Discover Yosemite Tours — Local services in Oakhurst

This tour and our tour guide, Glenn, surpassed all expectations. From the start of planning this trip with Discover Yosemite, the staff was incredibly professional and always quick to reply to emails and phone calls. (Thank you, Jennifer!).

Accommodations: we had a 12 passenger van that was clean and comfortable. Our tour guide had stocked the van with cold waters, cool juices, cold sodas, and a variety of snacks. He also offered hand sanitizer and had extra paper towels and everything else we could have needed. In addition, our tour guide was incredibly conscientious and always offered us bathroom stops even making sure to point out the “cleanest” of them all and which ones to avoid. In addition, we were provided with walking sticks and binoculars. Our lunch order was accurate down to the last pickle and he provided cloth tablecloths and found a wonderful shaded area to enjoy lunch looking out onto El Capitan.

Tour Guide: I can’t say enough about this gentleman. Thank you, Glenn, for your passion, your expertise, and your knowledge across so many areas. No one in our party anticipated learning so much about Yosemite. He took the time to talk about flowers, trees, topography, geology and everything in between. He asked us what we were most interested in seeing and then made it happen (even setting up a telescope to see people scaling El Capitan). He was conscientious of all of the members in our party, from the 12-year-old who wanted action to the 76-year-old who wasn’t so fond of steep inclines. Glenn planned our entire day so that we could avoid the most crowds and also see the most sites during our time together. And he made sure to take pictures of our group at every opportunity.

Thank you for an amazing day and for making amazing memories for our family. I highly recommend Discover Yosemite...

I was disappointed with this tour company, and more specifically our guide. On a positive note, he was a skilled driver who handled the winding roads leading to and from Yosemite quite well. He also had a pleasant manner. But I found his “guiding” skills to be lacking. He did point out a few things along the route to the park and while in the park, but at times lacked knowledge in answering basic questions about the landscape or the park’s history, or said something incorrect (example: drawing our attention to the flowering trees which he identified as cottonwoods which were actually dogwoods). Meanwhile, I noticed that my fellow travelers on the “other” bus appeared to have a guide who was quite knowledgeable and engaged, carrying binder of information, maps and photos that he shared with them.

Regarding trail hiking, our driver simply dropped us off in two different spots in the park and then pointed to a couple of trails we could follow on our own. In other words, we weren’t guided at all on trails. So we essentially paid $200+ for a ride to and from the park with four stops in the park (two 1-2 hour drop-offs for trail hiking and two 15-30 min stops for views and picture taking).

There was one thing our driver pointed out while driving in the park: he let us know the area where fired Park Rangers, park staff and park enthusiasts had recently gathered to protest. Here’s what he said: “There were protesters over there with their Trump signs. But, at least they were fired in the winter when they were just sitting around getting paid to do nothing.” Little did he know that our group included a number of Federal, state and local government employees. His callous comment was not well received.

Two stars for the skilled driving.

*Date of tour was 4/26, but I don’t recall the name...

Get your camera ready and bring your curiosity. PREPARE: This is no time for fashionable garb; Dress warmly and wear comfortable clothing and footwear. SERVICE: Our guide, Jarret from Discover Yosemite was passionate, friendly, and knowledgeable about every nook and cranny. ORGANIZED AND INFORMATIVE: The tour was well organized and visually appealing even though several of the passes were closed. TIP: silence your phones and texts, Ready your camera. 360’ visuals require your attention. ( You will thank us later.) IS IT STRENUOUS? It can be, depending on your health. In my case, I’ve been dealing with some medical issues but Jarret made sure to identify places where I could sit out the more physically demanding walks and hikes while taking in incredible views from comfortable benches carved from hundreds of year old logs. Jarret found unique ways to cater to all levels of interest and physical ability. NOTE: if two of the roads were open, you would expect significant walking on flat and uneven surfaces. This is a special way to fully engage and immerse in nature. THE FOOD: The sandwich provided in the included picnic lunch did not meet the standards of the your. Ample snacks and bottled beverages and water were available throughout the adventure. TIP:PACK SOME PROVISIONS OR EAT A HEARTY BREAKFAST. SHOPPING: Several stops to do tourist shopping ( We found some luscious sweets and surprised Jarrett with hand dipped chocolate- He seemed to appreciate it,) ADVICE; leave young children in the care of others so you can focus on the serenity of the environment and take in the majesty of 150-3,000 year old trees and million year landscapes. This is an activity for serious nature lovers. PLEASE REMEMBER TO...