Yosemite NP - Tuolumne Grove
On a whim, I decided to check out Tuolumne Grove, as it is the farthest point you can drive to on Tioga Road in the winter. When we parked, we saw that there was a small hill above a tall snow embankment next to the parking lot.
The girls played on that hill for close to two hours. Just running or climbing up the hill and sledding down it in all different ways. They sledded on their butts and stomachs, with or without the sled. They even had an audience, as a couple of picnickers setup on top of the hill and watched the girls sled while they ate snacks.
After those two hours, we decided to hike up a hill next to the parking lot and probably walked a quarter mile uphill. This was difficult for me as I kept falling into the snow up to my thighs. My kids, however, were unaffected, as the snow supported their weight just fine.
When it was time to go, we got to play the part of a good Samaritan. The picnickers who had watched us play were starting to leave as we were cleaning up. They soon found out that they had parked on a patch of ice and could not get any traction on the wheels. They tried putting the car carpet behind the tires and I even helped trying pushing the car with 7 or 8 different guys. I then helped them reduce their car tire pressure to about 25 psi, to see if that would help, but that didn’t work. I then realized that I had my tow strap with me, so I offered to pull them out. Ten minutes later, I pulled them out and they were able to be on their way. The girls were amazing as they stayed put out of harms way and watched the car effort.
We then took a quick bathroom detour, picked up some BBQ from a local restaurant, and enjoyed dinner at our camp site.
What I Learned:
I never thought a snow embankment with a small hill would be so much fun for the kids.
An upside-down sled makes for a great table for serving up snacks.
The girls loved the variety of being able to sled down on their butt, their stomach, and on the sled.
I should’ve just pulled the stuck picnickers out with the tow strap as soon as they figured out they were stuck. I just forgot that I had it with me, as I only thought of it as a device to get my truck unstuck in mud or sand. I didn’t even think about using it on ice!
Hike Review:
After this day, Tuolumne Grove became the girls most beloved snow park. They had so much fun playing!
There is an embankment right next to the parking lot where a short, sharp hill can be sled down either with or without a sled.
The girls also had fun hiking up the hill next to the parking lot as they were able to walk on the snow without falling, while I was falling through to my thighs.