Yosemite Fall Break 2025
After weighing the options for our Fall Break this year (October 6-10), I settled on a trip to Yosemite. It’s a very special place to me. I can remember visiting with my family when I was a kid and have made many more trips as an adult. Every visit is unique and there are so many places in the park to explore that no two trips are ever the same.
This year was a little different because of the government shutdown. There were no attendees to collect entrance fees to the park so the $35 daily entrance fee was free for each day in the park. This also meant limited amenities and services while in the park. As long as the park was open, we were coming to visit.
Accomodations
After looking around various travel sites I decided to stay at Tenaya Lodge. This looked like the best option for us to have a comfortable place to stay and easy access to the park. 10 out of 10 would recommend it. The lodge had lots of activities for the kids that they really enjoyed. There was a rock wall to practice climbing skills, heated pool and hot tubs, archery, and a mining station.
Day 1 - Yosemite Valley & Mariposa Grove
It took us about 6 hours to get to Tenaya Lodge so we drove straight there and got familiar with the resort. To my surprise the kids were excited to go to the park early to try and catch a sunrise. We left Tenaya Lodge around 5:45am and headed into Yosemite Valley. Another consideration for sunrise is to try and catch it from Glacier Point. I wasn’t sure where to go as it was still dark in the Valley and there was very few other cars or people around. After driving around we stopped near El Capitan and got out and walked around marveling at the granite face and trying to spot any climbers on the rock face. We then hopped back in the car and stopped off at another spot to take some pictures and capture the first light hitting the peak of El Capitan.
I must say, this was my first time to catch a sunrise in the Yosemite Valley and it is now my favorite time to visit. It is so quiet and peaceful. Truly an incredible experience to be there before everyone is awake and the crowds start to form.
Sunrise on El Capitan from the valley floor.
After catching the sunrise we headed to Curry Village and grabbed some breakfast. The village has a small coffee shop and cafeteria style dining open early. I was not impressed with the food and would rather bring in something to eat next time or just make oatmeal with my Jet Boil. After a quick breakfast we headed over to the gift shop and picked up some souvenirs for the kids.
With such an early start we headed back the way we came toward the Mariposa Grove to see the Giant Sequoias. We got there around 10:30am and headed to the trailhead at the bottom of the parking area. There is a Shuttle that will pick up and take you to the grove near the Welcome Center. I wasn’t sure it was running because of the shutdown and wanted to take the kids on a little hike. The trail to the grove is about 1.8 miles with minimal elevation gain. It is a very easy hike through the forest to get to the Mariposa Grove. Once at the grove, there is a short 0.25 mile walk through the grove to see the Sequoias. We walked through, hugged some trees, and then headed to the shuttle to catch the bus back to the parking area (kids were too tired to try and walk back after our early morning).
Day 2 - Tenaya Lodge & Glacier Point
Since we caught the sunrise on our first day, we agreed to sleep in and hang out at Tenaya Lodge during the day and then head to Glacier Point to catch a sunset. After a slow start to the morning and breakfast at Jackelope’s we headed to the rock climbing wall. It’s open for an hour and anyone can try it. Next up was some time at the pool before heading over to try some archery.
After shooting arrows for an hour, it was time to pack up and head into the park to catch the sunset at Glacier Point. It was a little over an hour drive to get to the parking area at Glacier Point. We arrived a little around 5:30pm with the sunset around 6:30pm. There are lots of trails from here but we decided just to hang out, eat some snacks and take in the spectacular views. There are restrooms here and a welcome center but with the shutdown, the bathrooms were in pretty bad shape and nothing was open.
Once the sun went down we headed back to the lodge and ate dinner at Timberloft Pizzeria located at the entrance to Tenaya Lodge. There is an assortment of pizza, pastas, salads, and sandwiches. Pizza hit the spot. I also tried the meatball sandwich and it was the best I’ve ever had. 10/10 will eat again!
Sunset view of half dome and Yosemite Valley taken at Glacier Point.
Day 3 - Yosemite Valley
Our last day before heading home was spent doing more climbing and archery at the lodge before heading into the park in the afternoon. We met up with a friend of mine who took some amazing family photos of us while we walked around the meadows of the valley floor and took in all the fall colors. It was a Saturday and noticeably more crowded than the previous days. We walked around getting our pictures taken and even saw a herd of dear grazing before we packed up and headed back to the lodge.
Sunset on our drive back to Tenaya Lodge.
Day 4 - Tenaya Lake
This was the day to check out of the lodge and get on the road back home. After breakfast at Jackelope’s we loaded up the car and checked out of the resort. On the way home we stopped off at Tenaya Lake to stretch our legs and check it out. It is a beautiful alpine lake just off of highway 120. We stopped at the East Beach parking area and then took a short (0.1 Mile) walk through the trees to get to the lake. There is a really nice white sand beach, perfect place to spend a day in the summer time. It was a little too cold for us to do any swimming or paddle boarding but we will definitely be back!
