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Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon Trip Report
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floggingmolly
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 6:05 pm    Post subject: Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon Trip Report Reply with quote

Just got back last night from a week long trip to Yosemite with a 1 day stop in Sequoia/Kings Canyon. Weather was fantastic (a little hot in the central valley) but otherwise perfect. The rivers and falls were a but low for this time of year but still really spectacular. Yosemite Valley was way more busy than I remember it for this same time 6 years ago. The wife and I decided that a return trip would be outside the valley along Tioga Road, Glacier Point Road, or in the nearby National Forests. The campsites were noisy, car alarms, packed in like sardines, not our cup of tea. Had a few nice hikes, saw a bob cat and deer, but no bears this time. It was our first trip into Kings Canyon. Spectacular. Many compared it to a less busy Yosemite Valley. I disagree. It was really cool and yes no crowds, but it is not Yosemite. Especially not to a geologist. I would go back though. The river was awesome, campsites were less crowded. Here are some photos. I had some others of the bob cat, some sequoias and the overlook of Yosemite Valley but since a VW wasn't in it, the moderator removed them Confused Sorry in advance. If they reconsider, I'll post 'em.

If you have never been to Yosemite, you must go, there is no other place quite like it. My first time to the Glacier Point overlook and not my last.

No issues with the engine cutting out this year, and there were some tough stretches, especially in Kings Canyon. They were some tough roads with the grades and corners. Have clean underwear...

Our campsite in Wawona (not a bad place) and we were camped near a Defender 110 that was balls to the wall. A guy and his wife and 3 kids had shipped it from Belgium to Buenos Aires and were taking a year to drive north (they were on month #9 when we saw them.
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Molly's first look at the valley
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Our arrival!
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Bridalveil Falls
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Our friends came over in the last minute from Bishop for a couple of days
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Half Dome from Glacier Point (the only photo from that amazing vantage point with a VW in it)
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Kings Canyon (if you have not driven this road in a Westy...it will try your van like no other!)
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Getting in to and out of this campsite was tight!
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but worth it. Free and no others around.
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The Sequoias
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Can you find the Westy for scale?
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What's a trip to Sequoia without a roadside breakfast with a view?
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Get out in your Westy and have fun!
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kamzcab86
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 6:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon Trip Report Reply with quote

floggingmolly wrote:
and there were some tough stretches, especially in Kings Canyon. They were some tough roads with the grades and corners. Have clean underwear...


You're telling me... and I drove it in fog last year! Shocked

Beautiful part of California, for sure.
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childofthewind
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 6:24 pm    Post subject: Re: Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon Trip Report Reply with quote

floggingmolly wrote:
Many compared it to a less busy Yosemite Valley. I disagree. It was really cool and yes no crowds, but it is not Yosemite. Especially not to a geologist.


I think if you get out and actually hike out a couple of days into it, it is even more spectacular than Yosemite in some places, with very similar geography.. you just gotta walk there. I think there's more stunning and dramatic beauty in Yosemite from the roads.

I'm glad Kings Canyon is kind of a secret.... Wink


Love your photos. Can't wait to get back out there this fall.
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floggingmolly
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 7:01 pm    Post subject: Re: Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon Trip Report Reply with quote

vermontgirl wrote:
floggingmolly wrote:
Many compared it to a less busy Yosemite Valley. I disagree. It was really cool and yes no crowds, but it is not Yosemite. Especially not to a geologist.


I think if you get out and actually hike out a couple of days into it, it is even more spectacular than Yosemite in some places, with very similar geography.. you just gotta walk there. I think there's more stunning and dramatic beauty in Yosemite from the roads.

I'm glad Kings Canyon is kind of a secret.... Wink


Love your photos. Can't wait to get back out there this fall.


That's good to know. I admit, ours was more of a windshield visit this time. What I saw from the windshield was amazing, but in a different way. I would love to get out and see more of the backcountry, both of that area and Yosemite. I got to hike up to Nevada and Vernal Falls and wanted to just keep going.
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 11, 2020 1:03 pm    Post subject: Re: Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon Trip Report Reply with quote

It's cold, it's February, I'm at work daydreaming about being on the road and am planning a trip to Yosemite.

I figured I'd bump a solid trip report in order to:

a)remind us that Spring is coming, and

b)show some of our newer members that trip reports are what make the Samba go 'round.
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 11, 2020 1:46 pm    Post subject: Re: Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon Trip Report Reply with quote

joetiger wrote:
It's cold, it's February, I'm at work daydreaming about being on the road and am planning a trip to Yosemite.

I figured I'd bump a solid trip report in order to:

a)remind us that Spring is coming, and

b)show some of our newer members that trip reports are what make the Samba go 'round.


Thanks for that. I've been having a horrible time at work since returning from vacation last week. I saw the thread title and immediately thought, "oh sweet, something other than a how-do-I-fix-it thread"!
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 11, 2020 2:10 pm    Post subject: Re: Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon Trip Report Reply with quote

We want to do a trip to Yosemite, but that hill just scares us going down into the valley with the brakes as well as keeping the engine cool coming back up.
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 11, 2020 2:36 pm    Post subject: Re: Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon Trip Report Reply with quote

Russpauly wrote:
We want to do a trip to Yosemite, but that hill just scares us going down into the valley with the brakes as well as keeping the engine cool coming back up.


I'm curious to see how my van does. Are there pull-outs? The road into Black Canyon of the Gunnison is insane; my brakes completely faded. I stopped at a pullout, ate a sandwich, and all was well for the rest of the descent.

Quote:
Thanks for that. I've been having a horrible time at work since returning from vacation last week. I saw the thread title and immediately thought, "oh sweet, something other than a how-do-I-fix-it thread"!


The second week of February, like clockwork, is when I start losing my mind. Here on the Samba, the curmudgeons are just a bit more curmudgeonly and the advice is a tad more surly. I end up spending what little work downtime I have going through old trip reports in order to remain sane.
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bluebus86
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 12, 2020 10:11 am    Post subject: Re: Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon Trip Report Reply with quote

been taking the van to yosemite for decades. never a problem with brakes. sure a little slow going up some hills, but faster than many of the larger RVs and tour busses full of foreign travelers. Best bet is to go off season to avoid the crowds. Yosemite valley is a zoo in peak season. camp grounds in the valley are hellish, noise, and parties all night long, and fire ring smoke so thick you can cut it with a sharp knife. Rangers never enforce the quiet time rules. The camp grounds are sh!t. advise camping outside the valley if you want to sleep and breathe. If you want to party all night, breathe smoke, and be awakened by generators then get a valley camp ground.
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dabaron
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 12, 2020 10:18 am    Post subject: Re: Yosemite / Sequoia / Kings Canyon Trip Report Reply with quote

us east coasters can only dream of easy trips to Yosemite. i hope to have a trip report this summer/fall for some cool place (literally cool, out of the summer swamp). some place a day's drive from Philly.
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