Editor's note: The following is advertiser-supported content from Traveler's Essential Park Guide Spring 2016.
After years of drought, the Sierra is back on track. Snow-wise, that is. Winter 2015-16 has been particularly bountiful compared to recent winters, and by mid-February the Sierra snowpack was standing at 99 percent of normal, with more snow in the forecast.
How will that affect spring in Yosemite National Park? Some great skiing and snowshoeing, the beginnings of a tremendous runoff season that will spawn immense rivers of frothing water falling into Yosemite Valley, a season of rebirth as the moisture brings vegetation to life and nourishes the park’s newborns.
April and May in Yosemite are months of warming weather and vigorous growth. Temperatures in the valley and around Wawona are rising into the 60s, sunshine can be plentiful, and the park seems to be waking back up after the long winter.
Visit Yosemite during this dynamic season and while out hiking you might come upon the colorful, and unusual, snow plant. Found only in Oregon, California, and Nevada, these bright red stalks push through the forest duff near conifers soon after the snow melts; a true harbinger of spring.
You also might spot mule deer fawns, black bear cubs (from a good distance, hopefully), and, if you’re really lucky, some of the bobcats that roam the piney forests.
While the winter’s heavy snowfall likely will prevent many of the park’s hiking trails outside of Yosemite Valley from being snow-free early in spring, there likely will still be some great skiing and snowshoeing along the Glacier Point Road and at Badger Pass.
Start, and end, your day nestled into the pines at Yosemite’s Scenic Wonders Vacation Rentals and you can have the best of both spring seasons in the park. Conveniently located between Yosemite Valley and Badger Pass, these spacious, well-appointed homes enable you to mix and match your daily excursions.
Feeling like getting a good workout in the park? Head up the Glacier Point Road with skis or snowshoes in hand. While the Badger Pass ski area typically closes in early April, this winter’s snowfall could push the season into mid-month. Even if the ski area is closed, the road itself often remains snow-covered into, if not through, April, as do the surrounding forests.
You can spend a more leisurely day by driving down into Yosemite Valley to view the waterfalls or hike up the Mist Trail. Park officials say the trail to the top of Vernal Fall usually opens sometime in April, “although it is possible to reach the top of Vernal Fall via the John Muir Trail and continue on to Nevada Fall.”
Another hiking option would be to drive over to Wawona and hike out to Chilnualna Falls. A longer drive to the Hetch Hetchy area of the park can reward you with a hike to Wapama and Rancheria Falls.
Wherever you go, returning to a vacation home at Yosemite’s Scenic Wonders provides you with a break from crowds, a spacious living room and deck to relax on before dinner, and bedrooms where you can fall asleep to breezes through the surrounding pine forest, not the noisy couple or family in the next room. Your morning coffee won’t be rushed by wait staff trying to free up another table, either.
The money you save, and the hassles you avoid, by making your own meals, on your own schedule, can allow you to stretch your Yosemite vacation a day or two. Previous guests have rated these rental properties so high that TripAdvisor inducted them into its hall of fame for ranking No. 1 five years in a row for specialty lodging in Yosemite. With over 80 properties to choose from, you can find a vacation retreat for a large family or group up to 16, or one for an intimate getaway for two.
After so many warm, dry winters— last year’s snowpack was said to be the smallest in five centuries—the return to normal is a welcome sight. It’s one that should nudge you into considering a spring Yosemite vacation this year.
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