My seven-year-old had a blast bouldering to Lower Yosemite Falls with my husband, as did my twelve-year-old and my fifteen-year-old.
My kids said bouldering to the bottom of the falls in the Valley was the best part of their trip to Yosemite.
When I Googled ‘Top things to do with kids in Yosemite’ before our trip, Lower Yosemite Falls was unanimously the best place to take kids in the National Park.
If you park in Yosemite valley it’s easy to walk to the Lower Falls in about 20 minutes. There are paved paths the entire way to the bridge; you can’t get closer to the falls without bouldering. The bridge is one of the best spots to take family photos with the falls in the background.
There are benches to sit and behold the falls, but they fill up quickly.
For those of you who travel with a multigenerational family group or who have kids with wide age ranges, I suggest walking to the Lower Falls first thing after breakfast. Claim a seat on one of the benches for those who can’t go bouldering and park your stroller close by. (A folding camping stool is a great way to secure a seat if you don’t want to take chances.)
Bring water and snacks to the falls. We left our food and drinks with Grandma and Grandpa who stayed by the bridge with the youngest children. The rest of us bouldered to the base of the falls without backpacks and extra stuff. We drank water and ate snacks when we returned to the bridge.
The Type of Shoes You Wear when Bouldering at Lower Yosemite Falls may determine if you have a great time or not.
I enjoyed bouldering but I made slow progress because my shoes were slippery. Wear shoes with a good grip.
Many rocks are wet, and you need to jump over puddles and use wet stones as stepping stones. Melted snow from the mountains causes this waterfall. The largest volume of water flows in late spring and early summer. Yet the pictures in this post are from the beginning of July.
It’s worth buying new shoes for your entire family before a trip to Yosemite it’s more relaxing and fun to know you’re all as safe as possible.
I wore Altra shoes I bought two years before. I love Altra, but I wore my pair out. There was very little tread left under my shoes. I nearly fell a couple of times, and I couldn’t keep up with my family who had better shoes.
After we left Yosemite I bought a new pair of Altra trail running shoes. These were great for hiking at the Grand Canyon, and much safer because they have extra deep treads.
Good to know about Yosemite National Park
We filled water bottles near the restrooms in Yosemite Village, but we didn’t see another filling station till we returned to those same bathrooms at the end of the day.
Take plenty of water!
Wear shoes with good soles that grip wet rocks.
It took us half an hour longer than we planned to get to Yosemite Village due to dangerous roads, no guard rails, and a 15-passenger van known for swerving. A vehicle made for off-road is best.
- Find a parking spot in Yosemite Village in Yosemite Valley (It’s not too far from Lower Yosemite Falls.) Get there before 9:00 am. Plan to leave your car there all day.
- Use the communal bathrooms close to the main parking area, and fill water bottles if you emptied them on the drive.
- Walk to Lower Yosemite Falls from the parking lot. It takes about 20 min to get there, and it’s paved all the way to the bridge (stroller friendly). At the bridge, you’re met with a stunning view of the falls.
- Go bouldering with kids five and older. You can go as far as you like. Younger kids may not make it to the base of the falls, but they’ll have fun on the smaller rocks.
- Enjoy the Falls up close.
- Boulder back to the bridge. (Take a different route back. It makes the experience more fun.)
- Eat a snack while you gaze at the waterfall
The condition of the roads with no guard rails, no shoulders, and sheer drop-offs is scary enough to warrant sleeping in Yosemite Valley if you plan to spend several days in the park.
Getting in and out of the park is tedious, nerve-wracking, time-consuming, and terrible for those who get carsick.
Copyright Annie Eklöv