Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park - Summit of Yosemite Peak
We explored Yosemite National Park between September 12 and September 17, 2023. The park is located in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains and known for Tunnel Views, ancient Sequoia trees, the towering Yosemite Falls, the granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome. Yosemite received federal protection in 1864 and became a National Park in 1890. It’s a vast playground for hiking and experiencing amazing natural landscapes. Base camp is essentially Yosemite Valley, which is a canyon over a mile wide and nearly 8 miles long. That valley is surrounded by spectacular granite walls almost twice the height of the Empire State Building and dramatic cascading waterfalls.
The hiking for us started on September 13th along Glacier Point Road with 3 main hikes. First, we hiked out to Taft Point, which was a moderate 2.2 mile hike. The trail was easy at first, through forest and wildflower meadows, but the terrain was slightly more difficult to the approach of Taft Point. Do watch the deep fissures in the area around Taft point. The views of Yosemite Valley from Taft Point are outstanding. There are pictures in the gallery below and well worth taking a look. Second, was the hike to from Taft Point to Sentinel Dome and the scramble up to the top of Sentinel Dome. The top of the dome provides a magnificent 360 degree view of Yosemite and the surrounding mountain ranges. Just a fantastic place to spend some time as you literally feel like you are on top of the world. The round trip would have been around 5 miles, however, we kept going and for our Third hike we went from Sentinel Dome to Glacier Point itself and then all the way back to the Taft Point trailhead for a total of 10.3 miles. The elevation gain for the day was just over 1,700 feet. We ended the day hiking with a short 2 mile hike through Mariposa Grove to take in the ancient sequoia trees. There are more than 500 trees in the park with Grizzly Giant standing at 209 feet tall and more than 1,800 years old.
Our next hike on September 14th was the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail starting in the valley and ascending to the summit of Yosemite Falls. The falls tumble down a large rock face just west of the village area in the valley. Yosemite Falls is impressive from the sheer height from which the water falls. Split into three sections, the water plunges 2,425 feet. After achieving the summit, we went on further to Yosemite Point and summited that peak. The views from the Yosemite Point peak were unbelievable. You can see Sentinel Dome from across the valley. This was the hardest day hike for us ever so far. The hike covered 9.48 miles, 3,398 feet of elevation gain took 5 hours and 51 minutes for the summits and the decent back down to the valley.
Friday, September 15 was another big day. The accent of both Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. The falls are fed from the Merced River which passes between both and then runs through Yosemite Valley. In between the Nevada Falls and the Vernal Falls an emerald pool has formed which we captured in the picture gallery below. We took the Mist Trail most of the way up to the Nevada Falls, but because of dangerous rock falls that day, we had to cut over to the John Muir Trail to complete the summit for both waterfalls. To experience both of these waterfalls fills all of your senses: visually seeing the expanse of the falls, the roar of the water, the mist of the water and the sweet smell of the water itself. It’s really something to experience. The hike stats were 8.46 miles, 2,098 of elevation gain and an elapsed time of 4 hours and 23 minutes.
Our last day of significant hiking was Saturday, September 16th. The day started before sunrise as we had a long drive up to the Tuolumne area and hiked from a parking area near the visitor center to Cathedral Lake. The trail to Cathedral Lake is part of the John Muir trail and was picturesque with sweeping views of the adjacent mountains, creeks and vegetation. Once we reached Cathedral lake it was easy to see why this is such a popular hiking destination. The lake was impressive sitting there granite wrapped in the high Sierra’s with crystal clear water all around. Great destination spot to have lunch or spend some time before hiking back. While not a killer, this was an 8.57 mile hike with 1,379 of elevation gain and took us 3 hours and 43 minutes.
We stayed at the historic Wawona Hotel for our entire time in the park. The hotel is a Victorian era National Historic Landmark originally established in 1856. The meals at the hotel were excellent and every evening folks gathered around the lounge for musical performances. It was quite the experience.
Yosemite Falls
Cathedral Lake
Nevada Falls
Nevada Falls
Nevada Falls
