Road Trip USA 2022

Mono Lake & Yosemite Nationalpark

We plan to spend the next two days in Yosemite National Park. It is located in the middle of the Sierra Nevada mountains. During the settlement of the western United States, this mountain range was an almost insurmountable obstacle for people who wanted to build a life on the west coast. What makes it special is that the weather can change abruptly. From October to May, enormous amounts of snow can fall in a short period of time, accompanied by strong winds.

We also get an impression of this. While it is still almost 20°C at Mono Lake, there is light snow flurries at the park entrance. The two places are only a 25-minute drive apart. This brings me to some important information for you:

Access to Yosemite National Park is limited during peak season. This means you have to make a reservation to enter Yosemite National Park. This costs $2 and is only valid for a specific day and, in some cases, even for a specific time slot. As always, check the National Park Service website beforehand to find out the exact conditions.

Unfortunately, I didn't know this during our visit, so we couldn't enter the park until after 4 p.m. Of course, I immediately made a reservation for the next day. This lack of knowledge unfortunately cost us a lot of time that we would have loved to spend in the park's wonderful natural surroundings.

So now we have to fill a little over three hours. We visit the nearby lakes: Ellery Lake, Mono Lake, Grant Lake, and June Lake. Nature does not disappoint us, and before we know it, the time is up. We make our way back to the park entrance at Tioga Pass.

We are only allowed in at 4 p.m. Although we already know that we won't have much time before dusk sets in, we still drive to Yosemite Valley. It's about a two-hour drive from Mono Lake. Here, we are treated to great views of El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, and Half Dome. Unfortunately, it's just like in 2004. After the summer, the waterfall is completely dry, and we can only imagine how spectacular it must be when it's flowing. Unfortunately, we are also unable to hike the Yosemite Falls Trail. Those who don't want to hike can enjoy the most beautiful view of the entire Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point.

It is now half past seven and it is slowly getting dark, especially under the trees. So we drive to our accommodation for the night. It is about an hour west of here. When we arrive, it is completely dark. We eat at the nearest diner we can find.

The next morning, we head back to the park. Unfortunately, we won't really get to do any more hiking today either. This is mainly because it's raining in places and the temperature is just above freezing. And we simply don't have the right clothing with us for that. The good thing is, however, that the weather can change significantly after every hilltop, so we still have the opportunity to take a few short detours into nature.

Yosemite National Park, like the other parks, is scenically beautiful, but also different. We would have liked to spend more time here, but we have to get to Lake Tahoe today.

Lake Tahoe

When we leave Yosemite, it is sunny again and noticeably warmer. I had planned to go swimming in Lake Tahoe at Nevada Beach. And even though the weather is nicer now, that's not going to happen.

On the way, we stop every now and then in small towns or stretch our legs a bit and enjoy the view. In the distance, we can already see the mountain range surrounding Lake Tahoe. When we arrive at Nevada Beach, it is still sunny and the water is a bright turquoise blue. But thick clouds are already gathering on the horizon.

Since the weather isn't going to get any better, we decide to drive to an outlet mall near Reno and do some shopping. It has to be done sometimes ;-)

We hadn't planned on things getting exciting again. We only have an hour's drive ahead of us to Tahoe City, where we want to spend the night. But after a few minutes on the highway, it starts to rain heavily. It's pitch black and there are hardly any road markings. To make matters worse, the truck drivers don't seem to be bothered by this and continue to drive as fast as if everything were dry. Meanwhile, there was an accident on the opposite lane involving several trucks that were blocking the road, causing a traffic jam that stretched for miles. In the end, we arrive in Tahoe City stressed but safe. There is one more challenge there. All restaurants close at 9 p.m., so we have no choice but to grab a few snacks at the supermarket and eat in our room.

Good night!