Golden Yosemite

Day 2: Saturday

Spend today in Yosemite Valley. There's no need for a car; rented bikes and the valley's free shuttle will get you everywhere you need to go. Find a shuttle map in the free Yosemite Today newspaper, available at all park entrances.

Grand hotel breakfast. The Ahwahnee dining room ($$; reservations recommended; 209/372-1489) serves the valley's best breakfast. Afterward, stop by the concierge desk to inquire about free history tours of the hotel, usually offered at least once a day on weekends.

Famous footsteps. Reserve three days ahead for a photographer's walk of Cooks Meadow, along the Merced River, offered through the Ansel Adams Gallery (tours 9-11 Tue, Thu, Sat; free; www.anseladams.com or 209/372-4413). Get tips on taking better pictures, and find out where Ansel Adams set up his tripod to snap some of the valley's famous views. Or follow the path of such Yosemite heroes as Royal Robbins with a beginning rock-climbing class from the Yosemite Mountaineering School (from $117 for a 6- to 7-hour class, reservations recommended; in Curry Village; www.yosemitepark.com or 209/372-8344).