Yosemite Valley
Upper Yosemite Fall (see Trail 30)
Rightly called The Incomparable Valley, Yosemite Valley is a magnet that attracts visitors from all over the world. As John Muir noted long ago, the Sierra Nevada has several “Yosemites,” including Hetch Hetchy to the north, though none of them matches Yosemite Valley in grandeur. Though some of these Yosemites rival or exceed Yosemite Valley in the depth of their canyons and the steepness of their walls, none has the prize-winning combination of its wide, spacious floor; its world-famous waterfalls; and its unforgettable monoliths—El Capitan and Half Dome.
This hiking section is composed of two groups. Trails 28, 29, and 31 are relatively flat, taking you to three tourist destinations: respectively, Bridalveil Fall, Lower Yosemite Fall, and Mirror Lake. The other trails involve climbing, of which Trail 32, to the Vernal Fall Bridge, is the shortest and most popular but, nevertheless, steep. The four others involve strenuous, protracted climbing, and only those in good shape will enjoy them. The first three, to the brink of Upper Yosemite Fall, the top of Nevada Fall, and the summit of Half Dome, can have hundreds of hikers on many summer days. Only along the last, to Merced Lake, do the numbers dwindle to dozens. The plentiful numbers of hikers on all of this chapter’s trails attest to the grand views encountered on each. While most hikers ascending the 100-plus switchbacks up the Yosemite Falls Trail go only as far as the upper fall’s brink, a few are rewarded with a push to the small summit of Eagle Peak, the highest of the Three Brothers. An even smaller number backpack up to just below Eagle Peak’s summit to view the sunset and sunrise over Yosemite Valley.
Cascades beneath Bunnell Point (see Trail 35)
