Sights in Yosemite National Park
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Half Dome
According to Native American legend, one of Yosemite Valley's early inhabitants went down from the mountains to Mono Lake, where he wed a Paiute named Tesaiyac. The journey back to the valley was difficult, and by the time they reached what was to become Mirror Lake, Tesaiyac had decided that she wanted to go back down to live with her people at Mono Lake. However, her husband refused to live on such barren, arid land with no oak trees from which to get acorns.
With a heart full of despair, Tesaiyac began to run toward Mono Lake, and her husband followed her. When the powerful spirits heard quarreling in Yosemite, they became angry and turned the two into stone: he became…
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Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
Wawona, about 27 miles south of Yosemite Valley, is the park's historical center, but the main lure really is the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias the biggest and most impressive cluster of big trees in Yosemite. The star of the show - and what everyone comes to see - is the Grizzly Giant, a behemoth that sprang to life some 2700 years ago, or about the time the ancient Greeks held the first Olympic Games.
You can't miss it - it's a half-mile walk along a well-worn path starting near the parking lot. Beyond here, crowds begin to thin out a bit, although for more solitude you should arrive early in the morning or after 18:00.
The big attraction in the upper grove is the Fal…
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Glacier Point
Soaring 3200ft above the valley floor, Glacier Point (7214ft) presents one of the park's most eye-popping vistas and practically puts you at eye level with Half Dome. To the left of Half Dome lies U-shaped, glacially carved Tenaya Canyon, while below you'll see Vernal and Nevada Falls. Glacier Point is about an hour's drive from Yosemite Valley via Glacier Point Rd off Hwy 41.
Along the road to Glacier Point, hiking trails lead to other spectacular viewpoints such as Dewey Point and Sentinel Dome. You can also hike up from the valley floor to Glacier Point via the thigh-burning Four Mile Trail. If you've driven up to Glacier Point and want to get away from the madding cro…
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Yosemite Falls
Yosemite's waterfalls are mesmerizing, especially when the spring runoff turns them into thunderous cataracts (most are reduced to a trickle by late summer). Yosemite Falls is considered the tallest waterfall in North America, dropping 740m (2425ft) in three tiers. A slick new trail leads to the bottom or, if you prefer solitude, you can also clamber up Yosemite Falls Trail, which puts you atop the falls after a grueling 5.5km (3.4mi).
No less impressive are nearby Bridalveil Fall and others scattered throughout the valley.
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Mirror Lake
Any aspiring Ansel Adams should lug their camera gear along the 1-mile paved trail to Mirror Lake early or late in the day to catch the ever-shifting reflection of Half Dome in the still waters. The lake all but dries up by late summer.
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El Capitan
The most famous chunk of granite is, of course, the monumental El Capital, one of the world's largest monoliths and a magnet for rock climbers.
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Tuolumne Meadows
Beyond Tioga Rd, about 55 miles from Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows is the largest subalpine meadow in the Sierra. It provides a dazzling contrast to the valley, with its lush open fields, clear blue lakes, ragged granite peaks and domes, and cooler temperatures. If you come in July or August, you'll find a painter's palette worth of wildflowers decorating the shaggy meadows.
Tuolumne is far less crowded than the valley, though the area around the campground, lodge store and visitors center does gets busy, especially on weekends. Some hiking trails, such as the one to Dog Lake, are also well traveled. Remember that the altitude makes breathing a lot harder than in the …
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Hetch Hetchy
In the park's northwestern corner, Hetch Hetchy (which is Miwok for 'place of tall grass') gets the least amount of traffic yet sports waterfalls and granite cliffs that rival its famous counterparts in Yosemite Valley. The main difference is that Hetch Hetchy Valley is now filled with water, following a long political and environmental battle in the early 20th century. It's a lovely, quiet spot and well worth the 40-mile drive from Yosemite Valley, especially if you're tired of the avalanche of humanity rolling through that area.
The 8-mile long Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, its placid surface reflecting clouds and cliffs, stretches behind O'Shaughnessy Dam, site of a parking …
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Tioga Road
Tioga Road, the only road to traverse the park, travels through 56 miles of superb high country at elevations ranging from 6200ft at Crane Flat to 9945ft at Tioga Pass. Heavy snowfall keeps it closed from about November until May. Beautiful views await after many a bend in the road, the most impressive being Olmsted Point, where you can gawp all the way down Tenaya Canyon to the backside of Half Dome. Above the canyon's east side looms the aptly named 9926ft Clouds Rest.
Continuing on Tioga Rd soon drops you at Tenaya Lake, a placid pond framed by pines and granite cliffs.
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Yosemite Museum
Places of cultural interest in the valley include the Yosemite Museum , which has Miwok and Paiute artifacts, including woven baskets, beaded buckskin dresses and dance capes made from feathers. Renowned local basket-weaver Julia Parker is often around for a demonstration and to answer questions. There's also an art gallery and, behind the museum, a reconstructed Indian village c 1870.
A self-guided interpretive trail winds past pounding stones, an acorn granary, a ceremonial roundhouse and a conical bark house.
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Yosemite Valley
This meadow-carpeted valley is 11km (7mi) long, bisected by the Merced River and hemmed in by some spectacular chunks of granite. The most famous are the monumental El Capitan (2307m/7569ft), one of the world's largest monoliths and a magnet for rock climbers, and Half Dome (2695m/8842ft), the park's spiritual centerpiece, whose rounded granite pate forms an unmistakable silhouette. For the classic photo op head up Hwy 41 to Tunnel View.
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Pioneer Yosemite History Center
In Wawona, about 6 miles north of the upper grove of Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, wander around the manicured grounds of the elegant Wawona Hotel and the rustic Pioneer Yosemite History Center, where some of the park's oldest buildings were relocated. It also features stagecoaches that brought early tourists to Yosemite.
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Grizzly Giant
The star of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias - and what everyone comes to see - is the Grizzly Giant, a behemoth that sprang to life some 2700 years ago, or about the time the ancient Greeks held the first Olympic Games. You can't miss it - it's a half-mile walk along a well-worn path starting near the parking lot.
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Happy Isles & Happy Isles Nature Center
South of Mirror Lake, where the Merced River courses around two small islands, lies Happy Isles, a popular area for picnics, swimming and strolls. It also marks the start of the John Muir Trail and Mist Trail to several waterfalls and Half Dome. The Happy Isles Nature Center features kid-friendly hands-on exhibits.
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Fallen Wawona Tunnel Tree
The big attraction in the upper grove is the Fallen Wawona Tunnel Tree, the famous drive-through tree that toppled over in 1969. For scenic views, take a 1-mile (round-trip) amble from the fallen tree to Wawona Point.
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Mariposa Grove Museum
In the upper grove is the Mariposa Grove Museum with displays about sequoia ecology.
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