From Lonely Planet
Drive up into the lofty Sierra Nevada, which conservationist John Muir called ‘The Range of Light.’ Here you can witness earth-shaking waterfalls, hug towering trees, clamber up granite domes and camp out in high-country meadows where wildflowers bloom.
Yosemite National Park (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Yosemite National Park
Arriving in Yosemite National Park, pull over at Tunnel View for your first look at Yosemite Valley, which has inspired painters, poets, naturalists and adventurers for centuries. Spread below you are the pine forests and meadows of the valley floor, with the sheer face of El Capitan rising on the left, and in the distance straight ahead, iconic granite Half Dome.
From the bottom looking up, this dramatic valley cut by the meandering Merced River is song-inspiring, and not just for birds: rippling meadow grasses; tall pines; cool, impassive pools reflecting granite monoliths; and cascading, glacier-cold whitewater ribbons.
Start inside the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, with its thought-provoking history and nature displays and free Spirit of Yosemite film screenings. At the nearby Yosemite Museum, Western landscape paintings are hung beside Native American baskets and beaded clothing.
The valley’s famous waterfalls are thunderous cataracts in May, but mere trickles by late July. Triple-tiered Yosemite Falls is North America’s tallest, while Bridalveil Fall is hardly less impressive. A strenuous, often slippery staircase beside Vernal Fall leads you, gasping, right to the top, where rainbows pop in clouds of mist.
Leave Yosemite Valley behind and escape to the high country along Tioga Rd, which follows a 19th-century wagon road and Native American trading route. Make your way to Tuolumne Meadows, the Sierra Nevada’s largest subalpine meadow, with fields of wildflowers, bubbling streams, ragged granite peaks and cooler temperatures at an elevation of 8600ft.
Backtrack toward Yosemite Valley to head-spinning Glacier Point (7214ft), which practically puts you at eye level with Half Dome. To get away from the crowds, hike a little way down the Panorama Trail, just south of the main viewpoint.
Next, drive south of the valley toward Wawona and drop by the Pioneer Yosemite History Center, with its covered bridge, pioneer-era buildings and historic Wells Fargo office. In summer you can take a short, bumpy stagecoach ride and really feel like you’re living in the past.
Wander giddily around Mariposa Grove, home to the 1800-year-old Grizzly Giant and 500 other giant sequoias that tower above your head. Popular nature trails wind through the trees and are best enjoyed during the early morning or evening.
This next part of the itinerary takes you through Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, a 120-mile, three-hour trip from Yosemite.
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