did 3 days in YNP in September last year. it was an outstanding trip, crowds were low i guess due to the season, but also bc they required vehicle permits at the time. but weather was incredible although a little smoggy due to the forest fires. the only real downside is most of the falls were dried up this time of year as well as mirror lake. nevada and vernal falls on the mist trail (not as misty this time of year) were still flowing but nothing near they are at peak flow. still recommend doing the mist, a little strenuous but worth it. made it to the top and relaxed for a bit to enjoy the views and soak our feet in the pools of water before heading back down. We took the mist trail up and john muir trail down for a nice view of the valley.

taft point (fairly short and easy but with incredible views) + glacier point (views of half dome) was our first stop and we hit that at sunset. highly recommend as was probably my favorite part of the trip.

Toured the valley one day (el cap/meadows), lower falls (dry) and hiked to mirror lake (also dry).

Did the mist to nevada falls another day.

we took our last day to tour Tioga road with stops in Tuolumne grove to see some sequoias, stopped at Tenaya lake for lunch (very beautiful and serene), and then ended up at Tuolumne meadows to hang for the rest of the day. long but scenic drive.

as for lodging, we stayed two nights in an Airbnb cabin in west Yosemite and then 1 night in the curry village tent camp. Def would've tried and stayed in curry the entire trip if we had booked sooner. they have everything you need in the little village... grocery store/breakfast cafe/peets coffee. tip: they have frequent cancellations so keep checking for availability if they are booked.

didn't see any bears :(

enjoy it! hope this helps a bit