It is usually the first waterfall that most visitors encounter after arriving at the valley. One of the most famous waterfalls in Yosemite valley, bridal veil fall is about 600 feet high and flows year around. Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting in all seasons. Overall, there are awesome views and a varied landscape to see. It is a quiet place with a lot of history connected to O'Shaughnessy Dam. Hetch Hetchy is the main source of water for the city of San Francisco. It is 5.5 miles out and back with 954 ft of elevation gain to Wapama Falls in the Spring and I have some panoramic pictures of the falls. However it still offered stunning views of the surrounding landscape, with steep granite walls, which are so awe-inspiring in spite of the dry waterfalls. Hiking to the waterfall is my favorite pastime, but it was so sad since there was no water in any of them because it was the off-season. There are a number of trailheads by reservoir, mostly the trails are easy to find, and are a mix between sun and shade. This time around I went there at the start of Autumn, as it was September/26/2021. IMO, both Spring and Winter are the best times to visit. I have visited this lovely spot during all 4 seasons of the year. The difference between Hetch Hetchy and the rest of Yosemite National Park is it does not need a reservation to get in, and the road is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. If you want to see Yosemite without the crowds, I highly recommend you to go visit the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. My advice if visiting in spring/summer 2022 with little kids to call ahead to ensure it is worth it. He also gave us a complete refund (I had requested a partial one), which is why I’m still giving them 3 stars. He said he would give that suggestion to leadership. I asked them to put a message on their website so that families with young children visiting from out of town don’t spend so much time and effort getting there only to be so disappointed. We did visit guest services and politely explained everything and the manager was very understanding. After that we decided to give up and spend the rest of the day at a county park with a splash pad. I spoke with multiple employees and they all seemed very frustrated and said there were major staffing issues and to request help from management at guest services. We finally stood in a very, very long line to go on the open water ride and and we did it the kids just wanted to stand on the bridge and get splashed by the boat going under it… but the ride broke just one time after ours and stranded everyone high up on the incline in the sun for more than 15 minutes. Across the park most rides were closed - unless they were the major roller coasters that the kids were too short for. Even their play area was closed because it was “too hot “ to use the slides. At that point my son wanted off, but it stopped on an incline facing directly into the blazing sun. The young female operator pulled out an instruction manual, reviewed it, then made it go again… and again… and again. When we did get one one - a small blue roller coaster that adults can ride with kids, the ride went around like normal, but then stopped halfway on the tracks. The Planet Snoopy area had only 3 ride operators who were operating rides for 1 hour and then rotating to a different one. We wanted to like our trip there, but we had a group with several kids ages to 5-7 and on the Friday we went there was very little open for them to do. so it's easier to see a little bit more and then shuttle back to the lodge area or parking area. There is also a shuttle that routinely drives back and forth throughout one side of the park roughly every 15 to 30 minutes (check the schedule). The food was OK, nothing to write about or to review, and also a bit pricey. There is a food court in the middle of the park with pizza, burgers, and a few other select food items, in a cafeteria type setting. There were a lot of seemingly dangerous curves and the drive seemed somewhat harrowing. I visited the park by using a tour service which due to the drive along the winding roads through the Sierra Nevada mountains I highly recommend it. And fortunately, a week prior to my visit, it snowed - and as it warmed up, snow was melting, so the falls were really beautiful. It was really amazing! Words fail to describe the majesty. I was fortunate that I visited in the wintertime as I was told by our guide that the crowds and the traffic is light. What can one say about Yosemite national Park that hasntalready been said.
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