Yosemite National Park. Bridesvale Falls and Merced River. Yosemite National Park in the USA Glacier Point Observation Deck

Thanks to, or perhaps despite, the ups and downs of the navigator in , after catching up a bit on the highway, and then spending all the time in the world for dinner at the only diner that hasn't abandoned its 50s style - In-N-Out Burger - we entered Yosemite already at night.

The speed limit is now 30 miles per hour (50 km/h) and at every place where a bear was hit this year, there is a reminder about its observance, otherwise no one really drives. In addition, this is quite a comfortable speed for the local serpentine road where there are almost no straight sections, but the turns are not too sharp. Fortunately, the GPS was counting on this speed here.

Nice park, dark. During the two hours of driving along it at night, I discovered absolutely nothing new. Only, judging by the increased gasoline consumption, the road had been steadily gaining altitude for more than an hour.

And then suddenly the forest ended...

Look at the altimeter on your iPhone - our flight is at an altitude of 3000 meters, now you can unfasten your seat belts!

In general, all Mac users do not need to introduce Yosemite Park. I would say that this is a post of desktop wallpaper for you, but why should it if the standard pictures on Mac OS X already have a selection of selected photographs of this park.

For everyone else... Yosemite is, first of all, one of the first National Parks in US history.

This is the first park to receive federal protection under Lincoln's orders, but it became a National Park only after the designation of Yellowstone, which is located on the border of two states, and seven nannies are known to have a child without an eye.

Before traveling here, I looked at 5(sic!) historical discs about the first National Parks from the local library, but I can’t remember anything other than random facts.

The name Yosemite comes from what one local tribe (the Miwok) called another (the Paiute) - “ yohhe’meti” which meant “yes, they are murderers.”

There was also a naturalist here, John Muir, who loved the park very much, left his city life and became an evangelist for Yosemite, and later volunteered to be its caretaker. So he climbed everything here, sat on every stone, and today the park owes him both its status and the vast territory that he literally snatched with his teeth from the state of California and private owners.

Today, a 338 km long trail leading along the Sierra Nevada mountain range from the heart of the park to.

Here, standing on the Glacier Point cliff, I would carefully draw a line under Yosemite Park - it doesn’t have many interesting details, but it definitely catches you with its grotesque compositions.

By the way, the valley in the center of Yosemite Park was literally rolled out by a one and a half kilometer glacier during the Ice Age.

Nevada Falls

Today there is a rather difficult path leading to its top.

Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Falls is conveniently located in the heart of the valley (that's where the people are) and consists of three parts: the upper, middle cascades and lower Yosemite.

And together with Lower Yosemite (98 m) and the Middle Cascades, it forms the tallest waterfall in North America (746 m). Fifth tallest in the world.

Bridalveil Falls

A waterfall called Bridalveil (“bridal veil”) can be found in any self-respecting place rich in waterfalls. I was surprised to discover that I don’t have our Vancouver Bridalveil on my blog yet, although I’ve already been there 10 times.

El Capitan

It rises 900 meters above the valley and is very popular among rock climbers. And it was here that Keith Benish invented base jumping, so to speak.

Half Dome

In fact, it looks more like a dolphin's head.

This is considered one of the most dangerous routes in America, claiming about 60 lives - some fell from a cliff, some fell off the cables while ascending or descending, some were killed by lightning, some from a heart attack... with such popularity it is not surprising.

At the local buffet the prices are the same as in a gas station restaurant, $20 per serving of something. At a local restaurant... well, you get the idea. With a park attendance of 3.8 million people a year, these establishments do not suffer from a lack of customers.

Yosemite National Park. Yosemite, NP (USA: California) was last modified: September 1st, 2016 by Anton Belousov

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Half Dome is the hallmark of Yosemite National Park. The summit of this monolithic rock is 2,694 m above sea level and rises 1,450 m above Yosemite Valley. California geologists in 1865 recognized Half Dome as one of the most beautiful peaks of the Sierra Nevada range, which, however, will never be conquered by people. However, nothing is impossible for a person, and, 10 years later, climber George Anderson not only conquered this rock, but also laid the first route that would make Half Dome an achievable goal for many tourists.

Every year, thousands of climbers climb Half Dome, today it is a familiar and exciting entertainment for all lovers of outdoor activities. To get to the rock, you first need to overcome a 13.7 km trek through the park, then a 3.7 km climb and a final forced march along an almost vertical cable car, which takes about 400 m. The route of braided metal ropes was laid in 1919 by the Sierra tourist club for those who do not have special climbing equipment. Now Half Dome is visited daily by about a thousand tourists, a year this figure is about 50 thousand.

