservations
Everyone wants to save money. When it comes to planning a trip to Yosemite–or anywhere else, for that matter–any little bit of pocket change you can preserve in the reservation-making process can be spent instead at your destination. Here are a few tips for achieving that aim. Book in Advance Lock down your Yosemite reservations [...]
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Yosemite Accommodations With Spectacular Views
There are countless beautiful places around the world–wait, there are countless beautiful places around California–but, by any measure, Yosemite National Park must rank as one of the most exquisite. The granite monoliths, winding rivers, mist-wrapped waterfalls, towering Sierran forests: This is epic, heart-swelling country. When you’re seeking Yosemite accommodations, consider the offerings of Scenic Wonders: [...]
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Yosemite Vacations And How To Plan Them
Yosemite vacations offer the chance to experience one of the country’s finest destinations. Few places offer the combination of momentous scenery, rich history, and varied activities like this awe-inspiring swath of the Sierras. When you’re planning a Yosemite getaway, it’s mostly a matter of narrowing down your options: There’s so much to do and to [...]
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Yosemite Lodging Options To Explore
When you first peruse the available accommodations in and around Yosemite National Park, the choices can seem overwhelming. Yet for anyone seeking serenity, prime location, and year-round recreation opportunities, Scenic Wonders works its way to the top of the Yosemite lodging heap. Prime Yosemite Lodging The cabins, condominiums, and homes available for rent through Scenic [...]
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Yosemite Cabins Close To Nature
No matter what you end up doing in Yosemite National Park, the heart of your trip is appreciation of the area’s sublime natural beauty. Yosemite cabins offer the perfect perch for those who wish to fill their vacation in this globally celebrated landscape with immersion in its geological and ecological wonders. Yosemite Cabins in Mountain [...]
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Yosemite Skiing Conditions at Badger Pass
Yosemite National Park, with its generous high-country snowfall and grand granite mountains, is a spectacular place to ski. The Badger Pass Ski Area, which lies south of the Yosemite Valley at between 7,200 and 8,000 feet, is the centerpiece for Yosemite skiing, offering both downhill and cross-country opportunities. Yosemite Skiing at Badger Pass The first [...]
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Yosemite Hotels? How much are you willing to pay for just one room?
Yosemite hotels are grand and magnificent, but they can also put a dent in your pocketbook. Particularly in peak season, you may spend the bulk of your vacation budget simply to secure a room if you can find one available at all. Remember, a Yosemite vacation rental or cabin can be a fine alternative to [...]
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Yosemite Rentals Near Badger Pass Ski Area
For winter-sports devotees and adventurers, Yosemite National Park’s Badger Pass vicinity is a premium destination in the snow season. One of the many benefits of the Yosemite’s Scenic Wonders rentals is their enviable proximity to the Badger Pass Ski Area and its environs. Yosemite Rentals With Easy Badger Pass Access These Yosemite rentals are situated [...]
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How to Grab Yosemite Reservations for the Busy Season
A place as beautiful, exciting, and accessible as Yosemite National Park is bound to be popular. Exploring the park in the off-season is a rewarding pursuit that often takes less planning because rooms and rentals are more available. If summer is when a trip works best for you, you can expect plenty of competition for [...]
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Yosemite In Winter: Crane Flat Trails
Yosemite National Park doesn’t shut down in wintertime: For those who appreciate grand scenery and outdoor adventure, Yosemite in winter is as promising as in summer. Among Yosemite’s excellent winter destinations is Crane Flat, not far southeast of the Big Oak Flat entrance on the west side of the park. Accessible year-round along the Big [...]
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Yosemite Reservations: The History Of The Log Cabins
When you make your Yosemite reservations and stay in a rental cabin in Yosemite National Park, you’re following a pattern set by countless others before you, from homesteaders to park rangers. Many of the park’s early visitors and residents bedded down in log cabins, simple but sturdy wooden structures built from local timber. Some are [...]
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Yosemite: A Winter Wonderland
While most people visit Yosemite National Park in summer, the park remains surprisingly accessible during the Sierra Nevada’s snowy winters. Exploring Yosemite in wintertime isn’t just about beating the crowds, though you’ll likely enjoy more quiet and solitude than in the height of the summer tourist season; it’s about appreciating the park’s mountains and forests [...]
