Yosemite, Lake Tahoe & Lassen Volcanic
Two National Parks: Lassen Volcanic & Yosemite, and the beautiful Lake Tahoe.
September 17, 18:14
We managed to make a fire! It took us a while, but we did it! Such a full day, full of activities and full of satisfaction. We went to Glacier Point early in the morning, before the big crowds. We brought coffee, got a bagel from someone who had them left over from a wedding, and enjoyed both with a wonderful view.
Panorama of Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park.
Then we drove to the valley and rented bikes for the afternoon. Saw two ‘waterfalls’ and a ‘lake’, or at least the places where they were supposed to be. Who knew that the tallest waterfall in North America is completely dry for a couple of months? I don’t think you can brag about being the tallest if you’re not even there all of the time. Anywaaay, still a fun day, and the surroundings were still very pretty, water or no water. And now we are staying at Crane Flat, a campground in the National Park, making a fire. Super excited about tomorrow when we will drive the Tioga Road to Toulumne Meadows! The last two times I was at the park, this road was closed, so I’m super happy it’s open this time around, and we even get to stay at a campground there!
September 18, 21:39
Yosemite didn’t agree with us on this visit. Tioga Road was closed. When we were already at the start of the road, a ranger told us they had just closed it because of a bad weather forecast, and we had to turn around. First, it was really hard finding a campground in Yosemite, then there were no waterfalls and no lakes, and now no Tioga Road. So I was feeling a little disappointed this morning.
After the turnaround, we decided to take the next road over the mountains and then go back down to Mammoth Lakes. A place I really wanted to see as well, and had already found good campsites for. But halfway on the way, we found out that the road down there was closed as well. So instead of going south, we decided to go north and head to Lake Tahoe. What was supposed to be a chill day with little driving and some sightseeing turned into a good 6 to 7-hour drive with a lot of rain. Nevertheless, a very pretty drive and fun mountain roads with beautiful views. A bit different than expected, but maybe Tioga Road and Mammoth Lakes can happen at a different time on the road trip. For now, we are hoping for a dry and less cold day tomorrow to explore the South and Southwest side of Lake Tahoe.
September 19, 17:29
We’re back at the campground after spending the day on the California side of Lake Tahoe. It’s such a beautiful area! It’s so funny cause we both thought that, since Lake Tahoe is a vacation destination, it must be warm here. We didn’t do any research beforehand, so when we arrived yesterday, we realised it’s actually located really high, at about 2000 meters. So definitely not a warm destination, at least not in late September. BUT today was dry and partly sunny, so we’re happy.
Selfie at Lake Tahoe, California side.
September 20, 18:56
We went to the Nevada side of the lake today, and it was GORGEOUS. The views were really beautiful, it was sunny, and not too crowded. Just really nice! We spent the morning driving alongside the lake and then stopped at Sand Harbor. An easily accessible stretch of beautiful beaches and coves. So we walked along the shore, took some photos, and had lunch on the beach with an eager-looking seagull monitoring us. After giving him a tiny bit of egg, we left to drive north to the next National Park.
Now, the RV is parked in a forest just a few minutes outside of Lassen Volcanic National Park, thanks to iOverlander. It’s such a great app that helps us choose different spots for wild camping. The Lake Tahoe camping was very expensive, so having some free nights balances everything out.
Scroll down for more photos of Lake Tahoe, or click here for all my Inland California photos.
View of the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe.
September 21, 20:59
We just came back to our RV after looking at the stars, and there are so many! We could even see the Milky Way from here! Really, really beautiful. And I saw three falling stars, lucky me.
Today we spend a full day in Lassen Volcanic National Park. We did a waterfall hike to Mill Creek Falls in the morning, then looked at boiling lava at Sulphur Works. We went to Emerald Lake, viewed Lassen Peak from below, and did another hike to more boiling lava and smelling sulphur at Bumpass Hell. So, needless to say, we are tired (and smelly). An early night for us and tomorrow it’s two more stops in the park before heading to the coast, so excited!
September 22, 23:34
We haven’t been going to bed this late since… well, this entire trip. We arrived at our campground early in the evening. And since our stuff was in desperate need of washing, we decided to do one load now. Washing was very fast, but the drying took a little longer than expected. BUT we’re in bed with a closet full of clean clothes, so I’m happy.
This morning, we did a really pretty waterfall hike. And doing one in the morning is always so nice cause you’re energised, the temperature is good, and there’re not a lot of people. So the whole hiking experience becomes ten times better in the morning. Afterwards, we drove through the rest of Lassen Volcanic National Park to Manzanita Lake, where we did another short hike and had lunch with a view, before we went to Sue-Meg State Park.
