Yosemite National Park, 5 Insider Tips

So. You’re coming to Yosemite National Park. Let me ask you a few things first:

Is it summer?
Is it a holiday?
Is it a weekend?
Are there hazardous conditions (snow, fires, flooding, pandemics, etc.)?
Is there an event going on that made you plan your trip now instead of some other time (Firefall, Facelift, whenever Alex Honnold is doing something, etc.)?

If you answered yes to any one of these questions, read on. . .

1. Do your business outside the park.

Grocery shop outside the park, get gas before you enter the park, call your mom and tell her you love her outside the park, take screenshots on your phone of any valuable information you might need (reservations), set your GPS for directions if you need them, and then download additional maps of the area since even your GPS won’t know about road work in the park.

You have options in the park for all of these things if the need arises, but you’ll be better set up for success if you do all these things preemptively. That way, when you wander by the Village Store in Yosemite Valley, you can be thankful you are not one of the poor souls circling the parking lot trying to find a parking space with hungry kids in the backseat.

2. What’s cell coverage like?

You’re coming to a National Park and you want to be glued to your phone??

Just kidding. I use my cell phone all the time. Don’t hate, I’m a millennial. Here’s the scoop:

Verizon is your best bet for cell coverage, and even then it’s spotty. Yosemite Valley and a number of the high points around it have decent cell coverage for folks with Verizon. AT&T does alright. Everything else is essentially nonexistent. Then, to top it all off, if you’re coming at a busy time (i.e. weekend, summer, or park event), the cell towers get overloaded by all the visitors and become very unreliable. Your best bet is just to rely on your phone as a camera. Buy a map, and then make sure to learn how to read it before your trip (and not in an emergency).

3. I wish I could give you advice on parking. . . but there is no advice on parking.

I don’t know the exact numbers, but Yosemite Valley has like 600-800 parking spots total. On a summer weekend, there are 1,000+ cars that come into Yosemite. I think you can figure out the math. If you’re planning your trip during a busy time, and you find a parking spot, take it and then leave your car. Take advantage of the FREE buses* and pedestrian paths to get around!

In fact, you can get into Yosemite without your car! There is the Yosemite Area Regional Transit System (or YARTS) that will take you into the park from any of the gateway communities. Check them out! You have to pay to ride the bus, but you don’t have to pay to get into the park! And there’s a bus lane in the park! For a second time, you can be sitting and enjoying the views, thankful you’re not part of the mad house that is Yosemite Valley traffic in the summer.

If I haven’t convinced you of the insanity of coming in your car to Yosemite during a peak time, at least bring some snacks, entertainment, and maybe something to pee in for you and/or your passengers. You can (and should expect) to get stuck in traffic.

If you’re still determined on coming in your car, I would encourage you to get into the park before 10 am.

*During normal, non-pandemic times.

4. Don’t come in without knowing where you’re going to sleep.

Everything fills up, months (years in some cases) in advance. I’m not sure how people actually get spots in the first-come, first-serve campsites. If you insist on doing this, I would recommend bringing some donuts – not for you! For the people you’re going to bribe to share a campsite with you.

5. All of Yosemite is beautiful, you don’t need to see the ONE THING.

I’m not discouraging you from getting a permit to hike Half Dome– that’s great if you win the lottery! I’m just saying there is way more to Yosemite than that one thing you heard about from your friends or the media. When you come to Yosemite, don’t have your heart set on doing that one activity you’ve heard so much about. There really isn’t a bad view in the park, so even if you have to hike a lesser known trail, climb a different climb, or if meadow restoration is keeping you off the trail that offers you the best shot of Half Dome for your Instagram, know there is something just as spectacular at a different spot or on a different adventure.

With that being said, do have a plan when coming to visit the park. Yosemite is the size of Rhode Island, so showing up with no idea what you’re getting into is a bad idea. Make a plan A, B, C, and D. You’re not going to be disappointed if you can’t hike up the side of Vernal Falls because there isn’t any parking and have to wander through the meadows (on the designated trails) and see North America’s tallest waterfall from afar. You’re not going to be upset for not getting out of the park at the time you said you wanted to be and end up seeing the alpenglow light up the Yosemite Valley walls. And if this does disappoint you, you probably wouldn’t have enjoyed your original plan anyway.

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There you have it! The five biggest tips an insider could give you about your visit to Yosemite National Park. It’s a fun time as long as you’re prepared, that’s the bottom line.

HERE’s another resource for you if you have additional FAQ’s, put together by the Yosemite Park Service. If you find yourself super inspired by the park, and then you want to donate money, check out their nonprofit partner the Yosemite Conservancy (you can’t donate directly to the federal government). Inspired enough to volunteer some of your time? Check out THIS SITE with the keyword Yosemite. So inspired that you want to quit your current job/have a second career? HERE’s where you apply for Park Service jobs!

February 6, 2020

How to not be THAT tourist when visiting National Parks

Every year more than 318 million people visit our National Parks (NPS). What many call our nation’s “best idea”, National Parks have been treasured by Americans for over a century. Some might say we’re even loving them to death.