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Yosemite National Park – Through The Gates And In The Heart Of Yosemite!
Because of schedule constraints, plenty of visitors to Yosemite National Park are, by necessity, day-trippers: They swoop in for an afternoon in Yosemite Valley, see some of the sights, and declare the park “visited.” Sometimes that’s just the reality of timing and obligations, but consider making your next—or your first—trip to Yosemite an overnighter. Among [...]
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Yosemite’s Great Gray Owl – Yosemite National Park!
Yosemite National Park is home to many outstanding wildlife species, from darting fishers to handsome blacktail bucks. One of the most striking is the Yosemite’s great grey owl—that big, wraithlike bird of the park’s higher forests and glades. Introducing the Great Gray Owl Yosemite’s Great gray owls, which range across northern North America and Eurasia, [...]
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What to Do If You See a Bear
The biggest—and perhaps the most famous—of Yosemite’s native wildlife is the American black bear. Many visitors to the national park hope to see a bear; many also fear such an encounter, haunted by lurid visions of nighttime campsite raids and oversized foaming-at-the-mouth bruins. While the chances of a violent run-in with a black bear are [...]
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Ski and Snowshoe Touring in Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove
While most visitors flock to Yosemite in the summer and early autumn, wintertime beckons with its own incomparable virtues. For those stimulated by the crisp air, the snowbound vistas, the lesser crowds, and all the other special qualities of the Sierra Nevada winter, the park is a wonderland. Among the very best spots in Yosemite [...]
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Yosemite’s Wawona Golf Course
Visitors to the Wawona area of southern Yosemite National Park have the unique opportunity to tee up on a historic golf course—not, perhaps, the first destination that comes to mind when you think of the Sierra Nevada. For fans of the fairway, the Wawona Golf Course provides an absolutely unforgettable setting. Established in 1918—before the [...]
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Badger Pass Ski Area
If you’re a winter-sports enthusiast, you’d be hard pressed to find a better hub than Yosemite National Park’s Badger Pass region. For the plethora of recreational opportunities, for the incomparable scenic backdrops, for the bountiful snow, this unique site—one of the few downhill skiing and snowboarding areas in a national park—stands apart. If you’ve only [...]
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Discovering Yosemite National Park With Your Kids
Yosemite National Park, one of America’s oldest and celebrated, is an incredible destination for all ages. From hiking to horseback riding to accessing deep layers of history, kids can dive in fully to experience the park on many levels. Looking for an unforgettable, even transformative place to strengthen family bonds and fill a vacation to [...]
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Choosing Your Yosemite Cabin
All right—you’ve decided to stay in a rental cabin for your Yosemite getaway. Good choice! Cabins provide a nice balance between the luxury of a hotel or resort and the roughing-it adventure of camping. Now the question becomes what cabin to rent. There are plenty of options in and around Yosemite National Park, so here [...]
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The Geography of Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is one of the most magnificent swaths of country in North America, really, on the entire globe. No matter what specific activities you end up engaging in here, the terrain and the ecosystems draping it provide the theater. Really, the scenery in Yosemite is always front and center, and knowing the basics [...]
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How to Stay in a Vacation Home for the Price of a Hotel Room
If you’re planning on exploring Yosemite from the vantage of a hotel room, you might give a few minutes’ consideration to the possibility of a vacation rental instead. You’d be surprised how affordable—how competitively affordable—a vacation home can be stacked against a hotel room. This is all the more true if you’re thinking of a [...]
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Our Favorite Hikes in Yosemite
Titanic rock domes, lush river valleys, tall and slender waterfalls—these are some of Yosemite National Park’s iconic images, and the two trails we’re profiling here drink deeply in them. Hikers taking the Mist and Panorama trails—some of our favorites in the park—see the stirring heart of Yosemite as nowhere else. To Vernal Fall via the [...]
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Yosemite Economic Report Released
The National Park Service has released a new report analyzing the positive economic effects of the national parks on the US economy. According to the report, Yosemite National Park had more than four million visitors in 2010, and those visitors spent a total of $354.7 million in the park and the surrounding areas. The spending [...]