The rock is crowned by a small flat plateau, on which summit conquerors can rest and relax a little. Half Dome offers stunning views of the nearby mountain range and Yosemite Valley. Of course, one should not exaggerate the safety of the route, since caution and attentiveness are the main qualities that anyone who decides to repeat the feat of George Anderson should have. It is known that since 1919 there have been six deaths during the ascent, although several of them were associated with the fact that travelers tried to conquer the peak in severe bad weather. In addition, the authorities ensure that ascents are only carried out in an organized manner; those who decide to climb “savages” receive a fine of up to $5,000 or are sentenced to six months in prison.

Half Dome - Yosemite's half dome August 23rd, 2013

Yosemite National Park is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful in the United States. Numerous artists and photographers have glorified its species, making it the most popular natural screensaver for our computer desktops. Three million tourists come to Yosemite every year to experience the famous valley and other famous natural attractions.

Tourist routes and trails cover only 11% of the entire park area; the rest is protected wilderness untouched by man. Most of the park consists of granite and sedimentary rocks, which, under the influence of erosion, have formed unusual landscape elements - natural columns and pillars, semicircular canyons and gorges, and dome-shaped folds. Half Dome is a perfect example of the latter.

Half Dome is a granite rock (monolith) that is very popular among tourists and one of the symbols of Yosemite National Park. Located in the central part of the Sierra Nevada range (California, USA). This is one of the largest monoliths in North America. The summit is located at an altitude of 2,694 m above sea level and rises 1,450 m above Yosemite Valley. Consists of granite.

Its granite dome is located at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley. The 1,444 meter high granite ridge is the valley's most famous landscape. This image appears on the US 25-cent coin series and on modern California driver's licenses.

In 1875, George Anderson was the first to conquer the mountain, making a dangerous climb that had previously been considered impossible. The ascent took 5 days. There are currently more than 10 climbing routes on Half Dome. In addition, one route, Via Ferrata, leads to the top.

About a thousand tourists storm Half Dome every day.

Thousands of people, under the control of national park rangers, climb the rock, and of the 12 km of the way, the last one and a half hundred meters to the top they walk along a special rope route (created in 1919), holding on to two stretched braided metal ropes.

Yosemite Valley is a US national park, so there are strict rules to preserve the nature and rocks in their natural state. Climbers must follow the “leave no trace” principle. In other words, they are obliged to take absolutely everything with them and leave nothing on the route, including waste products. In addition, you cannot leave water or food for the “next group”, for the “next climb”, or for any other reason. Hidden (stashed) water and food are trash!

You cannot make fires unless absolutely necessary. If, in the event of an emergency, the group needs to start a fire, they must use an existing fire pit and subsequently ensure that the fire is completely extinguished.

Overnight stays are also not that simple. No permit is required for overnight stays on the wall or emergency overnight stays at the summit. But, if a group plans to spend the night on the summit, it must obtain appropriate permission. In Yosemite Valley, parking under any wall is prohibited except for the Half Dome, which requires a separate permit to park under. Spending the night at the top of Half Dome is prohibited!

In addition, once the equipment has advanced far enough, the ethics of climbing become essential. Climbers should prepare to climb routes without a hammer, that is, by selecting camhooks and any other equipment that may eliminate the need for hammering. Climbers should also take the time to remove old quickdraws, unusable copperheads, and other useless hardware they encounter along the routes.

All this significantly increases the number of pleasant climbing experiences even along the most popular routes.

There are many routes to get to Yosemite. For example, by plane from Moscow to San Francisco. Then by train or bus to Merced station, then to Yosemite Valley by bus, which takes about 3.5 hours. This is the simplest, but most expensive way ($1000 for round-trip plane tickets). It's much cheaper to fly to Las Vegas ($700 for tickets), but it can take twice as long to get from there to the park.

Sarah Watson became famous for her amazing climbing career: she started climbing at a fairly late age: at 21, but within a year and a half she, together with Sean Jones, created a new route (21 pitches) on the south side Half Dome, which was called "Growing Up" (5.13a, A0).

Sarah is also considered the first woman to reach the top of Half Dome.

Such high popularity forced the authorities to announce in 2010 the introduction, starting from the 2011 season, of certain restrictions (no more than 400 people per day), and permits to be issued in advance (a week in advance) not in the National Park itself but in the service National Recreation Reservation Service. Those who attempt to climb to the top "savages" without permission are punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment for 6 months in prison

It is very difficult to write anything about Yosemite. I just want to take about a hundred photos, the best of the thousand that I took in three days on a point-and-shoot camera and phone. True, when I look at my photos, I understand that they don’t measure up... So then be sure to look at some more professional ones. Actually, I’ve been to many beautiful places, and it’s not so easy to surprise me, but Yosemite completely impressed me.

