Yosemite itininery help needed - 3 days - reservations for Indian Flat

Hi everyone from Australia,

Sadly i lucked out on getting any reservations in the valley when they came available,  :'( To say the least, I was heartbroken!
But, at Seilerbirds advice, I made reservations at Indian Flat to be as close as possible to the valley.

We are travelling from Sequoia NP early on a june sunday morning to Yosemite. I was hoping someone might shed some help on my itinery outline to help fill in some gaps.

Day 1 : Early start from hume lake (kings canyon/seq np) and drive to yosemite.
            Should we come up through 41 / wawona?
            and work our way from the bottom up?
         

Day 2 : Early start from indian flat
            Do a reasonable hike first up, Maybe the mist trail
            Rent some bikes, explore the valley
            smaller trails,
            would love to catch evening in the valley and maybe do a nighttime creature talk with the kids. Is it safe to drive back out of the valley in the night? Back to Indian flats (boo )

Day 3 : Early start, mirror lake trail,
          cooks meadow


with Some of the maps i have, its difficult to determine the best order to do things, theres nothing like advice from you guys that have already experienced yosemite

...heres some of the things i would like to consider fitting in, i just need help with some order! or if they are not doable, take them out.

• 
  mirror lake trail
  mist trail
  cooks meadow?
  night skies talk or creature talk (evening)
  ansel adams gallery
  curry village
  picnics
  glacier point
  falls
  happy isles
  (not so much maripose grove as we will have just come from sequoia np)
  possibly rent some bikes to do some of the exploring
  swimming unless its super cold (we will be there end june)
  
  One thing that does have me really concerned is finding parking for our 31 ft c class rental rv. We were hoping to use the shuttles quite a bit, but will need somewhere to park the rv for the day. Is day parking a nightmare? any help would be much appreciated. Its hard to plan, not knowing the lay of things!
  
  also, what do you estimate drive time to be to and from indian flats, and how is it to drive back at night? We rented the same rv 3 years ago, and my husband is an experinced truck driver, so we are not total newbies at rving, but we would like to be realistic, if its too hard at night, we just won't do it.  ???
  
  thanks again,

natasha163 said:

Day 1 : Early start from hume lake (kings canyon/seq np) and drive to yosemite.
            Should we come up through 41 / wawona?
            and work our way from the bottom up?

Click to expand...

Yes, 41 is the best route from Kings Canyon to Yosemite.

Day 2 : Early start from indian flat
            Do a reasonable hike first up, Maybe the mist trail
            Rent some bikes, explore the valley
            smaller trails,
            would love to catch evening in the valley and maybe do a nighttime creature talk with the kids. Is it safe to drive back out of the valley in the night? Back to Indian flats (boo )

Click to expand...

The Mist Trail is not exactly reasonable. It actually has several different branches so it is possible to hike it many different ways. The best way is to hike all the way to Nevada Falls and then take the alternate route down. I think that is about 8 miles.

Day 3 : Early start, mirror lake trail,
          cooks meadow

Click to expand...

Mirror Lake is a very easy trail and spectacular scenery.

with Some of the maps i have, its difficult to determine the best order to do things, theres nothing like advice from you guys that have already experienced yosemite

Click to expand...

All these trails you are talking about are spectacular and they will be crowded. So start early in the morning. The Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls Trail is on the north wall of the canyon so therefore it is really hot during the day. The 4 Mile Trail is on the south wall and it is almost totally in the shade all day so it is a lot cooler hike.

...heres some of the things i would like to consider fitting in, i just need help with some order! or if they are not doable, take them out.

• 
  mirror lake trail
  mist trail
  cooks meadow?
  night skies talk or creature talk (evening)
  ansel adams gallery
  curry village
  picnics
  glacier point
  falls
  happy isles

Click to expand...

• 
  Those are all doable in the time you will be there. Everything is very close together and connected by the shuttles. I don't think you need to worry too much about the order you do these in.
  

  swimming unless its super cold (we will be there end june)

  Click to expand...

  The Merced River is snow melt water from the high Sierras, yes it will be cold in the water. But the air will be warm so it might be enjoyable.
  

  One thing that does have me really concerned is finding parking for our 31 ft c class rental rv. We were hoping to use the shuttles quite a bit, but will need somewhere to park the rv for the day. Is day parking a nightmare? any help would be much appreciated. Its hard to plan, not knowing the lay of things!

  Click to expand...

  No problem. There is plenty of RV parking on the valley floor. Just arrive early in the day. Curry Village is probably the best place to park.
  

  also, what do you estimate drive time to be to and from Indian flats, and how is it to drive back at night? We rented the same rv 3 years ago, and my husband is an experienced truck driver, so we are not total newbies at rving, but we would like to be realistic, if its too hard at night, we just won't do it.  ???

  Click to expand...

  It is hard to estimate drive times in a National Park due to traffic jams when people stop to look at animals. However I would guess it is about a half an hour to an hours drive from Indian Flats to the valley. Driving at night is not an issue.

thanks again for your advice seiler bird.

i am assuming mist trail is the hardest trail we will encouter with the kids ( aged 10, 8 , 6, 6, and all outdoorsy)

and we would probably go as far as vernal falls.

is there much difference (length/ difficulty) in going on and taking the alternate route back after nevada falls? i'm getting 11 miles for nevada falls alt route, as oposed to 3 miles round trip for vernal, is this right?

not sure if the kids will be u for the nevada falls route home after conquering ll those stairs, but it would be nice to know what to expect, just in case.

seilerbird, whan you say arrive early, to beat the crowds and ensure a park for the rv, what time would you suggest? We are early risers, even the kids, so any time is fine. what time is optimum?

also, is there anywhere nce/kid friendly to catch dinner or lunch?

thanks so much for your help.

natasha163 said:

i am assuming mist trail is the hardest trail we will encouter with the kids ( aged 10, 8 , 6, 6, and all outdoorsy)and we would probably go as far as vernal falls. 

Click to expand...

Four Mile is probably harder than the Mist Trail, but your kids should have no problem with either trail.

is there much difference (length/ difficulty) in going on and taking the alternate route back after nevada falls? i'm getting 11 miles for nevada falls alt route, as oposed to 3 miles round trip for vernal, is this right?

Click to expand...

Both of the return trails are all downhill so it really doesn't matter, they are both easy.

seilerbird, whan you say arrive early, to beat the crowds and ensure a park for the rv, what time would you suggest? We are early risers, even the kids, so any time is fine. what time is optimum?

Click to expand...

I would guess by 8 am.

also, is there anywhere nce/kid friendly to catch dinner or lunch?

Click to expand...

There are a few nice places right next to the Visitors Center in the valley. There is a pizza place, a cafeteria and a deli. All with excellent food and kid friendly.

thanks again for all your help.

can't wait for our trip!