Granite walls, giant sequoias and falling water
Yosemite Valley is one of the great natural sights of the world: sheer granite cliffs rising above meadows and the Merced River, with El Capitan on one side and Half Dome at the far end. Yosemite Falls is at its most powerful in spring as the snow melts. Tunnel View gives the classic panorama, Glacier Point looks straight down into the valley, and Mariposa Grove holds hundreds of giant sequoias. Hikers tackle the Mist Trail past Vernal Fall, while the high country around Tuolumne Meadows opens in summer when the Tioga Road clears.