The Best Hikes

Vernal Fall in Yosemite: A must-see for anyone with the stamina. It's just 3 miles round-trip if you follow the Mist Trail, but it requires a strong heart and enough gumption to make the last quarter-mile, ascending 500 stairs. Once at the top, hikers are rewarded with fabulous views and enough space to lounge around like marmots in the sun before the hike back down.

The Best High-Country Hikes

May Lake in Yosemite: This is an easy 2.5-mile hike that begins near Tioga Road, east of White Wolf (accessible by motor vehicle in summer only). This picturesque walk offers fishing but no swimming. May Lake is dead center in Yosemite National Park. It's a good place to survey surrounding peaks, including the 10,855-foot-high Mount Hoffman rising behind the lake.