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Horsetail Fall Turns to Lava
Yosemite National Park has a number of famous waterfalls — Yosemite Fall, Bridalveil Falls, Vernal Fall, and Sentinel Falls, just to name a few. But Yosemite has another kind of waterfall that only shows itself for a short window in February: the Yosemite firefall. The vast majority of the time, Horsetail Fall looks a lot [...]
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Your Yosemite Weekend Getaway
California is a big place, but it’s not so big that you can’t get to Yosemite National Park for a weekend trip. Flights from within the state aren’t that expensive, and driving there is beautiful. This summer, take a little time for yourself and visit Yosemite for a weekend getaway. Here are a few tips [...]
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Yosemite Summer Lodging Tips and Advice
If you’re planning to visit Yosemite National Park this summer, now is the time to start making your reservations. Reserve your climbing permits, plan your equipment rentals, and above all else, reserve your Yosemite lodging as soon as possible. Summer is the most popular season at the Park, and with good reason. Don’t wait and [...]
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Yosemite Romantic Vacations
Spring is the perfect time of year to plan a romantic getaway to Yosemite National Park. Plan a weekend excursion or a week long escape — you’ll have numerous opportunities for fun and romance, and we’ve got wonderful Yosemite romantic cabins to perfect your stay. During the spring the weather starts to warm up, but [...]
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Half Dome Permits May Be Reduced
The National Park Service has put forth a new proposal that aims to reduce the number of permits issued to hike Half Dome. If the proposal is accepted, which seems rather likely at this point, the number of hikers who would be allowed to climb Half Dome every day would be reduced to 300. Currently [...]
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Beautiful Glacier Point
Glacier Point is considered one of the best lookout spots in the entire country, and some would argue, in the whole world. Glacier Point is located on the south wall of Yosemite Valley at an elevation of over 7,000 feet. It stands 3,200 feet above Curry Village. From Glacier Point the entire Yosemite Valley can [...]
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Fun Yosemite Winter Activities
Winter is considered one of the best times of year to visit Yosemite National Park. This is because winter in Yosemite is cold but temperate, creating idyllic conditions for hikes, ice-skating, skiing, photography, and other adventures in the park. It’s the time of year that sees the least visitors to Yosemite, so you can enjoy [...]
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Yosemite Photography Classes
Many photographers feel that their cameras are much smarter than they are. We tend to buy fancy cameras that have multiple modes and speeds and settings that most of us never learn to use. Terry Gardner recently got tired of this fact and decided to take some of the photography classes offered at the Ansel [...]
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Yosemite Sledding and Tubing
Yosemite National Park is an ideal place to take your children to experience the joy of a winter wonderland. Children who don’t typically get to see snow as well as those that live in snowy areas can both revel in the beauty and excitement of winter in Yosemite. Among the favorite kid’s activities in Yosemite [...]
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Snow, Snow Everywhere
If you’re like the rest of winter in Yosemite fans, chances are that you have been waiting ever so anxiously for snow. Usually, snow has covered Yosemite by this time, but this year the powder took longer than anticipated to reach this National Park. Now, we’re happy to say that the snow is finally here! [...]
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New Yosemite Visitor Center
Representative Jeff Denham has introduced bipartisan legislation in Congress that would allow the National Park Service to acquire up to 18 acres of land from Mariposa County in order to establish a visitor center for Yosemite National Park. In his proposal Denham says that the acquisition would have no cost to taxpayers because the funds [...]
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No Snow, Now Problem
Visitors to Yosemite National Park this winter are in for a real treat. Due to unseasonably low snow levels, the park has frozen over creating a winter landscape that is unlike any previous winter in Yosemite. Skiers and snowboarders may be disappointed by the lack of snow on the slopes at the Badger Pass Ski [...]
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Yosemite Skiing Tips
Many people enjoy coming to Yosemite National Park during the winter to enjoy the great family skiing available in the Badger Pass Ski Area. Yosemite downhill skiing is geared towards families, as Yosemite is the perfect place to learn how to ski or to enjoy a skiing vacation with your children or novice to intermediate [...]
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Yosemite’s El Capitan Rock Climbers
Speed climbers Hans Florine and Alex Honnold are determined to break the speed climbing record for El Capitan’s famous Nose root. Known all over the world by climbing enthusiasts, the Nose is perhaps the most famous climbing route anywhere. It was first forged in 1957 by George Whitmore and Rich Calderwood. It took the pair [...]