I have spent the last 10 years living and working in multiple National Parks including Olympic, Glacier, and, most recently, Yosemite. As both a resident of and tourist to the Park’s, I have a unique perspective of the intersection between natural and human communities that call these special places home. Both your experience and the impact you have on the National Park(s) you chose to visit will be greatly improved if you avoid these 5 classic missteps.

Driving like a Tourist

The chance to see a wild animal, especially from the safety of our cars, is a thrilling experience. And sometimes the beauty of a place can cause you to forget you’re driving at all. However, the temptation of stopping in the middle of the road to take a picture, swerving into oncoming traffic while your gaze stays on the “wild” deer, driving so slowly that the ground squirrels can keep up with you is not only a bother to the locals but is actually dangerous. We know it’s beautiful. We know it’s exciting. Just please pull over.

Picture: An example of “tourist driving” (Washington Post)

2. Dismal Bathroom Etiquette

This misstep is the main reason that you cannot drink straight from a mountain stream without fear of giardia. It’s not the animal poop that will make us gut wrenchingly sick, it’s our own human feces. So please, PLEASE, bury that poop! The vast majority of people either choose not to or are uninformed of this critical Leave No Trace protocol. Also, pack out your toilet paper if you choose to use it. “Paper lilies,” as they are sometimes referred to, not only pollute the environment but are a major eye sore while hiking.

Picture: The dreaded paper lilies (Pacific Trail Crest Association)

3. FOMO (fear of missing out)

A large draw of our country’s remaining open, undeveloped spaces is the silence. Many seek to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and connect with nature. If you are coming to the National Parks for “solitude” and “relaxation,” do not fall into the trap of FOMO. The hoards generally start hiking around 10:00 a.m. and all go to the same “can’t miss” trails. If you really want some solitude, start your hike either before 9:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m. and put in the effort to hike the longer trails.

Picture: Glacier’s famous Hidden Lake Overlook Trail at its worst (NPS)

4. Domesticating the Wildlife

Yes, they are cute– and their fur makes them seem so cuddly! But please, don’t be the person who feeds mountain goats skittles. Not only is human food unhealthy for wild animals, feeding wildlife can disrupt their natural foraging rhythms, causing them to starve in the winter months. Or worse, animals that become aggressive towards humans often have to be put down by Rangers. Resist the urge! Save a bear.

Picture: The first director of the National Park Service, Steven Mather, feeding a bear in 1923 (PBS). We know better now. Read the “Night of the Grizzlies” if you still think feeding bears (or any other wildlife) is a good idea.

5. Accidental Death

There is a 607 page book called “Death in Yosemite.” Do not make the book 608 pages! A major rising cause of accidental deaths in recent years is, you know it, the “selfie.” Though selfies appear innocent and safe, if you’re trying to get that –perfect– shot dangling over a 2,000 ft. waterfall luck may not always be on your side. The quest for extreme selfies killed 259 people between 2011 and 2017…don’t be the next selfie victim! (BBC)

Picture: Dumb Selfie (National Park Trips)

Author: Sara Edwards

Sources:

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/annual-visitation-highlights.htm

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-45745982

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/if-youre-dumb-there-are-lots-of-good-ways-to-have-a-bad-time-at-a-national-park/2019/05/14/ec3eade0-7653-11e9-b3f5-5673edf2d127_story.html

https://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/media_detail/280/ Continue reading “How to not be THAT tourist when visiting National Parks”

February 2, 2020February 2, 2020

5 Missoula Bands On Their Way To Being Household Names

It’s no secret to those of us in Missoula that we have a music scene with the potential to launch bands to the next level. With local claims to fame in Pearl Jam, The Decemberists, and The Lil Smokies, who’s to know who the next act to burst out of the local scene will be? Not me, but I have my suspicions. So, below are my top 5 Missoula bands (in alphabetical order) that are making moves to become national names.

Author’s Note: There are so many amazing acts in Missoula, it’s impossible to give them all the recognition they deserve. These are my opinions and my opinions only, based solely on interactions with and what I know about each group or individual.

Chloe Gendrow

While on a bit of a (much deserved) hiatus after graduating from the University of Montana, the release of full-length album 22 Below, extensive touring, and being featured on the lineup for Pilgrimage Music Festival with names like The Killers, Foo Fighters, and Keith Urban- Gendrow certainly holds promise for becoming a leading lady in pop music.

Getting an early start on her career while still in school, Gendrow was featured on Missoula to Memphis, an album put out by UM’s student record label Switchback Records and the Entertainment Management (UMEM) program. Her cover of Elvis’s “And I Love You So” and a live performance at a Switchback Records Showcase caught the ears of many friends and advisors of both the label and UMEM program that have proved to be helpful connections.

The Fertile Crescent

The 7(ish) piece group that is The Fertile Crescent has had a big few months. In January they released their single “Onion Garden” on the same night that they filled The Top Hat to capacity. With LA-based management and connections to publicists in place, the band is already setting their sights onto bigger and better things.

