Yosemite Valley and the Park beyond the Valley

Yosomite  Regional breakdown    
Yosemite National  Park is the crown jewel of   US national parks.  We had  great three  days  at the park.  The  real  highlight of the  visit  was the   the  7 hour  hike to the  Vernon falls  and the  Nevada  Falls  for the   climb  of  2300 ft   The hike was  little  strenuous but very  gratifying  and  spirit-lifting.  

 

Yosemite Valley

This is the place people are usually thinking of when they think about Yosemite. Many of the things Yosemite is famous for are here: El Capitan and Half Dome, Yosemite and Bridalveil Falls, the Mist Trail, the tunnel view.  

Yosemite Valley is a freak of nature. It's only seven miles long and less than a mile wide, but it ranks higher in scenery per square foot than perhaps a hnywhere else in the world. ecause it was formed by glaciation, the valley walls are sheer and high, leading to world-famous cliffs: El Capitan, a mountain-climbing mecca, rises more than 3,000 feet (900 meters) virtually straight up from the Yosemite Valley floor, and Half Dome looms 4,800 feet (1,600) meters above. Some of these pictures are covered during the album dedicated to sunrise and sunset. We were fortunate enough to get the accomodation in side the park at the yosemite lodge.

Although Yosemite Valley is most famous for the walls that surround it, the valley floor itself is also very pretty. The Merced River wanders through it, and meadows appear frequently along its length. Deer and coyotes are common sights, and bear are known to be about after dark. Most of the places  is  covered  in  the  Sunrise and sunset album,

We   had  some sighting of  bears, Coyote, beautiful birds  and  plenty of  deers. covered   in the  Yosemite  Wildlife Album.

Hike to  Vernon Falls  and Nevada  Falls  
 

Yosemite Valley Highlights

Half Dome	El Capitan	Yosemite Falls
Bridalveil Fall	Vernal Fall	Nevada Fall
The Tunnel View	The Ahwahnee Hotel	Gates of the Valley

Yosemite park beyond Valley 

Yosemite Valley  is the place people tare usually thinking of when they thinks of Yosemite,

What's the good of a breathtaking view if you're already out of breath? It's hard to enjoy yourself when you're so worked that you're setting off other people's heart monitors. There's something to be said for journeys that yield up their treasures easily, so for the pleasure of scenery cognoscenti everywhere, here are the Yosemite hikes most apt to keep your quality-of-life meters running solidly in the red:

1. Glacier Point (1 mile/1.6 km round trip):

The views here are almost indescribable. There's a 270-degree panorama including Half Dome, Clouds Rest, the waterfalls of the Mist Trail, dozens of peaks in the eastern Sierra range, and much of Yosemite Valley. It's probably the best place in all of Yosemite for watching the sunset.

2. Lower Mariposa Grove (2.2 miles/3.5 km round trip):

This hike is at the outer bounds of the easy category, since it involves some ascent, but it's well worth it. It includes the Grizzly Giant, which is not only the world's oldest sequoia, at 2,700 years, but also one of the world's largest living things; the California Tunnel Tree, which you can walk through; the Bachelor and Three Graces (pictured here); and a variety of other behemoths that would merit their own parks anywhere else in the world but don't even rate their own names here.

3. Tuolumne Meadows (2 miles/3.2 km round trip):

There's no place like a meadow for chilling out, and this one is Yosemite's best. Just meander around the trails and soak up the sun (it feels good when you're at 8,500 feet/2,550 meters elevation) and enjoy the wildflowers and the river and the deer and the granite peaks surrounding the meadow.

4. Lower Yosemite Falls (0.5 miles/0.8 km round trip):

Hike to the base of the tallest waterfall in North America and absorb some of the adrenaline-soaked spray that's just survived a 2,400-foot (720-meter) freefall. Best in the spring and early summer, when there's lots of water roaring over the falls.

5. Tenaya Lake (2.5 mile/4 km loop):

If you've ever wanted to step into a postcard, come to Tenaya Lake. The lake is beautiful enough by itself, but it's also got beaches along the eastern and western shores and is surrounded by striking granite domes and peaks.

6. Sentinel Dome (2.2 miles/3.5 km round trip):

Sentinel Dome is at the upper end of the easy category, due to the short but steep foray up the side of the dome to the summit. Once there, though, you'll find 360 degrees of view encompassing Yosemite Valley, the high Sierras, and (on unusually clear days) the coastal range.

7. Bridalveil Fall (1.2 miles/1.9 km round trip):

A short walk to the base of this 620-foot (189-meter) waterfall that's one of the most famous in the world, photographed millions of times from Yosemite's tunnel view.

8. Taft Point (2.2 miles/3.5 km round trip):

Heart-starting views over the very sheer edge of the south rim of Yosemite Valley, with only the most basic of guardrails to hold you up. After you've driven to Yosemite Valley and gotten out of your car to look at El Capitan just because it's too tall to see the top of through your windshield, hike to Taft Point so you can look down on it instead.

9. Sentinel & Cook's Meadow Loop (2.25 miles/3.6 km round trip):

This nearly flat hike takes you through two meadows in the heart of Yosemite Valley, crosses the Merced River twice - including a trip over the iconic Swinging Bridge (at left) - and provides multiple views of Yosemite Falls and Half Dome. Not only that, but the trail goes directly past the Lower Yosemite Falls trailhead AND a bar.

10. Olmsted Point (0.5 miles/0.8 km round trip):

Head-swiveling panoramic views to Half Dome and Clouds Rest in the west and Tenaya Lake in the east. Ringed by picturesque granite domes dotted with glacial erratics. And you can see most of it without leaving the parking lot.


Also  we  visited  following     regions 

Lower Mariposa Grove (2.2 miles/3.5 km round trip):

This hike is at the outer bounds of the easy category, since it involves some ascent, but it's well worth it. It includes the Grizzly Giant, which is not only the world's oldest sequoia, at 2,700 years, but also one of the world's largest living things; the California Tunnel Tree, which you can walk through; the Bachelor and Three Graces (pictured here); and a variety of other behemoths that would merit their own parks anywhere else in the world but don't even rate their own names here.

3. Tuolumne Meadows (2 miles/3.2 km round trip):

There's no place like a meadow for chilling out, and this one is Yosemite's best. Just meander around the trails and soak up the sun (it feels good when you're at 8,500 feet/2,550 meters elevation) and enjoy the wildflowers and the river and the deer and the granite peaks surrounding the meadow.

Yosemite Small  Map : Large Map