Yosemite: Domes & Waterfalls

This is our most challenging trip, and we want you to arrive ready to love it. Several of our hikes are long and steep — the Four Mile Trail climbs more than 3,000 feet to Glacier Point, the Mist Trail gains over 2,000 feet past the waterfalls, and our Cathedral Lakes hike runs close to 10 miles in the high country. You should be in good physical shape and hiking regularly, comfortable with sustained climbs and full days on the trail. We pace ourselves, rest often, and there are options to shorten a day when you need to — but come trained and ready, and you'll have the week of your life.

Yosemite is granite country, and you'll feel it in your legs. Expect steep, rocky staircases beside the waterfalls, long switchbacking climbs to the rim, exposed granite domes with jaw-dropping drop-offs, and — up high — pine forest and alpine lakes beneath soaring peaks. The rewards match the effort: some of the most famous views on the planet. We also build in gentler moments, from a walk among the giant sequoias to an easy bike ride around the valley floor.

Your first and last nights are spent at the same comfortable hotel near the Fresno airport (the Hampton Inn), with your own bed and time to settle in. Your final night's stay is included in your trip.

For the heart of the trip, we glamp right in Yosemite Valley (at Upper Pines or a similar valley campground), so we wake up surrounded by granite walls and fall asleep under the stars. You'll share a large, walk-in tent (two women per tent) outfitted with cots, sleeping mattresses, sleeping bags, pillows, a rug underfoot, and a shared nightstand with a lantern — and you'll always have your own bed. Showers and flushing toilets are available.

Fly into Fresno and settle in at our hotel. This evening, meet Michele in the lobby for a welcome dinner, where you'll meet your fellow adventurers and we'll walk through the exciting week ahead. (Dinner included.)

After breakfast, we'll drive up toward Yosemite, stopping at Mariposa Grove to walk among some of the largest and oldest living trees on Earth. Then we'll roll into Yosemite Valley, set up our basecamp, and — as the day winds down — head to a sunset viewpoint over the valley for that first, breath-catching look at Half Dome and El Capitan glowing in the golden light. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner included.)

We'll dive right in with Yosemite's most iconic hike: the Mist Trail past Vernal and Nevada Falls (6.7 miles, 2,155 ft). We'll climb a granite staircase right alongside the rushing water — expect to get misted, and expect to be amazed — up to the top of two of the park's most spectacular waterfalls. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner included.)

A (slightly) gentler day with enormous payoff. We'll drive the Glacier Point Road to hike Sentinel Dome and Taft Point (5 miles, 1,112 ft) — one for a 360-degree view from a granite summit, the other for a heart-in-your-throat stand at the edge of a 3,000-foot cliff. In the afternoon, we'll rent bikes and cruise the valley loop, coasting beneath El Capitan and Yosemite Falls. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner included.)

Today's the big one. We'll climb the Four Mile Trail (8 miles, 3,418 ft) — a steady, switchbacking ascent from the valley floor up to Glacier Point, where the whole park unfolds beneath you: Half Dome, the high country, the waterfalls, all of it. It's a hard-earned view, and you'll feel like a champion. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner included.)

We'll drive the stunning Tioga Road up into Yosemite's high country and hike to the Cathedral Lakes (9.6 miles, 1,656 ft) — shimmering alpine lakes cradled beneath the granite spire of Cathedral Peak. It's a longer day, but a completely different, wide-open side of Yosemite that most visitors never see. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner included.)

On our final morning, we'll have breakfast, break camp, and begin the drive back to Fresno, stopping for lunch along the way. We'll arrive back at our hotel for your final, included night. (Breakfast and lunch included; dinner on your own tonight — go toast to an incredible week!)

Planning your flights home: Your final night's hotel is included, so most guests fly out on Saturday. If you'd rather head home Friday evening, just be sure to book your flight for after 5:00 PM so we have time to make the drive back.