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Here’s a confession that’s likely to earn me a few rude comments (if not outright death threats): I don’t like Yosemite.  Or at least I didn’t, until very recently.  Hot, crowded, and dusty, it always held all the charm of a refugee camp for me.

I could see that it was magnificent, I just couldn’t transcend the tour buses and carbon monoxide.

In fact only about 5% of Yosemite’s 3.2 million annual visitors ever leave the valley floor.  As of last month I’m finally one of them, and now I see what all the fuss is about.

Here’s how to do Yosemite right.

Sleep outside the park

It’s easier to enjoy Yosemite when you put a little space between you and the headliners (El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridal Veil Falls, and Yosemite Falls).  You can still go visit them for the day, but you don’t have to sleep near them.

An excellent choice is Evergreen Lodge on Yosemite’s western border, just a mile from the Hetch Hetchy park entrance.  Not only is it a lovely and peaceful place to stay, it gives you easy back door access to the park.   You can hike to Carlon Falls, harass tadpoles and bullfrogs in nearby  Birch Lake, or just toast marshmallows for s’mores at the outdoor fireplace.

Another great find for families is Spinning Wheel Yosemite Vacation Rentals near Groveland, just 10 miles from the northern park entrance on the middle fork of the Tuolumne River.  If you like huge grassy spaces and porches that overlook rivers—and who doesn’t?—this is the place for you.

Visit the high country

After you’ve driven four (or more) hours to get to Yosemite, the last thing you want to do is get back in the car.  I hear you.  The park occupies an area the size of Rhode Island however, so you’re going to have to drive some.  This is not a park to be conquered in a single weekend.

Take a day to drive up to Tuolumne Meadows past some of the prettiest ponds, lakes, granite peaks, and vistas you’ll see anywhere.  Even on the busiest summer days it’s quieter (and cooler!) up here.  Best of all, July and August are the height of wildflower season at 7,000 feet!

For panoramic views of the granite landscape, get out of the car and scramble around on the rocks at Olmstead Point.  For a peaceful picnic and an unforgettable and bracing alpine swim, spend an hour or two at Tenaya Lake.

The Tioga Road is only open when it’s snow-free and plowed though, which is impossible to predict.  It usually opens in late May and closes in November, but check with the National Park Service website before making plans.

Hike a little

Even small kids can enjoy a hike as long as it’s fairly level.    Jump on the John Muir trail at the Dog Lake parking area in Tuolumne Meadows and head toward Lyell Canyon.  You’ll ramble through a beautiful and flat canyon, past wildflowers, and over a bridge crossing the Lyell fork of the Tuolumne River.   Walk only as far as you’re willing to walk back—this is not a loop!

In Yosemite Valley, hiking to Mirror Lake is nice for families.   It’s 2 miles round trip with a wide paved path, and is level all the way.  The lake is slowly turning into a meadow (a natural succession in these parts), and is especially pretty at sunset.

Strap on a backpack

I’ve always wanted to try backpacking, but I’m deathly afraid that bears will come and try to eat my toothpaste and lipstick in the night.  That’s why I was so excited when I found out about Yosemite’s High Sierra Camps, which offer just the right mix of adventure (you walk to them) and civilization (they cook for you).

Beginning on September 1st—that’s right, today!—families can enter a lottery to stay in one (or more) of five rustic, remote camps.  Children must be 7 and older, and accommodations are basic (though not as basic as, you know, backpacking).

Rates are around $150/person per night, for which you get meals, tent cabins, beds, bedding, and bathrooms (which vary by location).   All applications must be received by November 1, 2009, and applicants will be notified of their standing by January 15, 2010.

Good luck!  The season is short and demand is high, but somebody’s going to win—it might as well be you.