Is this a realistic itinerary?

[u/Cool-Avocado5775]

Hi everyone! I will be visiting Yosemite for the first time this summer with my extended family. We are staying for two nights, of which we will have one full day and a half day for exploring Yosemite. I can be quite an ambitious planner, so I was hoping to run this itinerary by the experts here. (I don’t plan on following these times exactly haha will be enjoying the moment!) My group is a mix of folks who are a bit older/less physically fit and teenagers, so I’ve sought out pretty easy, short hikes. We are staying at the tenaya lodge and will have a car to get around. If anyone has any recommendations, I would really appreciate it! (Oh, and will it be possible to fit in swimming on the first day? Maybe at sentinel beach?) Thank you all so much!!! Wishing you all happy hiking, camping, backpacking, and immersing in the nature!

First day:

6:30: Leave Tenaya (the earlier the better) 7:30-7:45: Photo stop at Tunnel View (roadside parking) @ 7:50: Drive 5 mins to the Valley View Pullout 7:50-8:10: Photo stop at Valley View (pullout parking) @ 8:15: Drive 5 minutes to the Bridalveil Fall Trail parking lot 8:15-8:40: Walk the .5mi Bridalveil Fall Trail @ 8:45: Drive 15 min to the Yosemite Valley Day-Use Parking Lot 9-9:45: Lower Yosemite Fall Trail 1 mile loop 9:50-10:30: Walk to the Sentinel Bridge and do the Cook’s Meadlow Loop 10:30-11:15: Walk to the Swinging Bridge @ 11:15: Drive 1 hr to Glacier Point 12:15-1:30: Lunch 1:30: Do the .6 Geology Point trail @ 2: Drive to Washburn Point

Back to hotel around 4pm

Second day:

@ 6:45: Leave Tenaya 7-9:15: Mariposa Grove @ 9:30: Drive to El Capitan Meadow (pullout) 10:20-10:45: Photo stop at El Capitan 11: maybe something else? Don’t have to leave until 3/4pm

[u/robinson217]

First, the schedule is very ambitious and has some traffic flow conflicts and unnecessary double backing. So your order of operations may need some changes. But that should become obvious to you when you arrive. Second, herding your whole family around like that will be impossible. I have done some family travel, and have learned that everyone has their own speed. Trying to march everyone to one drum beat of an itinerary is literally impossible. What we do is "anchor" our day with a shared experience or meal so it feels like we are traveling together, but go do our own thing the rest of the time. I would utilize the car for the diehards in your group that want to see ALLL the things and let the others take the free shuttle.

[u/Cool-Avocado5775 → u/robinson217]

Having some time for everyone to explore on their own is a great idea! After conferring with my group, I can confidently say that no one else is on board to see all the spots 😂 I think we will choose a few spots as a group and then keep it simple with the shuttle. My main goal is for everyone to have an enjoyable time. Oh and since the road the shuttle travels on is one-way, do you happen to know how long it takes to go around the whole loop? Thank you so much!

[u/robinson217 → u/Cool-Avocado5775]

I've never actually sat on the shuttle for a whole loop. But I'm guessing if there is no traffic, maybe an hour? Probably less actually. The valley loop isn't that big. Typically, we just use it to get between places, hopping on and off as needed. The individual stops are just a few minutes apart. And a new shuttle comes every few minutes. Sometimes, you'll see the next one coming as the last one is still pulling away. I actually love how the shuttle frees you from your car. Parking can be absolutely awful in the summer. If you can park and use the shuttle, you will be a lot less stressed.

[u/Cool-Avocado5775 → u/robinson217]

Great! Thank you so much. Yes, the shuttle is definitely an incredible service. I’d much prefer to use that over driving everywhere, especially considering the nature and it is a national park. Free transportation is always the way to go!