The valley sparkled, lighted by the kind of sunshine that only a frigid January can bring.
Aided and abetted by snow crystals and a sky free of mist, the sun scattered brilliance and shadow across granite escarpments that never fail to captivate. I walked through piney woods, made the first tracks across a few broad meadows and felt still more privileged than I do when I visit Yosemite in summertime.
Lacking snowshoes and tire chains, I could explore only Yosemite Valley during my brief visit almost a year ago. But that was enough of Yosemite to invigorate me–a pleasant jolt the park always achieves.
Yosemite Valley is 7 miles of canyon carved by glaciers that apparently had esthetic sensibilities. The ice floes were sensitive enough to leave an array of stony features that have become old friends–the sheer walls of El Capitan, bald-but-beautiful Half Dome, Cathedral Rocks and Spires, the steep canyon walls with water plunging down from hidden creeks.
Some of the park’s most beautiful features are not within the official boundaries of the valley, but most are imposing enough to be seen from there. Hikers more ambitious than I could slog up Glacier Point Road (closed to vehicles in winter) and from that point take in the splendor from above and all at once.
But I was satisfied with what I had. Bob Roney, Yosemite’s master interpreter of nature and culture, told me winters there can vary quite a bit. January temperatures can reach into the high 40s or dip into the mid-20s. Snowfall averages 6 inches. But there can be ripping storms and crippling, snowbound days. “Each winter has its own character,” Roney said. The character of the one I chose was absolutely sterling.
At the east end of the valley, I spent more than an hour simply walking around the snow-covered campgrounds and taking in Half Dome from various perspectives. Eons ago, ice sheared off a massive chunk of its rounded peak and then ground it into soil that probably ended up down south in what are now the orchards of San Joaquin Valley. Glaciers in those prehistoric endless winters left us with a piece of rock more beautiful than a Full Dome would have been. And on that day, I could see that Half Dome wore a fluffy white hat, jaunty as a snowman and therefore imposing in a friendly way.
A lot of the western national parks can be forbidding outposts in the dead of winter. Roads close under drifts too high to plow. Temperatures dip far below zero. Some of them become venues that only cross-country skiers, ice fishermen and snowmobilers could love.
Yosemite, however, keeps three major roads open and plowed, providing motorists access to Yosemite Valley from the west and south. California Highway 140, through Mariposa, is the least mountainous and least likely to require chains. So, during my days in the park last January, the crowds may have been much thinner than those of summer, but I certainly wasn’t alone.
The evening I arrived, the Mountain Room Restaurant at Yosemite Lodge bustled as if it were still high season. It has a rustic, roadhouse-fishing lodge ambience and an ambitious bill of fare. I saw a lot of haute-cuisine items on the menu, but I craved prime rib after the long drive from San Francisco’s airport–4 1/2 hours on a good day, but a couple of hours longer when facing occasional ice slicks. A hearty meal could put all that behind me, and the Mountain Room provided.
I spent dinner eavesdropping on the families that surrounded me. Most were Yosemite veterans reminiscing about that summer week they lived in tents, or that hike all the way up Half Dome.
The noisiest tables were those that included newcomers. Veterans peppered the Yosemite rookies with impressions and suggestions. “You simply have to hike up to Bridalveil Fall.” “You gotta check out the giant sequoias.” “Go out to Tunnel View and look back. It’s the most amazing scene you’ll ever see . . . .” The middle-aged couple almost at my elbow evidently had embarked on a sentimental journey. “This summer, let’s try to get that cabin we had that time when . . . ,” the man was saying, but I missed the rest of it because my server appeared and urged me to order dessert.
Clearly, a visit to Yosemite in winter does not require anyone to rough it. My quarters in the 229-unit lodge resembled a standard motel room without the television. No air conditioning, but plenty of heat and a telephone. I did make the short hike up to the base of Bridalveil on a mild day. Sunshine melted some of the ice that had formed at the top, and chunks were breaking off with a loud report like cannon fire.
The people I encountered on that, and other, trails were not the hard-core hikers and rock climbers so prevalent in summer, spring and fall. Instead of tattered parkas and enormous backpacks, they wore colorful garb from North Face, Patagonia and L.L. Bean, or expensive ski outfits suited for the nearby slopes.
At breakfast in the glass-enclosed Yosemite Lodge Food Court that morning, a lunch counter worker felt compelled to walk out amidst the tables and yell, “It has come down from management that we have a very attractive group here this morning.” Most of us laughed. A few Japanese guests, wearing the most fashionable winter outfits of all, pressed their guides for a translation and then joined in the general mirth.
Even when Yosemite Falls becomes one huge icicle and leaves the valley almost silent, the park inspires a sense of occasion. Tour buses lumber in and out. Visitors–huffing steam–amble between the fast-food courts, the gift shops and the Ansel Adams Gallery, which honors the photographer who helped to make the park an icon of the national park system.
