I grew up in the bay area, so I remember the days when we used to visit Yosemite often, and no crowds like today.
Go in September. Best time.
I don’t visit Yosemite in summer anymore. Early spring or late fall. What you lose in access and comfort, you gain in sanity. The summer smoke fires alone are just stagnating. Haven’t gone to Yosemite in summer for ages, maybe 20 years. In fact, the 2nd to last time we went in mid-winter. We were almost the only people at the Ahwahnee Hotel and we were watching the super bowl. I guess it is not called teh Ahwahnee anymore. Some jerk stole the name.
Looks like folks trying to get into Woodstock....only the folks look a bit different.