Yosemite a Mother Nature Masterpiece

Yosemite Valley, top and Yosemite Falls in the spring.

Story & Photos By Stan Wawer

Yosemite National Park is one of Mother Nature’s masterpieces, a canvas of chromatic beauty. Coming upon Yosemite Valley for the first time only one word comes to mind — “Wow!”

   More than 3.5 million visitors come to Yosemite each year to be awed by its natural wonders. With 750,000 acres, it is one of the largest habitat blocks in central Sierra Nevada, home to 2,000 varieties of plants, including rare giant sequoia groves, and animals, from black bears to bighorn sheep. There are literally thousands of lakes and ponds, 1,600 miles of streams, geysers and hot springs, 800 miles of hiking trails and 350 miles of roads.

Each season brings on a completely different experience. In the spring, the runoff leaves Yosemite's waterfalls rushing like the Mad Hatter on his way to a tea party.

   As the falls smash against the rocks below, they produce a spritz-like effect. Ice flows race toward self-destruction on the Merced River. Wildflowers, which stay through most of the summer, fill the meadows and the last of winter’s dandruff melts away on El Capitan and Half Dome — two of the most imposing monoliths in the world.

   Summer offers warm temperatures and prime wildlife viewing. Fall is cooler, perfect for hiking, a time when leafy trees show their colors. In winter, freezing conditions invite magnificent ice crystal formations and skiing and snowshoeing at Badger Pass. Ice-skating at Curry Village has been going on since 1928. Visitors skate in the shadow of Glacier Point and Half Dome at this outdoor Yosemite Valley rink.

The Yosemite Mountaineering School will celebrate its 44th anniversary this summer. Opening in 1969 in Yosemite Valley, it is the most famous school of rock climbing in the world. A women's-only rock climbing instruction class is offered.

   Getting there: Take the (Foothill (210) Freeway to the Golden State (5) Freeway, connecting to Highway 99 near Bakersfield and then Highway 41 east through Oakhurst and into the park.

If you are not a camper, there are plenty of places to stay in the area, including the famous Ahwanee Hotel in Yosemite Valley, the AAA-rated Four Diamond Tenaya Lodge just two miles from Yosemite's south entrance, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls and Curry Village — also in the valley — and the Wawona Hotel, four miles from the park's south entrance. Excellent and reasonably priced lodging also is available in Oakhurst, about 20 miles outside the south entrance.

   Contact: Reservations at DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite Inc., (801) 559-4949 or www.yosemiepark.com.

   All information is accurate at the time of publication but prices, dates and other details are all subject to change. Confirm all information before making any travel arrangements.