Taking as many photos as I do, I sometimes get a bit overwhelmed when I think about processing them afterward. But the upside of always being at least three to six months behind on sorting through my travel photos is that I’m always surprised–again–by the beauty of the places I’ve visited.
Case in point: Yosemite.
My friend, Karen, and I spent a long weekend last fall driving the “Majestic Mountain loop,” a three-day road trip itinerary that lets you check out three of California’s greatest treasures: Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks. We spent the final night at Tenaya Lodge, just below the south gate of Yosemite and headed into the park first thing in the morning.
I’ve been to Yosemite several times before, but what really grabbed me on this visit to the park were the views of Yosemite Valley in the fall. The fall colors were a bit past their peak (in mid-November), but there was still lots of yellow and orange on the last remaining leaves.
The bright colors made a really nice frame against the granite wall of El Capitan.
The other benefit of traveling in the fall is that the cool weather and moisture in the sky result in some pretty stunning cloud formations.
I’ve been to Glacier Point lookout many times before, but never under such a dramatic sky.
Unreal…
The clouds started to burn off by the time we got to the Tunnel View lookout, but a few stuck around as if someone had striped the sky with a giant paintbrush to improve this shot.
Yosemite National Park gets more than four million visitors a year and most of them (if you visit in the summer high season!) seem to be jamming up the roads and trails all at once. For that reason, the very best part about visiting Yosemite in the fall is getting to have these monumental landscapes all to yourself.
It was such a peaceful time to explore the park…
… and check out the smaller details within the landscapes.
After spending the day checking out the sights of Yosemite Valley, we decided to hop over the hill to check out the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Neither Karen nor I had ever explored this remote part of Yosemite National Park, but even though we don’t think of it often, it’s a place we depend on every day–the Hetch Hetchy water reservoir supplies drinking water to 2.6 million San Francisco Bay Area residents.
The domes and granite walls surrounding the Hetch Hetchy reservoir bear a striking resemblance to those over the hills in the Yosemite Valley. In 1870, legendary California conservationist John Muir called the Hetch Hetchy Valley, “a wonderfully exact counterpart to the great Yosemite Valley.” When public officials started to talk about damming the Tuolumne River and turning the valley into a reservoir to serve fast-growing San Francisco Bay Area, Muir’s words helped to rally public support against the controversial dam project.
The Great 1906 San Francisco earthquake changed all that. The massive earthquake disrupted water supply to the city and shifted public opinion away from conservation and in favor of the massive infrastructure project. The O’Shaunnessey Dam was completed in 1926 and still serves San Francisco today.
The view of the Hetch Hetchy Valley and the Tuolumne River from the dam.
what great photos! Absolutely stunning. I haven’t visited in the fall after Labor Day (probably should) 😉
You definitely should! This year!
GORGEOUS. I am putting Yosemite on my list for next fall because of the colors in your photos. What month were you there? I always think of November as being the best time for fall colors in CA, but maybe that would be a bit late for Yosemite…?
Thanks Jenna! It was the second weekend of November, which is too late for the higher elevations, that’s why most of the remaining fall colors were down in the Yosemite Valley. I think late October is a good time to see color throughout the region. These photos (https://everintransit.com/fall-colors-in-the-eastern-sierra-yosemite/) were take at higher elevations and in the Eastern Sierra, I believe that was the third week of October.
gorgeous hope to visit one day
Yes, and come visit us! 🙂
I completely agree about the photos. It takes me forever to go through them, but it’s always a pleasant experience when I get to it! Such stunning photos! We made it to Sequoia and Kings Canyon last year, but haven’t made it to Yosemite yet. We’re planning on it this year!
Great, fall is awesome, but so is spring so you can see the waterfalls! That is great that you went to Sequoia and Kings Canyon first! This was my very first time visiting those two parks.
Spectacular views/photos! I enjoyed them very much!
Thanks for your comment, Nipponnin! I appreciate it. Have you been to Yosemite?
Yowza! Your photos of Yosemite are absolutely stunning; well done!
We are currently mulling over how to drive down to Mexico from Minnesota and one option we have been mulling over is heading west and driving down through Oregon & California before heading over to Arizona and continuing south… if we did that, I’d certainly want to visit Yosemite, but do you think it would be worth visiting this time of year? I know we wouldn’t get the stunning fall colors, but I’d imagine it would still be impressive (if very different) in winter… provided the bulk of the park is still open! When would you advise a Yosemite virgin visiting for the first time?
Hi Steph, thanks! That means a lot coming from a great photographer like you 🙂
When exactly are you thinking of leaving? I love that route idea, but driving through the mountains in the winter is unpredictable. Some of the roads in and around Yosemite are closed for much of the season (though because of the drought, we’ve had less snow than normal, so this may be a good year to do it!) I would guess driving through the Rockies is another story. Is your car 4WD? If not, you will definitely need tire chains.
I would love to see you come out to California (and I would love to come meet up!) but I want you to be safe, too 🙂 Let me know what you decide!
I think we are committed to being in MN until at least mid-Feb due to work stuff (no point traveling if we don’t have the time to enjoy our surroundings!), so we would probably not make it to that area until the end of Feb/beginning of March at the very earliest. We have all-weather tires on our car, but no 4WD. One of my reservations about heading west is that so many of the national parks might be off limits/severely restricted at this time of year (would love to visit Yellowstone in Wyoming, but I think Old Faithful is just about the only part of the park open until late April…).
Your pictures are absolutely stunning! I simply love Yosemite, and I cannot believe that I do not get there more often! I have spent many years there with my sixth grade students for a week long field trip. The Spider Cave is one of the secrets I know about! A very cool cave near the bottom of Yosemite Falls that is fun to climb through.
Thanks for this comment, Stacey! I really appreciate it. You’ve spent way more time in the park than I have, my trips are always pretty short and photography-driven so I haven’t done much hiking there. I will keep that cave in mind next time I visit, thanks for the great tip!
these are spectacular. and i do see a great use of a wide angle lens again, you really do great job here. as you mentioned its a super tool and i find many photographers not taking great advatage using it due to missunderstanding. i hope it ok i am adding here an article about the correct use of it, it might help many new photographers tking better pictures
http://blogwildotan.com/wide-angle-lens/