The Ahwahnee Hotel stands on ceremony more than any other park facility. I booked my last two nights there so I could bask in the expansive public rooms with their huge stone hearths and arching beams. A Grande Dame among national park lodges, the Ahwahnee opened in 1927 and has become a National Historic Landmark and one of the unique hotels belonging to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
My room, one of 123, was small, but nicely fitted with Old West artifacts, hints of native blankets, bits of burnished leather and wrought iron. It could have been a cowpoke’s digs as imagined by the editors of Architectural Digest.
As it happened, my stay coincided with the hotel’s annual Chefs’ Holidays event, so the wood-carved public corridors teemed with foodies heading for demonstrations like “Cookies and Pastries With Pate Sucree” or “Savory Chevre Starters.”
No, Yosemite isn’t one of those parks where visitors must feed only on beef jerky and trail mix. I knew enough to bring a blazer so I could conform with the Ahwahnee Dining Room dress code and enjoy the Gala Chefs’ Dinner prepared by guest chef Gerald Hirigoyen, executive chef and co-owner of Pastis and Fringale of San Francisco.
The management had assembled a very attractive group there that evening–Californians with glowing tans, winery owners, other chefs and large contingents of Yosemite regulars who know the difference between Armani and plaid flannel. We dined on roasted chestnut and celery soup, sea scallop and white bean salad with Basquaise vinaigrette, baked sea bass with red wine potatoes “Riojanas,” roasted filet of venison with winter root vegetables and, finally, lemon curd cake with creme fraiche and berry compote. Appropriate wines arrived with each course.
Table talk centered mostly on arcane matters of the gourmet food business and the difficult challenges involved in raising a teenager. It was that sort of crowd and that kind of age group.
I have now visited 52 of the 56 national parks (Yosemite–in summer–was the first) for this ongoing series, but rarely do I get to them in winter. One February in Yellowstone, I did drive a snowmobile up to Old Faithful and right into a huge throng of mounted snowmobilers, the likes of which I hope never to see again. But there were colorful mineral springs along the way and bison pawing at the snow in search of grass. That was fine, but where was the pate sucree or red wine potatoes “Riojanas?”
I’m sure some resorts in the Tetons could rustle up that level of grub, and a few other parks have learned to smooth the transition into harsh winter.
But Yosemite remains my frozen favorite, softy that I am.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE
In winter, the best bet is to take a flight to San Francisco and drive from there. The least mountainous route (meaning tire chains may not be required) involves following Interstate Highways 580 and 205 to southbound California Highway 99 to Merced. Then take eastbound California Highway 140 into the park. Yosemite Area Rapid Transit buses enter the park from gateway communities. Public transit buses also connect with Amtrak and Greyhound in Merced.
GETTING AROUND
All but a few roads are closed to vehicles, but hikers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers should find a lot negotiable territory. The Badger Pass Ski Area in the park serves the downhill and cross-country set.
LODGING AND DINING
The Ahwahnee and Yosemite Lodge are open year-round. Rates at the Ahwahnee are the same ($348) in all seasons. At Yosemite Lodge, off-season (November through mid-March, excluding holidays and special events periods) rates are $109 for standard rooms, $113 for lodge rooms mid-week and $117 for lodge rooms on weekends. In-season rates are $112 standard and $138 lodge.
Wawona Hotel is open Fridays and Saturdays only from Dec. 1 through March 14. Off-season rates are $83 for rooms with shared bath and $136 with private bath. In-season rates are $103 and $158, respectively.
Curry Village also is open weekends only during the off-season; call for specific dates. Rates are the same year-round: tent cabins, $54; cabins without bath, $72; cabins with bath, $87; standard rooms, $109. For lodging information and reservations, call 559-252-4848, or write to Yosemite Reservations, 771 N. Home Av. Fresno, CA 937204; www.yosemitepark.com.
Campgrounds in Wawona, Hodgdon Meadow and two in Yosemite Valley are open all year. Call 800-436-7275 for information.
In addition to the two restaurants and food court mentioned in the main story, Yosemite offers a deli and snack bar. Call 209-372-1489 for Ahwahnee Dining Room reservations and 209-372-1274 for reservations at the Mountain Room Restaurant.
Ahwahnee’s two-day Chefs’ Holidays seminars, panel discussions and dinners begin Jan. 8, 2003, and wind up Feb. 9. There will be nine sessions in all. Chefs’ Holidays Package prices include lodging for two, the Chefs’ Holiday Gala Dinner and other activities. Rates are $729 for two nights or $999 for three nights at the Ahwahnee and $449 for two nights, $529 for three nights, at Yosemite Lodge.
For reservations and more information on the Chefs’ Holidays, call 559-252-4848 or log on to www.yosemitepark.com.
The Bracebridge Dinner, a 17th Century English Christmas celebration that has been an Ahwahnee tradition since 1927, is booked for the 2002 season, though you can check with the number above for last-minute cancellations. Reservations for 2003 will begin in the spring; the phone number and date that the reservation process will begin will be posted on the Web site above by Dec. 15.
PARK INFORMATION
Write Superintendent, P.O. Box 577, Yosemite National Park, CA 95389; 209-372-0200; (TDD) 209-372-4726; fax: 209-372-0220; e-mail yose-webmanager@nps.gov; www.nps.gov/yose.
— Robert Cross
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E-mail Robert Cross: bcross@tribune.com
