Yosemite National Park

The Yosemite Valley as seen from Tunnel View
Photo by John Fischer

10/04/99

The map tells you that the trip from the South Entrance of Yosemite to the Yosemite Valley is about 35 miles. What the map does not tell you is that the drive will take you about an hour and will be a severe test of not only your driving ability but your nerves. The road is one lane in each direction with turnoffs where slower vehicles are asked to pull over to allow faster vehicles to pass. The speed limit in the park is 35 mph and in many places you are lucky if you can drive at that speed.

When you reach the end of the tunnel after close to an hour of driving, you come to Tunnel View which allows you the first opportunity to view the Yosemite Valley from above. In the morning this view can be hazy but by afternoon as you leave the valley, the view is amazing.

From Tunnel View you travel into the Yosemite Valley, past Bridalveil Falls, the only falls within the valley that still flows in the fall. The famous Yosemite Falls is dry at this time of year when there is no snow melt to feed its flow.

Continuing along the Southside Drive of the valley, you pass Swinging Bridge which is well worth a stop for the wonderful views eastward of the Merced River. A bit further down the road and you get an amazing view of El Capitan which towers above you at 7569 feet. (Check out the thumbnail photos below for views of these sites.)

A visit to the valley floor is not complete without a stop at the Visitors Center and the nearby Yosemite Museum and Indian Village where you can learn about the native Americans who first inhabited this valley.

The views throughout the valley floor are wonderful, but it is clear to the day tourist that the valley is really for those who camp and those who hike. To truly appreciate the Yosemite Valley from below you need to be willing and able to spend time and hike along the trails that take you deep into the valley.

There is, however, a side trip that provides you with an amazing ability to view not only the valley from above but also the vast scope of Yosemite National Park beyond the valley. The drive to Glacier Point (32 miles round-trip) is well worth the effort. The views from not only Glacier Point but several other view-points along the way, are some of the most amazing views of the west that I have ever seen.

Without question the best time of day to make this side-trip is mid-day when the sun is overhead and any haze has disappeared.

We returned to Tenaya Lodge by about 4:00 p.m. after a full day in Yosemite. It allowed me enough time to take a swim and rest by the outdoor pool before dinner. Tomorrow, we go back to the park and drive north to the valley and then further north and east to the Tioga Pass Entrance of Yosemite.

In order to head south to Death Valley and Las Vegas, you need to get across the high Sierra and the only was to do this is to travel through the entire park - a trip which we are told will take about 4 hours.

We hope that you enjoy our photos of Yosemite. Once again, just click on any thumbnail to see a larger image.

    
       El Capitan - 7589 ft.                View from Swinging Bridge
                                                                      Merced River

    
        Yosemite Museum                    Yosemite Museum
   Basketry Demonstration                           Baskets

    
      Deer along the road                            North Dome

    
             El Capitan                                     Bridalveil Falls

         
           Mono Meadow                                   Nevada Falls
                                                                 From Glacier Point         

    
      Ahwahnee Lodge                              Yosemite Valley
     From Glacier Point                          From Glacier Point

    
       Half Dome - 8842 ft                     Liberty Cap - 7076 ft.
       From Glacier Point                      From Glacier Point

If you missed one of our prior columns on our extended trip through the American west, check out our Western Diary Index.