DAY 3

Morning

BREAKFAST: At the Ahwahnee Hotel Dining Room.

Take Big Oak Flat Road to the Merced Grove of giant sequoias. It's a 2-mile walk into the grove from the road; few people take this hike, thus giving you the opportunity to be alone with the big beauties.

If you'd rather drive, take the steep, narrow, 6-mile road to Tuolumne Grove, a magnificent stand of sequoias that includes the famous "Dead Giant" drive-through tree.

LUNCH: Purchase picnic fixings at Yosemite Village and have a picnic amid the sequoia groves.

Afternoon

Proceed to the Big Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite (trail maps here), then go north on Evergreen Road to the Hetch Hetchy Valley and Reservoir, where there is much to see. The drowning of the spectacular valley in the 1930s was vigorously opposed by John Muir and the Sierra Club, but the dam was built; today the reservoir continues to supply San Francisco with water and power.

A sun catcher, the valley is quite hot in summer but delightful for hiking in fall and spring. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is 8 miles long, ringed with granite domes and dramatic cliff faces, a habitat for a great variety of wildlife; fishing is good, although swimming and boating are not allowed. From the top of the dam, take the flat trail through the tunnel and along the north edge of the reservoir; about 2 miles beyond, Tueeulala Fall and Wapama Falls thunder down, the latter so enthusiastic that it sometimes washes out the trail. And at 6.5 miles out, Rancheria Falls are misty and refreshing.

Return to the Big Oak Flat entrance and take Highway 120 east through Oakdale to 99, crossing Highway 5 to 205, connecting with 580 to the East Bay.

THERE'S MORE

Winter fun in Yosemite. Although frosty white on the clifftops and often in the valley, winter weather is usually mild. The valley gets about 29 inches of snow, Badger Pass Ski Area about 180 inches. The outdoor skating rink at Curry Village is a cozy place to be, with a warming hut, skate rentals, hot drinks, and views of Half Dome. Badger Pass is the oldest ski school in the state and still one of the best, with low prices for everything. Except on holiday weekends, you won't wait in lift lines; the dining decks and all facilities are just steps away from the lifts and school meeting places. Take the comfortable shuttle buses from your accommodations up the (sometimes icy) hill to Badger. There are six lifts to the 8,000-foot summit. Nordic skiing on 350 miles of trails and roads, and 23 miles of machine-groomed track and skating lanes. A two-hour, ranger-guided, narrated snowshoe hike is only $3.00, including equipment. There is a popular overnight ski hike to a rustic lodge, including meals. Junior Snow Ranger program, winter field trips for photographers and artists. Snow-play areas at Crane Flat on state Route 120 and just outside the southern entrance on state Route 412 near Fish Camp.

Rafting. Ahwahnee Whitewater Expeditions, P.O. Box 1161, Columbia 95310; (209) 533-1401. Rafting on the Merced, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and Carson Rivers.

Complimentary shuttle-bus service is provided year-round to points in the eastern end of Yosemite Valley. In summer it also runs from Wawona to the Mariposa Grove and between Tenaya Lake and Tuolumne Meadows
Lodge. In winter, buses run from valley hotels to the Badger Pass Ski Area. The shuttle serves most of the valley trailheads and all of the major buildings and attractions in the valley.

Tuolumne Meadows, at 8,600 feet, is the largest open meadow in the Sier-ras at the subalpine level, bordered by the snow-fed Tuolumne River and surrounded by peaks and glacier-polished domes. The nearest access is by
Tioga Road near the town of Lee Vining, on the northeasern side of the park, a road that is closed for about half the year due to snow. You can also take the beautiful drive up from the valley (also closed during wintertime).

A hub for backpacking trails, 2.5-mile-long Tuolumne Meadows may sparkle with frost or be awash in purple nightshade, golden monkeyflowers, and riots of magenta lady-slipper orchids.You can drive to the rustic Tuoloumne Meadows Lodge (209-252-4848) and the Tuolumne
Meadows Campground (800-365-2297), the largest in the park, with 325 sites; the most desirable sites are on the east side near the river. Campfire programs are held most nights. Within walking distance of the camp-ground are a grocery store, stables, and a restaurant that serves substantial American fare. Tent cabins with woodstoves are located in a picturesque setting near the river.

A variety of guided walks begin at Tuolumne Meadows. The "Night Prowl," an after-dark caravan around the meadow, turns up great gray owls, spotted bats, and other nocturnal denizens of the High Sierras.

Between Tuolumne and the valley off the Tioga Road, White Wolf, a summertime-only headquarters for backcountry trails, has rustic tent cabins, a "first-come" campground, store, stables, and a lovely old clapboard dining hall that serves simple meals all day.

Dog Lake is the closest lake to Tuolumne and the warmest of the chilly lakes at this altitude. It's a 1.5-mile one-way trek, a little steep at first but easy enough for all ages, and there's good swimming and fishing at the end.

Yosemite High Sierra Camps Saddle Trips; (209) 372-1445. Four- and six-day saddle trips to camps between 7,150 and 10,300 feet. Camps are 8 miles apart, and each provides tents, beds, linens, and blankets. Breakfast and dinner are served in a heated dining tent. Groups are limited to ten people and are accompanied by an experienced guide. Personal belongings are carried on a pack mule.