Yosemite 12/2/2022  [Back to Photo Page]

Yosemite National Park embraces a great tract of scenic wildlands set aside in 1890 to preserve a portion of the Sierra Nevada that stretches along California's eastern flank. Ranging from 2,000 feet to more than 13,000 feet, the park encompasses alpine wilderness, groves of giant sequoia trees, and Yosemite Valley, which may be the world's best known example of a glacier-carved canyon. The dramatic scale of its waterfalls, rounded domes, massive monoliths, and towering cliffs has inspired painters, poets, photographers, and millions of visitors.

Getting there ...

We decided to make a spontaneous day trip to Yosemite because there was a storm bringing fresh snow yesterday and it was forecast a beautiful day today, and the next storm system is coming tomorrow.  So we had a one-day window to visit Yosemite Valley covered in fresh snow without too much worry about the weather/road conditions (we did carry snow chains, but we did not need to use them).  We started shortly after 8AM, and arrived in Yosemite National Park before noon.

• Entering Yosemite Valley & Tunnel View
  We entered the park from HWY 140, and made a few stops along the way and went to the classic Tunnel View.  It was a nice clear day to visit this iconic vista point.
  

• El Capitan & Southside Drive, Yosemite Valley
  It was such a beautiful day and had almost no visitors.  There were almost no cars parked along the Southside Drive between the Swinging Bridge and the Chapel.  It's hard to imagine it's so difficult to find a parking spot here during spring/summer/fall months.

• We took a short walk around the Cook's Meadow and had a quick lunch at the Yosemite Lodge (again, no crowds at all).

After lunch, we walked across the meadow and the Swinging Bridge, and walked to the Chapel and the Sentinel Bridge.  It's always a good feeling to walk in the Yosemite Valley (we have walked this route countless times) especially when the valley floor was covered by a layer of white snow in a calm winter afternoon.

After we turned back from the Sentinel Bridge (Half Dome viewpoint), the cloud started to build up and the mist/fog began to float above the valley ground.  Although I knew my plan to photograph sunset at the Valley View would not work anymore, it was a nice alternative to see the Yosemite Valley in a different mysterious way. 

Going Home ...

After a quick restroom break at the Yosemite Lodge, we headed out of the park at about 5PM and got home before 9PM.  It might sound crazy that we made a 13-hour day trip to Yosemite, but I was glad we did it and enjoyed the moments we had in such a beautiful place. 

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