Yosemite Family Adventures

I cannot say enough about David and the two days he spent with us in the park. It was our first trip to Yosemite and David planned two great days that really gave us a feel for the incredible natural beauty that surrounds you in the Valley. While you can only see so much in two days, his skillful guiding made the most of that time covering the multiple waterfalls in the valley, the Sequoia Grove, Hatch Hatchy and many others. He is a self taught naturalist and gave us just the right mix of park history and insights into the floral and fauna. He also balanced our hiking so it was challenging enough to keep me interested but not to difficult that Thelma could not enjoy it as well. He was also terrific about assisting her through some of the more difficult and rocky sections so she was never uncomfortable.His planning was simply impeccable and more than worth every penny as we could never have enjoyed as much as we did on our own. There is just no substitute for having a professional guide a Dave was as professional as it gets. Simply cannot thank him enough and more highly recommend him to anyone who wants an extraordinary experience.

I wanted to take my mom on a stress-free, fun vacation to see Yosemite and go fly fishing and this place was the perfect organization to make the arrangements. I was able to plan everything over the phone and discuss options and pluses and minuses for my 85-year old, but very able, mother. I can say it was a fantastic and full two days! Our guide was Bryant and he was perfect. He picked us up in a nice, clean, comfortable Suburban. He knew just where to take us and when to take us there to maximize our time and show us the most beauty. He was courteous, knowledgeable, had a good sense of humor, and was a super-safe driver. He was patient while teaching us how to fly fish (and happily untangled our lines too many times to count!) He took very good care of us and I couldn't recommend him and this vacation more!!

My husband and I were visiting Yosemite for a few days and we wanted to explore some areas we didn't get to see the last time we visited about 10 years before. We spent our last full day hiking with David in Tuolumne Grove of Sequoias and in the Hetch Hetchy area. David pointed out many different things to us we would have never noticed on our own, and we learned so much! We enjoyed a secluded lunch with a fantastic view of the beautiful lake and surrounding mountains. David talked about the different plants (edible ones, too), animals, and cycles of nature as we hiked. The hikes weren't too strenuous and David helped us navigate through some tricky rocky areas. We were very pleased with our experience, and David's friendliness and willingness to customize the hikes for us.

I highly recommend YFA if you want to cover all the main stops in Yosemite. They supply you with a private guide and they bring lunch. We had Jesus for two days, and even though we had to deal with the recent fire, he managed to take us to the right places at the right times. It was smoky pretty much everywhere but the tour was still possible. Jesus was personable, patient and kind to our two teens and my husband and I. By the second day, he knew us pretty well and tailored our stops accordingly. We stayed at the Rush Creek Lodge where he picked us up at 8am each morning. We were back at the lodge by 5pm each evening. I liked how we were able to order lunch online ahead of time to avoid any issues. I especially liked how they catered to my food issues being gluten free and vegan. They were extremely accommodating. Jesus set up chairs and hammocks for us at lunchtime and left us alone to just enjoy the silence and beauty. He was the perfect combination of wilderness loving and people loving. Filing out forms online also made the tour seamless. If you want turn key, this is the way to go. Great family owned company. Super nice suburbanites that we traveled in. The food was very good for lunch too. Zero complaints!

We booked a tour with this company for August 2020 and they cancelled it due to COVID. They would only offer a credit - not a refund. We have contacted them multiple times to try and rebook this trip for this summer and they will not respond. Avoid. We are out $1K.

My husband and I came to Yosemite for only a few days before a business meeting in San Francisco. We knew that we needed a tour to see the highlights (and hopefully beyond) with our short time there. To be honest, we were a little nervous about booking a tour. After talking to David (owner), we were 100% it was the only way to see Yosemite for the 1st time. The most important thing to us was that he asked about us, what our expectations were, and what we wanted out of the trip. We called several companies before talking to David and all they wanted to talk about was money. David asked about US! He took the time to ask about how he and his company could make our experience unforgettable. That meant a lot to us!Danaka was our tour guide and picked us up both days at our resort! She was so professional and nice when we met her! We spent our 1st day in the Valley and were excited to hike! She showed us so many new plants and even guided us to some edible plants (my husband still talks about the berries we tried! Yum!). Danaka was so knowledgeable that we actually laughed about trusting her blindly when tasting plants! It was neat seeing wild ginger and discussing the various wild life in the Valley. We saw El Cap, several streams and meadows, Glacier Point, just to name a few. We were so amazed by the history and facts that Danaka included along the way and at each point. My favorite part of the day was our hike to the top of a mountain with the most AMAZING view. It was similar to the one at Glacier Point, but NO PEOPLE! We didn't see a single soul on the hike and had a wonderful picnic at the top (which they provided and was delicious). If you are willing to get out of the car, this company can show you some incredible sites. None of our hikes were super strenuous, but rather enjoyable. We were able to go at our own pace and never felt rushed. Again, this tour was 100% customized for US! We just couldn't get enough of Danaka, so we invited to have dinner with us (at the lodge David recommended)! She was such a joy and one of those special people that you are grateful to have crossed paths with!On the second day, Danaka picked us up bright and early and we went to see the High Sierra region of Yosemite! This was such a diverse environment and we were in awe of the places Danaka stopped with us. Gorgeous! We started the second day at Tuolumne Grove to admire the Sequoias. Danaka knew all the awesome picture spots and was so informative about the Sequoias and their growth cycles (hint- big pine cones aren't from the big trees!) and for lunch we made a short hike to a secluded lake and ate lunch on a beach. Very few people were at the part of the lake that we went to because Danaka took us past the "tourist stop." Silly me ran out of water at the lake. Danaka to the rescue! She had a water sanitation kit in her pack and we filled my bottle with the crystal clear lake water and added the chemicals. Voilà! Safe, drinkable (and actually tasty) water! I would have been in big trouble without her preparedness. We then drove to Tuolumne Meadows and climbed Pothole Dome. This is another example of Danaka customizing the adventure to our liking! Such a cool experience that we would have missed out on if navigating Yosemite alone. We concluded the day by going to the top of an amazing rock formation and watching the sun set on Half Dome. Unforgettable! There aren't enough words to express our gratitude to YFA, David, and especially Danaka for the trip of a lifetime! Yosemite is gorgeous in itself, but if you want to see and EXPERIENCE Yosemite you must book a tour with this company. We felt safe and learned so much about this majestic park thanks to Danaka. We went for the private tour because we were trying to get away from our kids, jobs and responsibilities. YFA exceeded our expectations at every possible opportunity. We have made a lifelong friend in Danaka and can't wait until our paths cross again!Until next time,Staci G.

We love Yosemite Family Adventures. David is an excellent guide and person -- as fair and honest as they come.

Simply awesome! Worked with Brian and David; payment, booking, customer service - everything was excellent. We booked a full day private tour for our first day at Yosemite and though that it was completely worth it. Priceless tips and suggestions for the next few days made our trip unforgettable. Thank you! Aloha!

More than just a company doing their "job" - they truly made this a GREAT EXPERIENCE! They were so accommodating for us from setting everything up to being able to pivot to alternative sites for us to experience because of the weather conditions. This is truly a guaranteed "You Will Have a Great Time" company to use if you are looking to maximize your time and money!