The Yosemite National Park located in California is a renowned World Heritage Site, famous for its awesome granite cliffs, giant Sequoia trees, brilliant waterfalls and biological diversity. Over 3.8 million people visit the Yosemite every year, but most of them limit their visits to the famous and overcrowded Yosemite Valley. For the select few who are keen on exploring this heart of the wilderness, there are great views and awe-inspiring experiences just around the corner.
There are two important bits of information for anyone visiting the Yosemite. First, the area is fairly huge. Yosemite National Park is over 3,000 kilometers wide. So, if you are planning a one-day trip, choose the kind of trip you want, whether it is sight seeing, hiking, biking or bird watching. Secondly, there is no one ‘best’ season to visit the Park. It all comes down to what you’re looking for. The weather varies dramatically and this changes the landscape radically from season to season. Still, spring is considered to be the most beautiful time of the year to see the thriving vegetation in its full grandeur. In winter, there are accessibility issues to contend with. The Yosemite Valley is open throughout the year, but a good part of the rest of the park remains closed during the winter months due to heavy snowfall.
One of the best ways to experience the beauty of this stunning park is to take a hike. The Bridalveil Fall, the Cook’s Meadow, and the Mirror Lake offer easy yet unforgettable day-hiking experiences. If you’re up to a little challenge, you can try the Valley Floor, the Four Mile Trail or some of the more difficult falls like the Upper Yosemite Fall, the Vernal Fall or the Nevada Fall.
If rock-face climbing is in your blood, make sure you don’t miss ‘El Cap’, the world’s largest granite monolith. Whether you want to enjoy a one-day speedy ascent or go for a 12-day solo expedition, ‘The Big Stone’ is where all the fun is. Mind you, the climbing is arduous even during the best of weathers and is not recommended for beginners. But, take heart. There are plenty of climbing routes and the rescue service is pretty good.
The Yosemite National Park has plenty in store for avid bikers. Approximately 12 miles of paved bike routes and regular roads are available for the taking. Guided horseback riding trips are available all through spring to fall.
The Yosemite National Park is also famous for its water recreation. People enjoy swimming, rafting and kayaking. Swimming or rafting along the Merced River is a wonderful experience. The calm waters of the Tenaya Lake is great for kayaking.
In addition to these activities, Yosemite is also famous for its winters, when thick snow piles on every visible surface, transforming the vibrant land into one big icy landscape. So, whatever time of the year, Yosemite pleasures, and how!
Watch the video related to Yosemite National Park
OpenRoad.TV video showing highlights of Yosemite in every season. For the full travelogue on the introduction to Yosemite National Park, including related videos, interactive map, and useful links, visit WWW.OPENROAD.TV
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what can I do in yosemite national park for 6 hours?I will be going to Yosemite national park in july 22nd.
I will get there at 9:00 A.M. & I have to leave at 3:00 P.M.
What can I do for 6 hours?
I want to see the yosemite valley, the falls and stuff
and I also want to see the mariposa grove, the grizzly giant.
but I don't know how I can see all of them in 6 hours.
because I'm going to drive my own car there.
Where would I park?
Would I have to walk all the way?
Please help me.
so what im trying to figure out is,
if i want to see a viewpoint or any falls,
is there anywhere to park near it?
because if not, we'd have to park somewhere far away and walk all the way.
i love Yosemite i going there this summer! i’ll be there in 5 days!:)
i was there befor its soooooo relaxing but i hated the walking.
I was there 3 days ago! It took 8 hours to get there. We stayed at the Yosemite View LOdge
LOL! Yeah, I saw bigfoot!
People should be careful here, i was attacked by an abominal snowman, near this very place!
I met Dutch tourists by the falls…Yosemite is such a beautiful place…i’m coming here again! This time,i’n bringing hiking boots!
We are the Yosemiters Of Cali we go there every year (camping) with about 20 – 30 people we started this back in 2005 and we love everytime we go there you got to see it to believe it
I was just wondering and I hope you can assist me in this answer,
In making your film “Did the Park service require you to have a permit to make this film in the Park?” Just asking.
I think this is the most spectacular place in the world… I extremely love Yosemite!
The majority of the bedrock is igneous intrusions of diorite, granodiorite and gabbro (though colloquially usually called granite) that are 90-120 million years old (Cretaceous).
Read this article for more:
http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/yos/I_1639.html
I have been to Yosemite every season. My two favorites is the winter and spring. The winter is great because of less crowds, beautiful snow, ice skating and snow skiing. May is great too. Go before Memorial day though, cause it really gets crowded after that. The water falls are running like crazy at that time. Hike Vernal falls, but bring like a rain coat, for you will get soaked hiking up to the falls. If you want to hike half dome, remember that the cables don't go up till about memorial day or so. Check their web site for that. I LOVE that park and go every year at least once. I never get tired of it.
At present, plate boundaries have no influence on Yosemite National Park. In the Jurassic Period the Nevadian Orogeny (150 million years ago) lead to the pluton now seen as the Sierra Nevada.
