Yosemite/Tahoe in April

missstcroix

Mouseketeer
Joined
May 4, 2004
Hi..planning to fly into southern California (have that well planned) and then drive to Northern California where I want to plan the following: San Francisco, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Big Sur. My choices are next July, or spring break which is Easter week (beginning April 9). I am afraid the weather will not be nice enough in Yosemite. Advice from locals or those who have gone?
 
July will be pleasant at Tahoe, could even be hot (high 80's to rare low 90's)
Yosemite will be warmer - while San Fran and Big Sur could be cool and cloudy or warm and sunny. That coastal fog kicks up and everything cools down.

April - the coast could be cool to warm and could be beautiful. Spring and Fall are great times in SFO and the coastal areas. As for Tahoe, it will be cool, could rain and could snow. I have seen snow Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends both here in Reno and up at the lake. Most nights will drop to or below freezing. The minute the sun goes down, look out it gets cold fast. As for Yosemite, I have never been in the area in the Spring, my guess would be cool but not cold, wet from the spring melt with the possibility of rain.

Happy planning - if I had to choose, I would go with April
 
From a local who lived in Tahoe 16 years and still has a business there but now lives in Reno I have to say that I rarely think of April as cold in Tahoe. Guess it's all relative. Often the ski resorts are trying to eek out the last snow they have and it can be warm enough to wear only a long or short sleeve t-shirt....but then again you may need your parka and snow shovel. Just hard to predict. When heading to Yosemite you probably won't be able to use any of the eastern mountain passes to get to the valley floor side as they'll still be closed from the winter snow. Just something to remember in your planning that you'll need to come from the western side of the Sierra Nevada's. In you'll see the waterfalls flowing which will probably be dried up by July.

As was said - spring will probably be better weather in SF. I've only been to Big Sur once and that was in July. It was very nice then. :thumbsup2

I'd say that some of the decision depends on what you want most to do. I love the area so I think anytime is a good time to be there - each season is just a bit different.
 
The weather will be nice at both times, I think it's a question of seasons. Only in Tahoe and Yosemite will it be really noticeable, because in early April there will most likely still be snow on the ground. That doesn't mean that the weather won't be warm, it's just left over snow from winter.

So if you were planning on hiking in Yosemite, you might want July, but if you wanted to ski, you could still do it at Easter. Keep in mind that the crowds will be large if you choose Yosemite in July.
 


You're unlikely to find snow on the floor of Yosemite Valley in April, and the weather is more likely to be nice there than in San Francisco, I think! :-) But there will still be snow in the higher elevations so you won't be able to get to Glacier Point (road is closed) and some of the trails from the valley floor might be closed as well. Some of the spring run-off should have started by then, though, so the waterfalls should be flowing nicely.

As previously mentioned, the mountain passes will be closed, so if you're going to Yosemite from Lake Tahoe, you'll have to go most of the way to Sacramento before going southeast towards Yosemite.

July can get quite hot in the Valley, not too mention crowded, so I'd probably choose April over July myself. But it depends also on the experience that you want - if you want to be able to hike and go to Glacier Point you'll have more opportunities for that in July than in April. If you're only planning to see the Valley itself then April will be fine - and quite pretty with the waterfalls plus snow-covered mountains.
 
I have been there in April and it was cold but coming from So. Cal what do I know about cold! I do know Yosemite is Heaven on earth! Now that I am older I will take a Lake Tahoe Resort or casino and an Irish Coffee!

Happy Trails to you.
 

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