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Covering over 1,200 square miles & featuring deep granite valleys, grand meadows, impossibly high peaks, and massive looming trees, it’s no wonder why Yosemite is so popular. Here’s a taste of what is quintessential Yosemite with five of the iconic destinations within its boundaries.
Loading LoadingRight after the large granite walls of Yosemite Valley, the next main attraction that tops everyone’s mind is the Sequoias. There are three groves of Giant Sequoias within the park and the largest and most well-known (and honestly the easiest to get to) is the Mariposa Grove. Home to 500 mature examples of Sequoiadendron giganteum including the massive 209-foot-tall Grizzly Giant (it's not just tall - it's massive with a volume of 34,005 cubic feet, and an estimated weight of around 2 million pounds!), you can get up close and personal to the cathedral-like forest. Enjoy one of its many trails, including the most challenging & rewarding, the Mariposa Grove Trail.
Like anything popular, there’s usually a reason for it. Falls? Check. Two of them actually: 317-foot Vernal Fall and 594-foot Nevada Fall. Moderate Distance? Check. This trail features around 1.2 miles and approximately 1,000 feet of gain to Vernal Fall & another 1.5 miles and 1,000 vertical feet to Nevada Fall. It's the perfect option to experience the wonder of Yosemite up close and personal.
Dropping a total of 2,425 feet from its peak to the base of the lower fall, Yosemite Falls are truly spectacular especially in the late spring (May) when snowmelt is at its peak. Normally flowing from November through July, it’s the king of the waterfalls within the park. Its massive volume of water can be heard roaring all across the valley as it comes crashing down to the valley floor. Most visible from Yosemite Village, you can take a mile loop stroll to the base of them. Of course, a strenuous hike is available for those who want to reach the summit.
For those that wonder how this glorious valley was formed… well, it’s because of nature’s handiwork: a great combination of geological uplift, erosion, and finally and most dramatically, glacial carving. Massive moving sheets of ice carved much of Yosemite's landscape through not just one, but three glacial periods, spanning nearly 3 million years. Glacier Point sits 3,200 feet above Curry Village. From this vantage point, you can see the finished product of the glaciers carving and reshaping the granitic rock.
Half Dome is THE iconic landmark of Yosemite that all first-timers need to see. There are many ways to experience it, with views from various points towards the eastern end of Yosemite Valley, such as Sentinel Bridge, Ahwahnee Meadow, and Stoneman Meadow. Want to get closer? A two-mile hike to Mirror Lake yields some unique views of Tis-sa-ack (the Ahwahnechee name for Half Dome). For those in serious athletic shape and with an adventurous spirit, hike the 14-mile trail to the top of the nearly 5,000-foot granite formation, which includes traversing the last steep 400 feet up the backside of the dome with the aid of metal cables first installed in 1919.
The cables are installed in the spring and removed each fall. Permits are required to ascend both the subdome steps and the Half Dome cables.
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