California
Off the Beaten Path: Yosemite National Park
Program No. 25273RJ
From the Hetch Hetchy reservoir to the beautiful Tuolumne Meadows, experience the hidden gems of Yosemite and learn about Yosemite’s rich cultural history.
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Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
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While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
14 meals (
5B, 4L, 5D
)
1 expert-led lecture
8 expert-led field trips
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Location:
Fresno, CA
Meals:
D
Stay:
Piccadilly Inn Airport
Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.
Afternoon:
Program Registration: 4:00 p.m. After you check in at the hotel front desk and have your room assignment and key, join us at the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone, and we will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
Introductions: 7:00 p.m. The Group Leader will lead introductions, and we will begin getting to know our fellow Road Scholars and discovering what we share beyond a love of lifelong learning. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/current conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Day
2
Groveland Yosemite Gateway Museum, Yosemite National Park
Location:
Groveland, CA
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Rush Creek Lodge
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 275 miles, approximately 5.5 hours riding time; one rest stop en route. Walking about 1/2 mile throughout the day; dirt and paved paths. Bring binoculars if you have them. Highest elevation for the day is 5,288 feet in Yosemite Valley.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will check out of the hotel, board a motorcoach, and ride to Rush Creek Lodge. On our way to the lodge, we'll make a stop at the Groveland Yosemite Gateway Museum. Owned and operated by the Southern Tuolumne County Historical Society, this museum highlights the experiences of the Native Americans and pioneers who settled in the Groveland area.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we will check into the lodge, drop our luggage, and reboard our motorcoach. A naturalist will join us on the motorcoach as we ride on to Yosemite National Park. The “gold rush” of 1849 along with the period of extensive commercial exploitation that followed it wreaked havoc on the environment. In response, President Lincoln designated Yosemite Valley a public trust in 1864, the first time the U.S. government protected land from private development and for public enjoyment. Today, it is one of America’s most beautiful and most visited national parks. Our naturalist will provide commentary as we ride through Yosemite Valley, world-famous for its impressive waterfalls, cliffs, and unusual rock formations. We will learn about the valley’s glacial past that carved the grand walls we see today. Our first stop will be El Capitan Meadow. From the meadow, use binoculars to scan for climbers on one of the world’s most popular climbs. Rising more than 3,000 feet above the Valley floor, it is the largest granite monolith in the world. The first ascent on El Capitan was made by Warren Harding in 1958 and records continue to be broken. We will ride on to Tunnel View that gives us a bird’s eye view of the Valley with El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall, and Half Dome. It is one of the most iconic scenes of Yosemite. Riding by Bridalveil Fall, we’ll see it plunge 620 feet. Bridalveil thunders in the spring but during the rest of the year its light, swaying flow resembles a “bridal veil.” It is one of the many waterfalls that can appear in Yosemite Valley. After our exploration of the Yosemite Valley, we will return to the lodge.
Dinner:
At the lodge.
Evening:
At leisure. Use this time to explore Rush Creek Lodge and its many amenities.
Day
3
Hetch Hetchy Valley, Glacier Point
Location:
Groveland, CA
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Rush Creek Lodge
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 95 miles, approximately 3.5 hours riding time; curvy mountain road. Glacier Point elevation is 7,215 feet.
Breakfast:
At the Lodge.
Morning:
We will board Rush Creek Lodge vehicles and ride to Hetch Hetchy. This valley gets its name from the Miwok word hatchhatchie, which means "edible grasses." With its mild winters, reliable hunting and fishing, variety of edible plants, and year-round water supply, the valley has been a valuable resource for its inhabitants for more than 6,000 years. Our naturalist will lead us on a hike through the Hetch Hetchy valley and offer insights about its diverse flora and fauna.
Lunch:
At the Lodge.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we will board our coach and ride into Yosemite Valley where we will meet a Yosemite Conservancy naturalist who will share a lecture about the Early History of Yosemite.
Dinner:
Following the lecture, we will board Rush Creek Lodge vehicles and ride up to Glacier Point where we will have a boxed dinner.
