travel

Yosemite National Park is located in the central Sierra Nevada of California, about 4hrs drive east from San Franscisco (150 miles/240 kms).  The original inhabitants were the Ahwahneechee native americans who lived in the Yosemite valley region for as long as 8000 years.  The national park is part of a 400,000 hectare glacial valley carved by the Merced River on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

The park has four entrances; from the east is the Tioga Pass, from the west are Arch Rock and Big Oak Flat, and from the south provides the fastest route to the core of the park including Mariposa Grove with its huge redwoods.

There are more than 500 mature redwoods, the tallest trees on Earth. Not far, in the Sequoia National Park, is the largest known as ‘General Sherman’, whose trunk is 31 feet in diameter at its base and more than 80 metres high. There is also the famous ‘Wawona Tunnel Tree’ or ‘Fallen Tunnel Tree’, renamed after falling in the 1969 blizzard.

The Wawona road (or path 41) passes through the ancient Indian village of Wawona, now a place for lodging and dining. Another hour along, the road enters the Yosemite Valley, crossed by Merced River, several lakes and waterfalls such as Nevada and Vernal. The area is known for some of the highest waterfalls in the world: Sentinel, Upper Yosemite Falls and Ribbon, and mountains like El Capitan and Half Dome.

The area of Yosemite has about 1,200 kms of roads and trails. One of the most popular waterfalls is Bridaveil accessible from the south of the valley along a paved road that takes about 20 minutes. The most famous waterfall leads to Yosemite, the tallest in North America (739 metres) and seventh in the world. Nearby, in front of the Bridaveil waterfall, a cascade of clean lines and white on dark rock, is Captain. This block of granite, 910 metres high, is one of the main challenges for rock climbers in the world.  From a distance, climbers’ tents can be seen as tiny dots of colour on the southern faces.

The valley has several popular viewpoints.  One of the favourites is Glacier Point (2,200 metres), which can be reached from the demanding Four Mile Trail, which begins near the base of Sentinel Rock.  This trail is very steep rising 1km over a 7.5 km journey.  The walk is worth it with unbeatable views of the Yosemite, Nevada and Vernal waterfalls. Another popular viewpoint is Half Dome (2,694 metres), which is a half dome carved by the elements over millions of years.  From here there is a symbolic John Muir walk, which is a tribute to the naturalist and pioneer of modern environmentalism who was fundamental to the process of Yosemite becoming a national park.

Accessible by car is the viewpoint Tunnel View, which offers a panoramic valley from the south. Also the Tioga Pass route in the north-east with scenic views of highland areas of ​​the park, featuring lakes (Lake Tenaya, Cathedral Lake and Lake Gaylor Dog), rivers, meadows and even some snow.