Wing It into Yosemite

by Paul McHugh
San Francisco Chronicle - May 26, 2005

The swift, smart, easy way to wire a weekend vacation to Yosemite in early June is to sign up for the Yosemite Birding Festival.

This production of the Yosemite Association's Outdoor Adventures program returns June 3-5. Its schedule includes: guided field trips, interpretive talks, slide shows, art classes and social gatherings. Activities take place inside the park and nearby El Portal. Rangers, naturalists, birding pros and bird book authors will attend; belted kingfishers, orioles, grey owls and pileated woodpeckers will show up as their schedules permit.

Festival attendance: $130, or $110 for Association members (membership is $35/year, and provides additional discounts); includes three free nights of camping in Yosemite Valley. Some lodging at Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal set aside for attendees at $139/night. In-valley lodging info, (559) 252-4848. Yosemite Bug Hostel in Midpines, (209) 966-6666. Registration, more Festival, Yosemite Association info, (209) 379-2321.