The band has said to expect a full length album by summer, but what about larger Logjam Presents venues or a summer tour? This extremely driven group of students might just have the ambition and connections to do all that and more.

Letter B

With a full-length album and an EP under their belt and promises of new recorded music soon, Letter B has been carving a name for themselves in Missoula’s music scene for years, and it’s working. Not to mention that they’re touring machines- letting other cities know who they are, as well.

With multiple packed Top Hat shows, the band seems to have received more promotion from local giant Logjam Presents than a good amount of other local acts. With Logjam ranking in the top 100 promotors nationwide, this certainly doesn’t hurt. If my math is right, adding Letter B’s local power and continued heavy touring together could result in a major breakthrough for the band.

Norwell

When listing popular Missoula bands or artists, Norwell may not be one of the first you’d think of. However, I dare you to make that same list without naming at least one other band that Norwell front man Brady Schwertfeger isn’t involved in. As Brady is a master of collaboration, a good amount of Norwell’s success is in working with other artists- including recording with Chloe Gendrow, Ira Wolf, and Maxy Dutcher.

Another local collaboration with UM’s Switchback Records placed Norwell and Ira’s cover of “I Hear A Symphony” in the hands of LA music professionals who chose to feature it on Falcon Music’s Motown Mixtape, on which the song has outperformed every other cut on the EP by tens of thousands of streams on Spotify.

TopHouse

This folk trio has just recently moved from Missoula to Nashville and is doing the thing.

With gigs in the country music capital and dynamic content on their social media (think weekly podcast style vlogs and insane folk-stylized covers of songs like Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” or Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive”) someone with the power to blow these guys up could at any moment.

Honorable Mention: Dead Phones & Dogs

While only halfway Missoula-based, this Missoula/Chicago band deserves to be recognized for all they’re doing to get their path started. Within less than two months of releasing their first self-titled EP, they’re racking up streams just shy of 10,000 on two of their songs on Spotify, largely due to strategic playlisting.

Not bad for a band with 1,300 miles in between the two members.

A blog post for Marketing Analytics at the University of Montana by Aeriel Martens. Do you agree with my choices? Why or why not? Find me and @ me if you need to. <3

October 18, 2019October 22, 2019

Pick Bahía when picking Mexico

This whole trip was done through Silver Shark Adventures out of Los Angeles, CA

It can be overwhelming when choosing where to go on vacation. Many choose Mexico because it’s warm, easy to get to and for their beautiful culture and cuisine. Not too many choose Bahía de Los Angeles though. This little town is located on the Baja California Sur and it’s pretty much a secret ocean safari.

One of the reasons why tourists don’t tend to travel to Bahía is because the only dependable way to get there is by car. Most will fly into LAX because TJ can be a little unpredictable but from LAX it is a 12-hour drive down to this desert oasis.

I think there is something to be said to vacationing where many choose not to. It feels untouched, more serine and like you’re apart of the place that you’re staying. On our first night, I had the beach all to myself and could just hear the waves crash against the shore. I couldn’t wait to go sleep so I could wake up and embark on our first boat ride.

We started our ocean safaris around 7 am to beat the heat and be able to see as much marine life as possible. We were all eager to see everything but we all also had the same goal in mind, to swim with the whale sharks.

There were definitely other headliners though along the way. I fell in love with the dolphins, they traveled in large pods and found the boat to be one of the most interesting things. Their love for the waves produced by the boat was unmatched.

I honestly couldn’t get enough of these guys. They were so playful and we even got in the water with them at one point. Once in the water, you could really hear how they communicate with each other using their echolocation

The water in Bahía was like glass on most days and felt like a warm pool when jumping in. Just some more reasons on why to choose Bahía.

We were on the boat for about 7-8 hours a day for 4 days. This might sound like a lot but it was perfect. We had lunch breaks and were able to jump into the sea anytime we got hot. It was a great way to all get to know each other since all of us girls were solo travelers.

*Please excuse the swearing, it was very exciting*
On the second day, we saw two huge fin whales. There were only 5 of us on a small boat so we were able to really get a sense of how enormous these whales are, coming in as the second-largest species on earth behind the blue whale.

We saw everything from sea life to birds, here are some blue-footed boobies! I wasn’t able to zoom in enough to see their feet but here’s a link from Nat Geo!

a handsome pelican!

This is Norma, we saw her a handful of times. She’s currently the largest whale shake in the Sea of Cortez and in my option, the sweetest. She’s 38 feet long and I was lucky enough to swim with her one day for around 20 minutes!

Here you’re able to get a sense to just how large these creatures are when you’re swimming next to them.

Exactly what the doctor ordered after a long day on the boat. We stayed at a hotel on the ocean that was stacked with more of Mexico’s finest.

One of the best parts was simply waking up. All four mornings I had the beach to myself and was able to soak in the sunrise. I even saw some of the hotel owner’s dog fishing for their breakfast while the tide was low.

March 5, 2019February 6, 2020

Category: California