2016 marks the 100th year of the National Park Service, the Federal organization tasked with managing and maintaining over 400 areas in the United States and its territories. The NPS Centennial is shining a deserved spotlight on the natural beauty and history that exists within our borders, as some of the country’s most popular parks have experienced record visitors this year. I too explored a world-famous park, Yosemite, for the first time this year. And the only way to translate the experience is to show it. Here, the views of Yosemite that meant the most to me.
Through birds’ eyes. From valleys to mountains, the Yosemite landscape views are literally breathtaking. Warm on the Valley floor and snow-capped in the mountains north of Tuolomne and Hetch Hetchy, lots of ecosystems co-exist across the park’s 1,100 mile footprint.
Water, water, water. With lakes, ponds and waterfalls galore, Yosemite has H20 for days, well centuries, actually. From afar falls like the largest Yosemite Falls seem majestic and gorgeous, but up close, even smaller falls betray their incredible natural strength. It’s downright spellbinding to watch nature generate and regenerate this most precious resource.
History all around. Yosemite’s history is far from geological only. It’s been the site of war, education, expansion and plenty of controversy. One of the most surprising things about my trip to the national treasure was learning of the many ways the park has been the center of national and regional political focus.
The icons. Yosemite is full of famous natural wonders of which there are a million other, better pictures than mine. What’s incredible about these wonders is what they mean in the scope of human history and how they have persisted despite all the change that’s taken place over centuries and even millennia. Take the comparatively young Giant Sequoia trees that are found in four different groves in the park. These trees are about 1,000 years old and 300 feet tall. To touch them and see them in 2016 is like going back in time. Or the senior statesman, El Capitán, and his surrounding granite glaciers, ringing in at 100 million years old. Facebook didn’t even exist back then.
Being off the beaten path. While I took guided tours for the more adventurous parts of my trip, I also spent hours wondering on my own. Don’t be afraid to pick a spot on the map, park the car or lose the tourist shuttle and just walk the trails. So many trails are marked by the experts, it’ll be hard to get lost, except in your thoughts. And I guarantee there’s nothing like crunching through leaves and hiking over rocks on your own steam. Whether you go 1 mile or 20, it’s a sense of accomplishment you won’t soon forget.
Nighttime. Sundown in nature is without comparison. The colors of the sky, setting sun and surrounding environment all crash together in the most beautiful of ways. Trees take on a ghostly appearance, the wind becomes more heard and less seen and animals make moves unique to their nocturnal selves. Whether you experience this backpacking or just get out of your hotel room to breathe in in one evening, you’ve got to witness evening at Yosemite.
