More than 3 million people move each year to visit Yosemite National Park, the first area to be called the “protected nature area” by the United States back in 1864.
The park is part of the Yosemite Valley, a valley that has been created thanks to the erosion of the glaciers of the Merced river and detachment and crumbling of some of the granite blocks, that have produced the fascinating monoliths that populate today this beautiful natural area.
The park (which is rightly part of the must see of a tour of California) is enclosed among virtually vertical rock walls and features a unique landscape in the world, with spectacular rocky peaks, booming waterfalls, shining lakes and Giant Sequoias. Let's see then some tips to visit Yosemite. Il best vantage point to admire the Yosemite Valley, a rocky wall that overlooks a truly extraordinary panorama. To reach it you will have various possibilities: you can take a nice walk (difference in height of about 1000 meters), you can reach the belvedere with a rental car, or you can get rid of comfortably from the shuttle driven by Park Rangers. We delved into all the details in our article about Glacier Point.
El Capitan: the king of the monoliths
The park is home to 8 granite monoliths in all, and El Capitan is a bit of a symbol, as it is one of the highest granite boulders in the world (1100 meters). To see it, just drive along El Portal Road (140), the road from Arch Rock Entrance to Yosemite Valley. Along the way you will see many tourists who will stop, many parked cars and a huge monolith that stands out imposing against the sky.
A smooth rock wall that for only 7 degrees is not perfectly vertical. The walks to the summit are fascinating: first The Mist Trail trail, then the Vernal Falls waterfall (5 km with a difference in altitude of about 300 meters) and finally a steep and challenging climb. Fatigue will of course be rewarded by a splendid view (enjoyable even during the walk). The whole excursion is long and it is better to walk towards dawn. To climb, in periods when road 120 is open, you will need a permit to get to the top. Find all the necessary information about our article dedicated to Half Dome.
Yosemite Falls: The Mighty Yosemite Falls
In addition to the aforementioned Vernal Falls, there are also other waterfalls that you can admire at Yosemite Park. If you do not like walking and want to see them without much effort you can go to the Bridal Veil Falls, reachable with an easy walk of 15 minutes, or to the Yosemite Lower Falls, less spectacular but Upper Falls, which require a long and demanding walk. If you visit the Winter Park many waterfalls will appear as a huge slab of ice, in summer you may find them dry.
travel through lakes, redwoods and magnificent views
What could be interesting about a street? Well, for starters, it's one of the highest in the U.S., plus it's a scenic road, ideal for comfortably admiring from the car some fascinating places: the Tenaya and Tioga Lakes, the Tuolumne Grove redwoods and the Tuolumne Meadows fields.
If you drive all of Tioga Road east to the park exit, take the opportunity to make a stop at Mono Lake, a large lake characterized by unique Tuff formations and two islands of land (one white and one black) that stand in the center of the basin. Want to know more? Take a look at this article on Tioga Pass Road.
where to admire the majestic giant redwoods
We're outside the Yosemite Valley, but it's a place you might really want to see if you want to admire the giant redwoods. The place can be reached with a path to walk, or, if it is good weather and you have little time, there is also a shuttle service that shortens the path from the parking lot. Among the most famous specimens here you can observe Grizzly Giant, which seems to be 2700 years old: to learn more read our article dedicated to Mariposa Grove.
One last tip: If one day you find yourself asking for directions to the park the Americans may not understand you.... maybe because you misspelled the name of the park? Yosemite is pronounced Yossèmiti, with an open accent on E!!!