"Yosemite National Park" a Yosemite National Park Travel Page by acemj

I lived in California back in the late '80s and early '90s and never made it to Yosemite, so when my friend Gina and I were trying to decide what to do with a couple extra days on a visit to San Francisco, my vote was solidly for this magnificent park. Our two days here were certainly not enough to get a sense of the whole place, but we were able to see some of the park's highlights . . . and what a highlight reel it is!

Most visitors come and see the Valley Floor, a cavernous shoot of green meadows and splashing water framed by giant walls of granite. At first sight, you'll be knocked back on your heels and speechless. Pictures, in fact, do not come close to conveying the scale of this place. It is simply staggering. The monolithic grandeur of El Capitan and Half Dome must be given the respect of your presence before they reveal themselves to you completely. You must stand beneath them, eyeing a lone tree or a man hiking along a path nearby as a reference point, to truly appreciate their towering, timeless qualities.

I am told that during the peak summer months that the automobiles swarming the Valley Floor can make it resemble Fifth Avenue in New York more than an oasis of natural perfection, but don't let that dissuade you from venturing here. We visited in early June during the week and the crowds were really quite small, the weather brilliant and the sights inspiring. Even during July and August, you can escape the crowds by moving outside of the Valley and into the more remote points in the park.

There are over 760,000 acres to explore here, the vast majority of which remind us of our relative size in this world. We are but a microscopic dot on the map, but spending time in places of such enduring beauty can be nourishing and we often discover strength inside our tiny selves to return to our daily lives as conquerors, or at the very least, as larger men.