Things to see & do in Yosemite National Park

A formative inspiration on the renowned American landscape photographer Ansel Adams, who immortalised the park with ethereal images throughout his career, Yosemite is one of the most beloved national parks in the United States. After the Great Smoky Mountains and the Grand Canyon, it’s also the most visited, and almost everyone congregates in the central valley, which makes up just one percent of the park’s territory. Yosemite is the size of Rhode Island, and over 90 percent is designated wilderness – this is America at its most raw and primordial.

Set high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, Yosemite embodies the American pioneer spirit, a vast natural wonderland where sheer granite cliffs jut dramatically thousands of metres above thick, pristine forest. For hikers, this is pretty close to paradise, with some 1,300km of marked routes including icons such as the Mist and John Muir trails. The giant sequoias here are some of the largest, and most ancient, trees on planet Earth – even after falling down their remains can last for centuries.

Climbers are lured from all over the world by the opportunity to tackle El Capitan, whose 900m rock face provides the largest continuous wall in the United States, and Half Dome, which has routes up to 250m long. Yosemite’s wildlife includes black bears, deer, coyotes, bobcats and marmots, while birds of prey patrol the skies above the forest, lakes and rivers. Mirror Lake is another famed hiking route, clearly reflecting Mount Watkins and Half Dome when water levels are high enough. Given all this, can it be any surprise that Yosemite is a fixture on so many vacations in US national parks ?

Whatever your level of fitness, there’s a walking trail you’ll love in Yosemite. The Mist Trail is one of the most renowned, a day hike that connects with the John Muir Trail at the beautiful Nevada Falls, with occasional bear sightings, and the odd rainbow too created in the spray of a waterfall. As with any US national park, it’s essential to stick to the trail, not only to prevent erosion of the landscape but also for safety.

Without doubt the most spectacular viewpoint in Yosemite, and for visitors entering the south the first moment when they can appreciate the park’s immense scale, Tunnel View is the one place everyone wants to snap a photo. Sunrise and sunset are naturally the most popular times of day here, to capture an eastward panorama of the Yosemite Valley that includes El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall.