This famous National Park gets about four million visitors each year, and once you’ve gone, it’s easy to see why. There’s only one other thing we’ve seen as awe-inspiring, and that was the Grand Canyon. Unlike the Grand Canyon, however, instead of looking down into or out and across its vast beauty, much of Yosemite’s canvas is found by diverting your eyes to the sky.
Yosemite National Park is about a two-hour drive from our current location in Mammoth Lakes CA, and the most direct route for us was over Tioga Pass. We didn’t know it at the time, but this stretch of road is famous. Although not a destination itself, at almost 10,000 feet above sea level, it is the highest point you can pass between Yosemite Valley and eastern California. It’s also considered one of the most scenic drives in the Sierras. So… once you’ve driven it, you’ll feel like you’ve been somewhere!
Tioga Pass
Here are a few shots from Tioga Pass. Fair warning, we just happened to make the trip on one of the most overcast days we’ve ever experienced, which doesn’t bode well for photos, and it only got worse once we arrived at Yosemite. Oh well…. watcha gonna do?
Although sections of Tioga Pass can be a little terrifying for anyone afraid of heights (me), the fear was short-lived. Before we knew it, we were at the gates of Yosemite National Park! And as usual, we made entry free of charge thanks to our Access Pass.
Some of Yosemite’s activities and sports include hiking, camping, bicycling (mountain biking not included), water sports and mountain and rock climbing. You can see people climbing anything from twenty-foot boulders to the face of El Capitan which reaches over 3,000 feet in height. It’s amazing! We got to watch a couple brave souls climb Lembert Dome, which was our first stop after entering the park gates.
The two dots toward the upper third of the dome are climbers making their way to the top
Here’s a closer look at their journey.
Safety…. at least for the time being
Meanwhile… I remained right here
We stayed on Tioga Road during our trip through the park. And even the road is photo worthy!
Here are some areas we spotted from the road and pulled over to get a closer look at.
Not the best valley photo, because of the thick fog, but we included it because Half Dome is in the background
We’re not sure if this woman is brave or insane. It appears as though she’s simply sitting atop a boulder, but what you can’t see is the grave danger awaiting her on your right. A drop of dew, or slip of her foot, would send this young lady about a thousand feet down into the valley. My stomach literally turned when I saw her sitting there, but not enough to prevent me from snapping a photo
A beautiful lake
A waterfall
And a couple of trees that caught our eye. Perseverance!
El Capitan
This huge, daunting, slab of granite, which reaches over 3,000 feet in height, is world famous. People from all over come to admire it and a select few even come to climb it. Alex Honnold has climbed it without the assistance of ropes or safety gear (free solo). Imagine that! It’s both impressive and intimidating, which is exactly how we felt when Tioga Road led us right to it!
Yosemite is all about granite cliffs, waterfalls, mountains and glaciers. In other words, it’s all about height and mass. You’re either standing on a cliff looking down into a valley or standing street-side looking way up into the sky at something you can’t believe exists. I’m sure we were walking around with our mouths open.
The next photo has got to be my favorite. Although it’s not of El Capitan or Half Dome, it is just as magnificent, and more elegant, in my opinion. It reminds me of a castle. The odd-like dome sitting on top is a different shade than the rest of the rock. It’s more tan than gray and was rather dull…. at first. Just before I was about to take the picture, however, the clouds opened just enough to allow the sun to shine upon it. And just like that, it glowed! It, literally, looked as if someone turned the lights on from the inside. It was spectacular! It’s an experience I will never forget and the first thing that will come to mind whenever I think of Yosemite.
A couple more grand formations
Half Dome
Yet again, Tioga Road led us right to another towering wall of granite and world-renowned destination, Half Dome! Half Dome is easily the most recognizable landmark in Yosemite National Park, and probably the most well known rock formation in the United States. It reaches over 4,700 feet from the floor of Yosemite Valley, but an even more impressive 8,800 feet above sea level. The first known ascent was in 1875 by a man named George Anderson. It’s been climbed numerous times since then, and like El Capitan, it’s been free-solo climbed as well.
At the base of all these unworldly creations, beautiful streams can be found.
And while the Alex Honnold’s of our time are busy trying to impress everyone by climbing rocks, Hakam free-soloed this boulder…. and did it with camera in hand! Go get em’ Baby!
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