It is located in California, in the Sierra Nevada mountains, about 250 kilometers from San Francisco. Yosemite competes with Yellowstone for the title of most famous national park in the United States. (Don't confuse them - even though both names begin with "th", the parks are very different.)

The park's territory is vast, but most of the most recognizable natural wonders are located in its center, in Yosemite Valley. The Merced River flows along the bottom of the valley, but it was not the river that carved such a deep groove in the granite rocks - it was the work of the glaciers, which have been covering this area for 30 million years, every few tens of thousands of years. Yosemite Valley meanders for 11 km with an average width of just over one and a half km.

The most beautiful peaks of gray bare granite rise on the sides 900-1200 meters above its bed.

Where the cliffs are not too steep, they are covered with beautiful coniferous forests.

As often happened in America, Indians lived in these places for many centuries, until gold was discovered in the surrounding mountains in the late 1840s. The gold rush began, and the European population of the area jumped significantly. The Indians came into conflict with white settlers, and the conflict ended with their tribe being dispersed.

One of the most famous rocks in Yosemite is the El Capitan monolith (the name is often shortened to “El Cap”). Its steep walls rise 900 meters above the valley.

Climbers consider El Cap one of the most technically difficult climbs in the world. It is said that many of modern rock climbing techniques and technologies were developed right here in Yosemite, by people who dreamed of one day conquering this peak by climbing its bare façade.

The first successful climb was completed in 1958, and took 47 days - Warren Harding gradually conquered the wall, climbing higher and higher. Today, experienced climbers can climb to the top in 4-5 days, sleeping in hanging cradles directly on the wall. The world record at the moment is 2 hours and 24 minutes.

In addition to rock climbers, the monolith also attracts other extreme sports enthusiasts - base jumpers who jump from this peak with parachutes.

For ordinary tourists, the best view of El Capitan opens from here, from the Tunnel View point, at the entrance to the valley. (He's on the left in the photo.)

Another famous Yosemite rock, Half-Dome, or half-dome, like El Cap, is a granite monolith. From the bottom of the valley it really looks as if someone carefully sawed off the top of the round stone dome.

The cut looks incredibly smooth. The rock itself, at a height of 1,400m above the valley, is higher than the Captain, but the height of the cut is about 600 meters.

If you look at Half Dome from the side, it becomes clear that this is not a dome - its “back” wall is almost as vertical as the facade:

Because of its very recognizable shape, Half Dome, in a stylized form, appears in some logos:

Whoever recognizes the logo on the right gets 1,024 bonus points

To climb the peaks of Captain and Half Dome, you don’t have to be a super cool climber - you just need to be in good physical shape. Hiking trails lead to the peaks of both rocks. True, in the case of Half Dome, you will have to plan in advance - to climb, due to its popularity, you have needed a permit for several years now, and they are issued in limited quantities during the lottery process...

In addition to incredible rocks, Yosemite is also famous for its waterfalls. The most famous of them bear the name of the park. In fact, Yosemite Falls is a series of waterfalls that together exceed 730 meters in height, giving local guides the right to call them the highest in North America. Their interesting feature is that they feed not on a river or lake, but on melted snow. In the spring, after a particularly snowy winter, Yosemite Falls looks like this:

We were less fortunate - we arrived in the middle of summer, and in general there was a drought in California. The upper segment of Yosemite presented us with a rather pitiful sight:

But the lower segment falls in the middle of a beautiful pine grove, and is very easily accessible to tourists.

They say that sometimes by the end of summer the waterfalls dry up completely. But we were lucky; on the very first day of our stay in Yosemite, heavy rains hit the park, and the waterfalls got a little hot.

This difference was very noticeable at the Vernal and Nevada waterfalls - a hiking trail leads past them, they are simply not visible from the valley.

When we reached it, Vernal was showing powerful streams.

Tonya said that when she saw him six years ago, he was a mere trickle in comparison.

Regarding the legalization of same-sex marriage in the country, the park administration included a rainbow at the foot of the waterfall. Tourists, not embarrassed by the loss of family values, immediately began to photograph it.

Nevada Falls, located above, also looked quite impressive.

But upon closer inspection, it turned out that it was full of dirt washed in by the rain the day before.

I've never seen such a dirty waterfall. Disorder...

As if mountains and waterfalls weren't enough, Yosemite also has groves of giant sequoias.