Road trips are amazing because they let you experience a lot of different cool places instead of staying at just one. They are great ways to maximize your spring break fun, but you have to be smart about how you spend your time in each place, because you usually are only there for one or two days. In this case, my roommate and I only had one day to explore Yosemite. Yosemite is one of the most beautiful places in the world. People travel far and wide to lay their eyes on views like Half Dome and to hike the mountainous terrain. So the question became: how do we do Yosemite in one day?

First, we had to decide if we wanted to do one strenuous and steep hike up to an amazing view or if we wanted to mostly stay in Yosemite Valley and do a longer, less strenuous hike where we could see more of the different parts of the park. We opted for number two, figuring we would rather see as much of the park as possible.

The Valley Loop Trail is approximately 13 miles long and is the best way to see all of the park from the Valley floor. Although it's no Half Dome, the hike is mildly strenuous, keeping your heart rate up so you don't get too cold. There are also plenty of detours you can take if you want to explore an area further. Since I am horrible with directions, we pretty much stayed on the path, but if you get lost, there is a free and easy to find shuttle bus service that can bring you back to your car.

25,355 steps, 14.5 miles, 6 hours, four sore feet, and two blown minds later, we left Yosemite feeling like we saw it all even though we were only there for one day. So next spring break, think about ditching the all-inclusive resort and hoping in a car with your best friends to enjoy all the stops along the way.