Visiting Yosemite National Park in California During the Government Shutdown

Eric and I had plans to drive south through California months before the US Government shut down on October 1, 2025.  The National Parks remain open for visitors.

Here we are with the Yosemite

National Park Sign

Eric & I follow a truck

through an unmanned 

Fee Station.

Big Oak Flat Information

Station is closed.

Porta Potties are open

& are stocked with

Toilet Paper.

Snow dusts the ground as

Eric & I drive higher into the

Sierra Nevada Mountains.

We enter a tunnel through

one of the mountains.

I love taking pictures of

the rugged peaks.

This meadow is filled 

with autumn colors.

President Theodore Roosevelt

& Naturalist John Muir

camped here in May 1903 &

discussed the importance

of preserving America's

wilderness,

El Capitan is the 3,300-foot

rock wall.

Climbers come from all

over the world to scale

this challenging rock face.

Yosemite Falls is

nearby.

Today's drive includes

Yosemite Valley.

The Welcome Center, run

by a Private Company, is

open & doing a brisk

business.

Our car is parked in front

of frozen snow.

The face of this mountain

meets the roadside.

A tree with bright red leaves

peaks out through the

Pines

An afternoon visitor drives

toward El Capitan while Eric 

& I drive back to Yosemite

Lakes RV Campground.

Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes RV Campground in Groveland, California

Today, I explore Thousand Trails

Yosemite Lakes RV Campground.

Many RVers are camped

beneath trees.

I forgot to take pictures of the Cabins.  

Glamping is available

at the Yurts.

Kids playing Volleyball

The Playground

Basketball Court

The Shuffleboard Courts

Horseshoe Pits

Pee Wee Golf

Seating around the

Fire Ring

Yosemite Lakes RV Campground

has a Bus Stop.

There's a schedule for people

who prefer to take the bus

into Yosemite National Park.

A Third Day Driving Southeast to... Groveland, California

 

Eric & I return to

Interstate 5 South.

Eric pointed out the birds swarming this watery expanse.

It could be a Rice Paddy.  Rice is grown in the Sacramento Valley Region of the Central Valley.  California ranks second for Rice Production by state, behind Arkansas.

Our first sighting of

Sacramento

There's a LOT of farmland

in California.

Fields of Grapvines

This Tractor-Trailer is hauling

a load of Tomatoes.

We follow road signs to

 California State Route

 99 South.

A Grassfire raged across 

this area recently.

The Calaveras Reservoir

Coming up... California

State Route 120 East.

This Frankentree provides

Cell Coverage in this

remote region.

The Don Pedro Reservoir

Winding Road

Next 8 Miles

Watch For

Oncoming Traffic

The upcoming route

on our GPS

20 Mile Per Hour Speed Limit

for tight turns

A shot of the next section

of road we will travel.

Groveland

Northern Gateway to Yosemite

The town is bustling

today.

The scenery is beautiful!

Blackened tree trunks

tell the story of a

fire some years ago.

Welcome to

Thousand Trails

Yosemite Lakes

RV Campground

I take a picture of the

Office while Eric

registers for our stay.

Campsite 145 is located beneath

 the campground's Solar Panels

that provide electricity here.

Our DirecTV Dish can not find satellites because of the Solar Panels.  We do have an electric hookup with good voltage, along with water and sewer connections.