Few places in the US are as beautiful as Yosemite. Yosemite’s
biggest problem, though, has long been the crowds that descend on the narrow valley during the summer, making the place
smoggy, loud, and filled to the brim with camping tards from all over the world. So the best time to go is during
winter, when the valley is almost empty, and you can strap on some cross-country skis and head into the back country. I
did this several years ago and thought it was one of the best CC trips I’d ever done. You can ski up to the far side of
Half Dome and catch a great view of it from across the valley. Anyway, the
Sac Bee runs a piece
about skiing in Yosemite that describes the Glacier Point Trail, one of the most scenic routes.