Go to this web page and download the map of Yosemite NP and the detailed map of Yosemite Valley. http://home.nps.gov/applications/hafe/hfc/carto-detail.cfm?Alpha=YOSE
Drive into Yosemite Valley and park at the day-use parking area near the village (see the detailed map of the valley). The free shuttle stops in front of the canopy next to the restrooms that you’ll pass as you enter the parking area. Jump on the shuttle to get to any place in the valley. A map of the shuttle stops is included in the handout you’ll get at the entrance station when you pay the $20 entrance fee. You’ll have about 3 hours to tour the valley floor before heading off to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Yosemite Falls is a popular spot but the falls may be nearly dry by now. I was there during the first week of June and the water flow was much less than normal due to insufficient snow fall last winter. Stop at the Visitor Center and be sure to watch the short movie there. Other places you may want to see during your 3 hour stay are the various meadows, Happy Isles, Mirror Lake and El Capitan.
The drive to Mariposa Grove is 35 miles and takes about 45 minutes. On your way out of the valley, stop at Bridalveil Fall and Tunnel View before continuing on to Mariposa Grove. Assuming that you entered through the north or west entrance and will be leaving the same way, the roundtrip from the valley floor to Mariposa Grove will take about 1.5 hours, leaving you 1.5 hours to spend there. Take the tram ride (small fee) to see most of the grove. Do a little walking and be sure you see the Grizzly Giant which is probably the most impressive tree in the grove.
As an alternative to Mariposa Grove, you can go to Glacier Point instead. The drive from the valley floor to Glacier Point is approximately 32 miles and takes 45 minutes. The views of Yosemite Valley and Half Dome are awesome. You’ll want to spend at least a half hour there so the roundtrip could take you as little as 2 hours. You can also take short hikes to Taft Point and/or Sentinel Dome from the Glacier Point Road. The trails to both places share the same trailhead and there is a pull out for parking. Both offer fantastic views. The trailhead is at 7,700 feet and unless you’re used to the thinner air at that elevation, these are not trails you want to rush. The trail to Taft Point descends to 7,500 feet and the trail to Sentinel Dome ascends to 8,120 feet.
As you leave Yosemite after your 6 hour excursion, you’ll find yourself wondering when you’ll be able to return. It’s that beautiful. You should see it in winter when everything is covered in pristine snow. You can ski at badger pass and ice skate in Yosemite’s outdoor skating rink. Have a great trip!
Yosemite tours are very expensive. But then, practically anything booked from San Francisco is expensive. Though it's not like you have much of a choice in the matter, as most tourists arrive from (and return to) the city.
I don't think the 1-day bus tour ($115) is worth it because you only get about 2 hours of free time inside the park. The 1-day train tour ($140) is slightly better…giving you a more comfortable ride and roughly 3 hours.
However, private vans and overnight trips ($200+) are the way to go. Yosemite is so large and the sporting activities are so numerous that it really does take more than a day to do it justice.
http://www.yosemite-tours.com/index.htm
For an easier and less costly daytrip, I suggest Muir Woods, Wine Country, or Santa Cruz instead.
http://www.blueandgoldfleet.com/
tuolumne meadows is a good place to base camp, its about 2/3rds thru the park and provides excellent access to the sierra towns of bridgeport and mammoth as we as the june lake loop. you can go just about anywhere in the park from here. one draw back is that it gets busy during the summer and especially on weekends. then again the whole park is busy on weekends. might i suggest going thru the park and going up to bridgeport. the reservoir is big enough to have a spot to yourself and if it gets windy (and it will) you can go to twin lakes or robinson creek, it has public campgrounds along twin lakes road and mono village is at the end. go to the www's below and see for yourself.
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To enter the park for up to a week it is $25. Wawona, Hodgdon Meadows, Crane Flat, Tuolumne Meadows and the the Pines Campgrounds in Yosemite Valley are $18 a night last I looked. Bridalveil Creek, White Wolf are $12 while Tamarack Flat, Yosemite Creek, Porcupine Flat are $8. All of the valley floor sites are by reservations only and normally are booked pretty quickly. I think they start taking them 5 months in advance. Most of the others are first come, first serve. One of my favorites is White Wolf, but most of the others are great too.
I assumed you are talking about car camping rather than backpacking. If you are backpacking and want to be near water, cathedral lakes is a beautiful area (just make sure you are at least 200ft away from any water before setting up camp). Back country permits are required (they can be reserved in advanced or gotten up there, but there is a limit on the number they give out a day) and they are free of cost. Bear cans are required and can be rented for $5 a trip per can. Most of the water in the falls and rivers are dry by now. Yosemite falls normally dries up each year, but this year was drier than normal and the water levels everywhere have been greatly effected by it.
I've been to Yosemite several times, in all seasons. For a first trip I would suggest you go in late spring; the end of May to the beginning of June. The waterfalls will be at their peak flow due to the snow melt and there will be fewer crowds. Of course weather conditions vary each year, and you will want to make sure that all the roads are open (they don't plow some roads in the winter; the snow fall is too great) so check the site below before you go. The fall is also a great time because of the changing leaves and again fewer people. Most people visit the park in the summer and the traffic can really be quite miserable, but they do have a great shuttle system that will take you around to many of the sites most people want to see. And of course, the most spectacular sites are best seen while hiking. By the end of June it is almost impossible to find lodging within the park itself, unless you plan to camp in the outback. Check out the website below, and have a great time.
http://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm
The density of granite is about 2750 kg / m^3.
Mass = density * volume.