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Yosemite Cabin & Home Rental vs. Hotels
A Yosemite cabin rental has a number of advantages over staying in a hotel room. For example, with a Yosemite cabin rental you’ll have more space, more beds to go around, more bathrooms, and a better ambience than you would in Yosemite hotels. But perhaps one of the greatest advantages of staying in Yosemite vacation [...]
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Merced River May Limit Park Access
Yosemite National Park officials are looking to the local community and the millions of people who visit annually to come up with a public plan for both protecting Yosemite’s natural wonders and ensuring access to its most valued activities. The problem is that Yosemite National Park has more visitors each year than it is able [...]
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Yosemite Winter Lodging: Fun for All
Winter in Yosemite is a perfect time to visit the park. You’ll get to take in Yosemite’s sprawling natural beauty with the least number of other visitors, you’ll experience seasonal festivities that only happen during the winter, and you’ll get to partake in a number of winter sports and activities that can only be enjoyed [...]
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Yosemite Park Reservations
There are a number of important factors that you should consider before you make your Yosemite Park reservations. Deciding where you would like to stay can have a major impact upon your vacation experience. Do you want to camp within the park? Would staying in a hotel make sense for you and your family? Or [...]
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Lodge in Yosemite during the Winter
Winter in Yosemite National Park is one of the most magical times of the year to visit. For many Californians in particular who have never had a snowy holiday, visiting the park for Christmas, Hanukkah, or the New Year can be an unforgettable way to celebrate the holidays. Yosemite National Park gets the fewest visitors [...]
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Your Fall Trip to Yosemite
Fall is considered one of the best times to visit Yosemite if you’re looking to enjoy the park when it is quiet, peaceful, and exceptionally beautiful. Your trip to Yosemite this fall may well be one of your favorite visits to the park ever if you take the time to plan your vacation carefully, considering [...]
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Convenient and Affordable Yosemite Reservations
Making your Yosemite reservations is simple when you choose Yosemite’s Scenic Wonders. We at Scenic Wonders have a number of excellent condominium, cabin, and home rentals available within the gates of the park. Our great Yosemite cabins will put you just minutes away from all of your favorite activities including rock climbing, hiking, wildlife watching, [...]
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Yosemite Lodging for Fall
Each season in Yosemite offers its own special wonders, and Yosemite Fall is no exception. Fall in Yosemite is one of the least crowded times of year, making it a great time to enjoy the natural beauty of the park without being too interrupted by your fellow man. Opportunities for fun, sightseeing, and wildlife watching [...]
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Yosemite Kayaking
One of the many wonderful activities that you can enjoy in Yosemite is kayaking. Visitors to the park can bring their own kayaks and enjoy the waters of the Merced River and Tenaya Lake. In fact, Merced River is the most popular place to and go kayaking in Yosemite. Unfortunately, there is nowhere to rent [...]
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Getting to the Park from Yosemite Airports
For travelers coming to Yosemite National Park from out-of-state or out-of-town, there are a number of airport options available for getting to Yosemite. The three airports closest to Yosemite are Fresno-Yosemite International (FAT), Modesto City-County Airport (MOD), and Merced Airport (MCE). Each of these small regional airports is about an hour to an hour and [...]
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Yosemite Vacation Homes Present More Value
More and more travelers are learning that hotel rooms have little to offer in comparison to the comfort and savings of Yosemite vacation homes. However, despite the fact that a Yosemite cabin rental can cost less than a hotel reservation, many travelers still choose the old standard of staying in Yosemite hotels. If you’re planning [...]
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What is a Yosemite Moonbow?
A Yosemite moonbow is a rare phenomenon that occurs in Yosemite National Park only a few times a year. As you might expect, a moonbow or a lunar rainbow is a rainbow that appears at night (John Muir called them Lunar Spraybows)! For moonbows to occur there has to be mist in the air and [...]
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Yosemite Lodging From Scenic Wonders Offers More Space, Fun and Convenience For the Entire Family
SUMMARY: Since 1988, Scenic Wonders has been offering vacationers fun, affordable and roomy home rentals located just minutes from Yosemite Park Yosemite National Park is one of the most popular destinations in the United States. With vast mountain peaks, ranges, rivers and meadows, the park is located in California’s Sierra Nevada. Yosemite is open 24 [...]
