A Drive and A Hike to the Top at Yosemite

“In every walk with Nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” — John Muir

After our bike ride at Yosemite, it was getting toward late afternoon but we weren’t quite ready to call it quits in the park yet. We decided to finish the day by driving the just-recently-opened road to Glacier Point. This added 15 slow miles of twisting and winding road to the already long drive, but Cal said he was up for it. We began to see snow in the forest after we had gone several miles up the mountain.

Once parked, it is an easy walk on sidewalks to the different viewpoints.

Glacier Point’s elevation is 7,214 feet above sea level, so the view from the top is very spectacular.

Straight ahead in the picture above is Tenaya Canyon, and Basket Dome is on the upper left. Half Dome, on the right, figures prominently in almost every view from this point, and Clouds Rest is to the left of Half Dome. I learned a new word: Clouds Rest is an arete. That is a thin ridge of rock that is left when melting glaciers eroded away solid rock. The melting glacier formed Tenaya Canyon. Looking down from the Clouds Rest you can see its path.

Putting Half Dome to the left of the picture, you can see Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls, with a view of the falls again below. Nevada Falls is the upper falls.

Another view of this beautiful place:

Our park visit had lasted ten hours, and this was the perfect way to end the day.

We wanted to see Yosemite again, but we needed to put a rest day in between. It was a very long drive to the park. Our next visit was on the Thursday before Memorial Day. Now or never!

This time, we were here just a little earlier than the previous visit. This was serious Hike Day for us, and I didn’t want to do it in a crowd of people. We chose to hike Vernal Falls. According to the Park newspaper, it’s 2.4 miles one way. No sweat, right? It wouldn’t be, except for those 600 granite steps up to the top.

The most sedate part of this hike was the one mile walk (not included in the 2.4 mile calculation) to the trailhead from where we parked. Immediately at the Mist Trail trailhead, we started going uphill. A stop at the footbridge to admire the rushing river after a mile and a half gave us a chance to catch our breath.

The steps started after the footbridge, and the falls soon came into view.

The falls created its own wind, drenching us as we worked our way up the uneven steps of varying heights.

And then, the final ascent, along a cliffside to the top:

Finally, Vernal Falls – we made it! We sat in the sun in an effort to dry out and to eat our snacks. We chatted with a couple who had come up with their eight-year-old daughter. She was deservedly very proud of herself.

Looking down on the trail from whence we’d come:

From here, many people continue on to Nevada Falls, or even Half Dome. This was enough for us; it had seriously tested our limits. It had given us a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. But we had led a steadily increasing stream of folks coming up, and with the narrow trail and steep steps, we did not want to go back down the same way. We opted instead for the Lewis and Clark Trail. Although there were a few hills to climb, there weren’t near as many steps, and eventually we were mostly going downhill.

We could look down on the top of the falls where we had just been—

and enjoy our last glimpse of the beautiful mountain wilderness.

With the hike from the parking lot and back included, our total day’s trek was 20,636 steps – 8.46 miles. It had taken us five hours. Pizza on the deck at Curry Village in Yosemite Village was much enjoyed.

Yes, there are crowds at Yosemite, especially near a three day weekend. The park is so large, though, that with a bit of planning anyone can carve out a peaceful slice of this paradise for themselves. It truly is one of our park system’s greatest gems.

Next time – three stops on the road