Yosemite National Park, CA

“There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias and redwoods…and our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children’s children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred.”

– President Theodore Roosevelt, 1905

First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more! While you’re touring the park you can view at least 16 different types of granite, from small pebbles to massive boulders, that were mainly carried there by ancient glaciers. The park has an elevation range from 2,127 to 13,114 feet (648 to 3,997 m) and contains five major vegetation zones.

Unfortunately for us, as you can see in the pictures above, we were in Yosemite while the Ferguson Fire was raging so most of our photos of the main areas, like Yosemite Falls, all have a smoky haze to them. Maybe I’ll try to Photoshop them later but for now here they are in all their smoky glory.

Yosemite is another National Park that is a loop drive through multiple pull offs for wildlife viewing, hiking, mountain climbing, swimming (if you can brave the cold water), picnicking & biking. While we were leaving on our 2nd day we lucked up and saw a baby grizzly bear playing in the woods, and yes, it caused a “bear jam” as the Rangers call it, and sadly no, I didn’t get a good picture because I had my smaller lens on the camera and didn’t grab the bigger one. Go me….

There are so many trails and each has its own unique features and paths as you can see from just the 4 different pictures above. What’s even better are all the trails that lead to water!

The park offers all kind of activities you can schedule at the park office including: nature walks, photography and art classes, stargazing programs, tours, bike rentals & more! If you have a couple of days to spend at the park, I’d check into some of them. Also, there are certain parks of the park that are only open after late May- early June due to snow so make sure to contact the park ahead of time to see what’s opened and closed. We got lucky since I didn’t know to check ahead and arrived about a week after the famous Tiago road opened!

You can find beautiful sequoias and redwoods littered through the park, though they aren’t nearly as big as the ones in the Redwood Forest

Make plans to go see Yosemite & then head on over to Redwood National Park & Jedidiah State Park for even more gorgeous sites & hikes!

“I have seen persons of emotional temperament stand with tearful eyes, spellbound and dumb with awe, as they got their first view of the Valley from Inspiration Point, overwhelmed in the sudden presence of the unspeakable, stupendous grandeur.”

– Galen Clark, guardian of the Yosemite Grant