what are the ';must see'; things in Yosemite

I hope to visit Yosemite in mid June. I%26#39;ll be driving from Vegas. I hope to enter the park from the east side over the pass that is normally closed except during summer months.

I plan to be there for two to three days. I don%26#39;t do much hiking so it will have to be withing a 1/4 mile of the road.

I also plan to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

what are the ';must see'; things in Yosemite

There%26#39;s plenty in Yosemite to do, even if you don%26#39;t want to hike.

As you drive in from the east side, stop at the Tuloumne Meadows Visitor Center...and that general area. You can take a couple leisurely, flat strolls to take in the scenery. Allow yourself a couple of hours to continue driving into Yosemite Valley. Between Tuolumne and the Valley, stop at Tenaya Lake. Enjoy the beach (very close the parking lot) and maybe dip your toes in the water. Keep on going to the next big parking lot on your left which is Olmsted Point. Great view of Half Dome. And if you choose, there%26#39;s a short somewhat steep trail down from the parking area out to some granite (probably less than 0.25 miles). By stopping and enjoying the scenery along the way, you could easily make a day (or almost a day) of that drive.

The other two definite places to hit are the Valley (waterfalls/el capitan/half dome) and Glacier Point (panoramic view of the park). In the valley you can take a guided tour from Yosemite Lodge (yosemitepark.com/Activities_GuidedBusTours.a鈥?/a>), or you can ride the free shuttle bus around stopping at the scenic points. I%26#39;d strongly recommend doing the Lower Yosemite Fall walk...it%26#39;s at most an hour roundtrip, and it%26#39;s wheelchair accessible to give you an idea of what it%26#39;s like.

They rent bicycles in the Yosemite Valley at the lodge and Curry Village. There%26#39;s a paved (mostly flat) trail that loops around half the valley. It%26#39;s a nice way to take in the scenery.

www.yosemitepark.com/Activities_Biking.aspx

It%26#39;s about a 1 hour drive from Yosemite Valley to Glacier Point. This is a nice place to take in the sunset. Grab a sandwich or other picnic, possibly a jacket, and drive up there. It%26#39;s a viewing area, so some walking, but not really hiking.

There%26#39;s always more, but this is a good start.

It sounds like you may not have lodging yet? If not, I%26#39;d try and get that asap. Things book up extremely quickly. You might consider one night on the east side in Lee Vining, and then another night on the western side somewhere, or souther depending on where you%26#39;re going next.

what are the ';must see'; things in Yosemite

Marmot%26#39;s hit on some of the high points, esp. for your drive in from the east. When you get to Yosemite Valley, you may want to use the following ';Inside Page'; from here at TA to help you hit the highlights of the valley sights:

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g61000-c2636/Yosemite鈥?/a>

One last ';must see'; for a relatively quick visit is to see one of the groves of giant sequoias. Since you aren%26#39;t up for much hiking, your best bet (and the largest grove in the park) is the Mariposa Grove near Wawona and the southern entrance to the park. It is well worth the drive, and you can pay for a tram tour that will take you through the grove and teach you something about these amazing natural wonders- the largest living things on earth!

The ';must sees%26#39; are the things that YOU want to see, and the only way you can determine that is to do some research on WHAT there is to see and do. I could tell you that Mirror Lake is a ';must see'; and you would go there and say ';HUH?';

Get the point?