Recreation Renewal: Five Days of Spring Fun
The Sierra sun warms your face as the days grow longer. High country snowmelt fills the streams to brimming, then arcs gracefully over polished granite. Wildflower meadows pop with a kaleidoscope of colors, while in the scented forests a carpet of pine needles bounces underfoot. The curtains are suddenly drawn and a life-affirming revival shimmers all around you… welcome, friends, to spring in Yosemite Mariposa County.
Here are some of our favorite ways to celebrate this season of new beginnings. From misty walks to frisky wildlife and engaging museums, it’s easy to build your own itinerary of casual ramblings and intrepid explorations. Most important of all? Enjoy the show!
Day 1: Wildflower Wandering From Low To High
We have a saying in Yosemite Mariposa County….spring marches uphill. And with elevations ranging from 1,000 feet to 13,000 feet that translates to a long viewing season for our pigment-blessed cast of wildflowers.
The show begins in March throughout the rolling, oakstudded ranch lands of Southern Mariposa County and Northwest Mariposa County. As you drive or bike (It’s BYOB, bring your own bicycle) these vintage country roads, washes of poppies can be seen dancing in the distance, and puffy clouds add dimension while the occasional spring shower keeps the garden well-tended.
Our uphill procession reveals a variety of blooms in the steepening, mixed forests of Central Mariposa County and Northern Mariposa County. Get your hue on at the main stage of vivid-osity known as the Hite Cove Trail where California Poppies paint the Merced River Canyon’s walls orange, or drive from Coulterville to Buck Meadows along the John Muir Highway (J132) and stop to explore the backroads and hiking trails of the Stanislaus National Forest.
The third act brings us to Yosemite National Park. Midspring is an exuberant season here, with waterfall mist spritzing the wildflowers along the Valley Loop Trail, and picnics among the blossoms of Wawona Meadow in Southern Yosemite. There are countless wildflower encounters along the hiking trails of Yosemite Mariposa County if you feel like stretching your legs.
As late spring gives way to summer and trails reappear through the last patches of snow, it’s the High Country’s time to shine. Everything from lupine to monkeyflower and paintbrush, you’ll have plenty of time to discover these little darlings in all their technicolor glory (with some — like the snow plant — peeking up through the white stuff in all its crimson glory)!
Posy Pointer: It is illegal to pick wildflowers so encourage kids to bring crayons and a sketchbook, or take photos for a collage back home. Use this Yosemite wildflower illustration guide to help identify these mood-brighteners.
Day 2: Spring Wildlife Viewing In Yosemite Mariposa County
Spring wildlife viewing is like fauna from heaven as Yosemite black bears and their cubs come out from their dens in search of a much-anticipated feast. Throughout the county, California mule deer nibble fresh grasses, flower buds, and tender spring shoots until their spotted fawns are born late in the season. Coyotes, foxes, and lots of busy squirrels will keep you company, too, including the Douglas squirrel which John Muir described as “fiery, sputtering bolts of life.”
Spring is a birding bonanza in Yosemite Mariposa County when visitors can expect to hear the songs, squawks, and screeches of the nearly 300 species that call this home. Located along the Pacific Flyway — a prolific route for migratory birds — the county also plays spring host to nesting birds as they welcome hatchlings into the world. Try a walk in the lush Stockton Creek Preserve after lunch in the charming Gold Rush town of Mariposa, or for bonus points spot a water ouzel along the Merced River in Yosemite Valley. Kids love these busy birds as they dive underwater for tiny fish and build nests behind waterfalls.
Day 3: Pssst….Secret Mariposa County Waterfalls All to Yourself !
Okay, between you, me, and the trail marker, totally alone might be a stretch, but the number of fellow waterfall aficionados will be greatly reduced by exploring Mariposa County outside of the everpopular Yosemite Valley.
Fortunately for us, spring snowmelt doesn’t demand an audience to cascade over cliffs!
To see the rest of the spring itinerary (and learn the secret to finding some hidden falls) visit yosemite.com/5-day-itineraryspring-fun/