Wintertime in Yosemite

Winter Break 2019!  Having always wanted to visit Yosemite in the winter, we seized the moment and headed into the Sierra!

We had always seen pictures of Yosemite with snow and so we finally got a chance.  Although it wasn't completely snow covered, we got the feeling of a snow-covered Yosemite.

The falls were small (alas, frozen would have been really cool) before the spring runoff!

The Camp Curry tent cabins, so hard to reserve in the summer, are also available in the winter!  Cheap ($80 a night) and plentiful!

We got the cabin that matches our area code!

The cabin sleeps four (one queen and two singles) and most importantly....a heater!

Half Dome from Camp Curry

What made this trip to Yosemite different is that all of the hikes (well most) up into the mountains and waterfalls are closed.  That fact, along with having only 8.5 hours of daylight meant sticking to the valley floor and taking it easy.  No need to rush to get the trailhead early.

Who knew there was a federal courthouse within the park?  According to Wikipedia, due to large crowds, and the park being federal land, the court hears misdemeanor and petty crime cases.

Massive piles of wood were assembled all around the valley floor.  They were like a massive campfire!

With sunset at 5PM, the nights were long. We spent most of the early evenings in the Camp Curry lodge lounge.  Here's a typical dinner,  a hybrid of snacks.

On the day we left, I got up early (well, 6AM is not early for me) and drove out to see the sunrise over the valley.