Evening:
As we enjoy our dinner, we will watch the sunset from Glacier Point and enjoy the view with fewer crowds. This overlook provides breathtaking views of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, and Yosemite Falls. After dinner, we'll ride back to the Lodge.
Day
4
Foresta Historic Site, Indian Village Museum
Location:
Groveland, CA
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Rush Creek Lodge
Activity Note
Getting on/off motorcoach; traveling 55 miles, up to 2 hours. Walking up to 1 mile; a mix of paved and unpaved walkways.
Breakfast:
At the Lodge.
Morning:
After breakfast, we’ll board the motorcoach and ride to Foresta Historic Site. A Yosemite Conservancy naturalist will lead us on a walk through this historic area situated 4,314 feet atop the Merced River Canyon. Next, we will continue on into Yosemite Valley and make a stop at the Indian Village Museum. Our naturalist will guide us through this reconstructed Ahwahnee village. As we explore each structure, we will gain insight into the daily lives of the Ahwahnee people who lived, worked, and built community in the Yosemite Valley.
Lunch:
At a scenic spot, we'll have a boxed lunch.
Afternoon:
This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most in Yosemite Valley. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration. Visit https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/index.htm to find ranger-led programs and other events happening in the park. There are many hikes in the Valley including Mirror Lake, Vernal Fall Footbridge, Lower Yosemite Fall and Cook’s Meadow. You might also like to visit the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center or the Ansel Adams Gallery. Yosemite Valley Lodge also offers bicycle rentals for the paved, flat bike path that loops through the valley. You can find out more about bike rentals at https://www.travelyosemite.com/things-to-do/biking/. We will come back together, board our coach, and ride back to the Lodge.
Dinner:
At the Lodge.
Evening:
At leisure. Use this time to explore Rush Creek Lodge and its many amenities.
Day
5
Tuolumne Meadows, Tenaya Lake, Olmsted Point
Location:
Groveland, CA
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Rush Creek Lodge
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 95 mi round trip, approximately 2.5 hours riding time. Hiking about 1.5 miles, approximately 40 mins. Tuolumne Meadows elevation is 8,600 feet. Olmsted Point is at 8,428 feet.
Breakfast:
At the Lodge.
Morning:
We will board a motorcoach for a full day in the subalpine environment of the High Sierras. Our naturalist will provide a narrative that touches on many aspects of the natural and human history along Tioga Pass Road to Tuolumne Meadows, Tenaya Lake, and Olmsted Point. Tioga Pass Road offers a 39-mile scenic drive between Crane Flat and Tuolumne Meadows through forests, meadows, lakes, and granite domes. The road is one of the few roads that pass over the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the eastern side into Owens Valley. It started as a dirt road in 1915 and was slowly paved and widened over the years. It was fully completed by the 1960s with the rise in car sales and families taking road trips to the national parks. Tuolumne Meadows is a large, open subalpine meadow graced by the winding Tuolumne River and surrounded by majestic peaks and domes. We’ll set out on a stroll into lush Tuolumne Meadows. Surrounded by lodgepole forest, it is at an elevation of 8,000 feet. The Tuolumne River flows through the meadow on its way to the Hetch Hetchy Valley and Reservoir. We’ll walk about a mile through the meadow to Parsons Memorial Lodge, built by the Sierra Club in 1915. Next, we'll ride on to Tenaya Lake. Tenaya Lake is a magnificent High Sierra lake surrounded by granite domes, lodgepole forests, and Yosemite’s vast wilderness.
Lunch:
At a scenic spot at Tenaya Lake, we will lunch.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we'll board our motorcoach and ride on to Olmsted Point. Olmsted Point provides a breathtaking view as it looks down on Yosemite Valley from the east at a unique angle.
Dinner:
At the hotel. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Day
6
Transfer to Fresno, Program Concludes
Location:
Fresno, CA
Meals:
B
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 130 miles, approximately 2.75 hours riding time with a stop depending on traffic.
Breakfast:
At the Lodge.
Morning:
We will check out of the hotel, board our motorcoach, and be on our way to Fresno. We expect to arrive at Fresno Yosemite International Airport by approximately 12:00 p.m. (depending on traffic). This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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