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Top Yosemite Hiking Routes | Half Dome and Yosemite Falls
If you’re looking for challenging climbs and incredible views on your next trip to Yosemite National Park, there are two Yosemite hikes that simply can’t be missed – the Half Dome day hike and the Yosemite Falls hike. Climbing Half Dome The Half Dome hike is one of the most strenuous Yosemite hikes, but if [...]
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Yosemite Bear Facts
Yosemite is home to a wide variety of wildlife including deer, rabbits, birds, wolves, and bears. Incidents with Yosemite National Park bears are down 77% this year compared to the same time last year, but incidents still occur on a regular basis. That’s why it’s a good idea to be aware of the wildlife that [...]
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4th of July in Yosemite to Remember
Whatever you plan to do on your vacation, book your Yosemite lodging from Scenic Wonders. We have Yosemite cabins, condominiums, and homes within the gates of Yosemite National Park that are cozy and comfortable. Our prime locations will put you just minutes from your favorite activities and provide you with the best comforts of home [...]
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Half Dome Permits’ System
A group known as SaveHalfDome.com has created an online petition to try to end the Half Dome permit system which limits the number of climbers per day. The permit system began in 2010 as an attempt to combat overcrowding on Half Dome. Currently two cables lead to the top of Half Dome and a maximum [...]
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Yosemite Waterfalls and Record Snow Falls
Summer may well be the best time of year to visit Yosemite National Park, and this summer is no exception. Record snow falls in the Sierras have translated into record snow melts. The result of all that melting ice is some of the most spectacular Yosemite waterfalls in generations. Only three waterfalls at Yosemite flow [...]
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Yosemite Condominiums and Condos
Scenic Wonders’ Yosemite condominiums are an excellent choice for your next trip to Yosemite National Park. When you stay in one of our studio condominiums you’ll get the comforts of home within the gates of the park. Perfectly sized for groups of two or families with young children, our Yosemite condos provide you with everything [...]
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Yosemite Campsite Reservation Ticket Scalpers
Yosemite National Park is cracking down on campers who purchase scalped campsite reservations. Some of the most popular campsites at Yosemite book up months in advance, especially reservations for the summer months. Scalpers take advantage of this by making multiple reservations and then selling those reservations at inflated prices on such sites as Craigslist. While [...]
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Tioga Road Finally Opens
Tioga Road was reopened on June 18th. The news of the road’s opening has been extremely well-received by visitors of the park, as Tioga Road is the most popular east-west crossing of Yosemite. Destinations along the road include White Wolf, Yosemite Creek, Porcupine Flat, Olmsted point, and Tuolumne Meadows. The road is closed the winter [...]
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Yosemite Valley
When most people think of Yosemite National Park, the first thing they think of is Yosemite Valley. They either think of sights they’ve seen from the valley floor, activities they’ve enjoyed in the valley, or experiences they’ve had with friends or family in Yosemite’s most iconic location. Yosemite Valley is home to a number of [...]
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Summer Cabins in Yosemite
Summer cabins in Yosemite are a great way to fully enjoy your Yosemite vacation with friends or family. Cabins in Yosemite have a number of great perks over other lodging options. Here are just four of the top reasons why you should consider staying in a Yosemite cabin rental during your summer trip. 1. Easy [...]
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Chilnualna Falls
Yosemite National Park’s waterfalls are at their best right now. Some of the most visited and most majestic falls in the park include Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall, and Ribbon Fall. These well-known and well-loved waterfalls are favorite sights of almost everyone who visits the park during the spring and early summer. But these falls are [...]
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How Far In Advance Should We Make Our Reservations?
Due to Scenic Wonders’ unique location in Yosemite National Park and our popularity, we receive extremely high volumes of reservation requests daily for our properties during our peak seasons and unfortunately we are unable to accommodate everyone. There are many vacation rental and social websites, print media, blogs, etc. all over the world that have [...]
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Accommodations Near Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a very big place. Even if you choose to stay at a campground within the park, you’ll likely be looking at a commute to your campsite after your last activity each night. Depending upon where you choose to stay, particularly during the busy summer months, your commute time to your Yosemite [...]
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When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with all other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty. —JOHN MUIR |
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