Everyone hopes to walk through the forests of Yosemite without the crowds.
Or do they? Ever found yourself off trail and just longing to get back on the beaten path?
The thing is, trails are great – Thank you Trail Crew! They provide a way to repeat the best route to a special destination.
Usually sporting good footing, clear junctions and signs, official trails even appear on a map!
The secret we share today is that you can have Yosemite all to yourself, EVERY DAY.
Not just in low season or by getting lucky on a “less popular” hike.
How? Venture a few feet off the trail.
Be careful – don’t overstep your own experience. Make sure you can find your way back.
The Valley Loop Trail offers a great launching point for an off-trail excursion – just a few minutes, or maybe a bit longer.
At any point, step off and do your own exploring.
We promise you will find a few things: a feeling of adventure off in no-man’s land, a quiet forest, and the bliss of being by yourself in a beautiful place, not often visited.
We just went off trail in one of our favorite spots and caught uncommon glimpses of El Capitan.
Being experienced off trail hikers, taking a path we knew we could repeat, we hiked almost 5 miles, on Labor Day , and saw no other humans.
Just one California Alligator lizard.
No crowds, no sounds of humans, just the forest and the rock.
This is the Yosemite we know and love, where we have it all to ourselves, experiencing “just being” out in the natural world.