Looks like there is a heat wave coming up in this week and next. Wonder what's the best way to enjoy the valley and other areas in the middle of heat wave? Any particular part of the park are cooler and more enjoyable than the others? I know the lodge inside the park doesn't have AC. How to get through the nights in the lodge rooms when it's over 90?
I just returned fromYNP. Temps dropped to low 50s at night, even though it was hot during the day. We had a 2nd floor room in Alder Bldg in YVL. Nights were comfortable. Most rooms have 2 fans, i think. We used the ceiling fan only & didnt use the stand-up fan at all.
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175 helpful votes Hi
It does cool off at night in the mountains at night. Upper 50s is pleasant (Valley forecast)
During the day, enjoy Tioga Road tourism where it is higher elevation and thus cooler. Yosemite Valley forecast for Saturday night 96 while Tuolumne Meadows is 74.
Swim in a river or lake..... Merced River in the Valley, South Fork of the Merced in Wawona, Tenaya Lake along Tioga Road
Nap in the shade of a tree.
What is your draft itinerary for your visit?
Upper Yosemite (along the Tioga road) will be cooler.
One of my absolute favorite spots is the Twin Bridges swimming spots in Tuolumne Meadows. Highly recommend
When are you going? Did you change your plans? I thought you mentioned back in late April you were going to Yosemite in two weeks (which would have been sometime in May).
In any case, if you are going this week or next, the weather report I'm looking at for the next week shows some thunderstorms and temps in the low 70's and then getting a little warmer and sunnier the following week with high around 80. Although I have learned that weather reports can vary quite a bit! Good to be prepared for different kinds of weather.
be sure to also stay hydrated and limit the alcohol.
yes, i changed my plan from April and rebooked to end of June (next week). Now with this weather, I am wondering if i should change again -- traveling with 2 mid-70 year seniors doesnt make things easier. I don't yet have a draft itinerary yet, kinda still working on it based on weather condition.
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175 helpful votes Here is the Yosemite forecast map. Click an area for a forecast specific to that place.
Oh, yes I see the heat predicted for the Valley area on the weather.gov site is much hotter than the other site I was looking at! I continue to be amazed with these huge discrepancies between weather info. sites.
I hope you can find a way to adjust your itinerary to make it a bit more comfortable for you and your traveling companions. At least the water won't be too cold to wade in. I was in the Valley last month and we had highs of 86 degrees. The heat did slow us down quite a bit. It did cool in the evenings some, but even then, no sweaters needed. We had a lovely large hard sided cabin in Curry Village with many windows, which thankfully provided a great cross breeze aided by the fan provided. Lots of water, fruit and Haagen-Dazs ice cream bars from the General Store helped too!
Different weather sites use different base sources to report then predict the weather in the Park.
For example, if you search for Yosemite at wunderground.com, the current weather conditions are from the airport in Mammoth. Very different weather conditions on the east side of the Sierra vs the west side and Yosemite Valley. Look at the smaller font underneath the words "Yosemite National Park, CA Weather Conditions".
http://www.wunderground.com/weather/us/ca/yosemite-national-park
I recommend using the National Weather Service info for Yosemite and Sequoia.
It was in the 80s when we were there a couple of weeks ago.
It really does cool off at night. If you open the windows and turn on the fans in the evening the room will cool off nicely. We slept with the windows open a little bit. There were good screens and it was quiet in our building in the lodge (Maple).
There’s lots of shade. Take advantage of it in the 2-5pm timeframe. Plan an afternoon picnic near some water and under some trees, or head back to your room to relax on the patio and read a book for a while.
Wake up early and do some sightseeing before it warms up.
Get ice cream. All the grocery stores and gift shops seemed to have popsicles and ice cream bars at a reasonable price, and I think there was someplace to get ice cream in curry village as well.
Eat an early dinner and then explore some more as the temperatures drop in the early evening but before sunset. We really enjoyed this. We saw more wildlife in the early evening as well. H
We live in the desert. The standard tips are important. Drink a ton of water (ie stay hydrated, avoid excess caffeine and alcohol), wear a hat, use sunscreen. Wear appropriate clothing, and take advantage of the shade from all those pretty trees.
