Yosemite is made of volcanic rock, primarily granite, uplifted, scoured by massive glaciers, forming Yosemite valley and further shaped by water from snowfall in the mountains.

Sunrise at Glacier Point

I met the sunrise at Glacier Point, which overlooks Yosemite valley and the towering granite features surrounding it. The most familiar is Half Dome (on the left):

Far below lies Yosemite Valley, surrounded by massive granite monoliths:

A magnificent waterfall (Nevada Fall) is a prominent feature on the far valley wall:

Nearby, other denizens (grouse) were also greeting the dawn:

Yosemite Valley

Driving down toward Yosemite Valley, the U-Shape carved by glaciers was very evident, with prominent granite features on either side:

Entering the Yosemite Village area, I was apprehensive of seeing the same kind of overcrowding as was apparent at Zion National Park, (which sees a similar number of visitors annually). There were certainly a lot of vehicles parked in the large parking lots, but somehow, perhaps because of the larger area of the Valley, it did not seem anywhere near as crowded. The Welcome Center was spacious, the Exploration Center was informative and the Village Store has by far the best selection that I have encountered in a National Park.

John Muir and Lower Yosemite Falls

The ghost of John Muir, one of my personal heroes, looms over the Valley. My first hike was towards Lower Yosemite Falls and the trail led past Muir’s cabin which was marked by a commemorative plaque, containing a favorite inspiring quote:

In late summer, the flow of the waterfalls is a fraction of the flow during early spring, but Yosemite Falls was still impressive:

It would have been visible from Muir’s cabin; what a way to wake up!

El Capitan

I made extensive use of a shuttle bus that conveniently connected various destinations in the valley. My first stop was at El Capitan, the single largest granite monolith in the world!

There were quite a few climbers at the base planning their routes.

Water: Rivers, Waterfalls and Lakes

While the great granite monoliths were clearly the dominating features in the Park, they framed (and are being shaped by) the beautiful Merced River:

And its tributaries:

Other waterfalls included Vernal Fall:

And the iconic Bridalveil Fall:

Along Tioga Road on the way to Tuolumne Meadows, I spent some time contemplating the placid waters of Lake Tenaya:

Tuolumne Meadows

Tuolumne Meadows is one of the largest meadows in the High Sierras; during Spring it is ablaze with wildflowers. In late summer it is baked to a golden brown:

It is bordered by some intriguing and accessible granite structures:

In the distance, Cathedral Peak is prominent, looking like a fairytale castle:

Leaving the Tuolumne Meadows area of the Park, Olmstead Point provides another view of Half Dome:

Time to bid farewell to Yosemite granite cliffs, but not the Sierras; I’m going to spend the next week or so exploring Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.