When does spring ‘begin’ in Yosemite?

net1994 · February 12, 2008

I will be visiting the park on a photo expedition and would like to catch the place while all the flowers and trees are have come in to their full green. But I want to avoid the tourist season and will visit before Memorial Day. Has anyone been to the park in early May? I am thinking of going May 12-14th or May 19-21. It’s a little cheaper for me to go the first week, but I won’t do it at the expense of missing all ‘greenery.’

Thoughts?

Vrungel · February 13, 2008

Yosemite greatly differs in elevations and this year seems to be showy one (comparing to the previous) so depending on where you go in May you may have plenty of snow or not all. Tioga pass for one probably will be still closed, may be they plow Glacier road by then, I'm not sure.

For the valley itself end of May can be a bit late for flowers but it should be certainly prime time for waterfalls. Depending on weather, late April through May is good time for them. If you can I'd recommend going at week day rather then weekend - you will cut crowds by half. Although spring is still very popular time there.

As for where to go, there are tons of places to choose from:
- valley itself presents many spots and opportunities for photos, the merced river would be full.
- mirror lake and its meadows, cant miss that
- misty trail and beyond
- glacier point area
- rim trails
- sequoia groves
- etc

Personally I plan to visit the valley few times starting in April

net1994 · February 13, 2008

Vrungel wrote:

Yosemite greatly differs in elevations and this year seems to be showy one (comparing to the previous) so depending on where you go in May you may have plenty of snow or not all. Tioga pass for one probably will be still closed, may be they plow Glacier road by then, I'm not sure.

For the valley itself end of May can be a bit late for flowers but it should be certainly prime time for waterfalls. Depending on weather, late April through May is good time for them. If you can I'd recommend going at week day rather then weekend - you will cut crowds by half. Although spring is still very popular time there.

As for where to go, there are tons of places to choose from:
- valley itself presents many spots and opportunities for photos, the merced river would be full.
- mirror lake and its meadows, cant miss that
- misty trail and beyond
- glacier point area
- rim trails
- sequoia groves
- etc

Personally I plan to visit the valley few times starting in April

Is it possible to go there when there are greenery/flowers/huge watefalls and few people? If so, let me know when and I am there. I plan on going for 3 days in the week whenever I do go.

Quzol1 · February 13, 2008

net1994 wrote:

I will be visiting the park on a photo expedition and would like to catch the place while all the flowers and trees are have come in to their full green. But I want to avoid the tourist season and will visit before Memorial Day. Has anyone been to the park in early May? I am thinking of going May 12-14th or May 19-21. It’s a little cheaper for me to go the first week, but I won’t do it at the expense of missing all ‘greenery.’

Thoughts?

You may want to keep an eye on Carol Leigh's website for updates to the California Wildflower Hotsheet A great resourse for were wildflowers a blooming in california. Photographers all over the state send in e-mails with info about what area is blooming

Vrungel · February 13, 2008

yea there few websites that monitor blooming conditions, you just have to check them periodically and be light on your feet to quickly move when weather and conditions are right. Hard to predict that much in advance.

zoeblue · February 15, 2008

Spring in Yosemite

net1994 wrote:

I will be visiting the park on a photo expedition and would like to catch the place while all the flowers and trees are have come in to their full green. But I want to avoid the tourist season and will visit before Memorial Day. Has anyone been to the park in early May? I am thinking of going May 12-14th or May 19-21. It’s a little cheaper for me to go the first week, but I won’t do it at the expense of missing all ‘greenery.’

Thoughts?

Yosemite is my favorite place in the world and I have several galleries dedicated to this place. I visit Yosemite as much as possible even though I live in Southern California and its a 7-8 hour drive. You can see some of my photos of Yosemite at www.zoebluephotography.com-- click on the "Places" button.

With regards to springtime in the park, it's hard to say since we've been getting lots of rain in California, which usually means snow in Yosemite and snow means magnificent waterfalls! There's nothing like standing in the valley listening to the mighty roar of Yosemite Falls.

I wouldn't worry too much about "missing all greenery" during the middle of May. Unless we have a heat wave for the next two months, Yosemite should remain pretty green until June. I've been to the park in May and it's almost always gorgeous. The best thing to do is get out of your car and hike. Avoid the most popular trails i.e. Vernal Falls/Mist Trail if there are lots of people and try to hike some of the less popular trails. And like someone else posted, go during the week to avoid the weekend crowds.

The official tourist season starts Memorial Day weekend, which you should avoid at all costs. I made that mistake one year, and have no desire to join the tourist hordes on that particular holiday.

You can check conditions at Yosemite through the webcam at http://yosemite.org/vryos/index.htm and they have several located in the park. The official park website has up-to-date information regarding weather conditions and which roads are open/closed.

If we keep getting lots of rain in the next few months, Tioga Pass probably won't open until late June or early July. Tioga Pass is the road that takes you up to Tuolumne Meadows where you will find more wildflowers than down in the valley.

There are also places on the way to Glacier Point i.e. McGurk Meadow, which is considered one of Yosemite's "prettiest and bloomingest" meadows (as one website describes it). Again, when the flowers bloom and when the roads to Tuolumne Meadows and Glacier Point are opened is dependent on when the snow melts.

Either way, Yosemite is an awesome place to photograph and I never tire of doing so.

Pittspilot · February 15, 2008

net1994 wrote:

I will be visiting the park on a photo expedition and would like to catch the place while all the flowers and trees are have come in to their full green. But I want to avoid the tourist season and will visit before Memorial Day. Has anyone been to the park in early May? I am thinking of going May 12-14th or May 19-21. It’s a little cheaper for me to go the first week, but I won’t do it at the expense of missing all ‘greenery.’

Thoughts?

Also, think about buying the Photographer's Guide to Yosemite. A great resource.

Yosemite is was snowbound a couple of weeks ago - you can see some of the images in my gallery here at smugmug.

Cheers

When does spring ‘begin’ in Yosemite?

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