Discover Northern California's
Guest Article:
Things to See and Do at Yosemite NP

Special Guest Article:
Things to See and Do at Yosemite National Park

We hope you'll enjoy this article by David Urmann about all the myriad things to see and do there are in Yosemite! It's such an incredibly beautiful place, and we can never resist the opportunity to share a little more of it with you!

David gives us a comprehensive overview of this World Heritage site where almost 95% of its 747,956 acres is designated wilderness.

In fact, most visitors spend all their time in the seven square miles known as Yosemite Valley (or the Valley Floor) and don't ever see much more than that.

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California Travel:
Things to See and Do at Yosemite National Park

By: David Urmann
Travel and Leisure Expert Author at Ezine Articles.

The Yosemite region in east central California is known for its spectacular panoramas, massive granite cliffs, mountain vistas and historical communities.

Yosemite Park offers exciting destinations with about 750,000 acres of land and thousands of ponds and lakes.

It also has 800 miles of hiking trails and 1600 miles of streams. The park is a 6 hour drive from Los Angeles and about 4.5 hours drive from San Francisco.

The Yosemite Valley is well known for its cliffs meadows, rock formations and waterfalls. The Half Dome granite monolith is one of the mountain attractions, appearing like a giant dome stone that splits in half. The vertical face of El Capitan is also famous among climbers.

Yosemite Falls is the most impressive and considered the highest fall in the world. [Correction: Yosemite Falls, while considered very high, is not the highest falls in the world.] Other accessible falls in Yosemite Valley are the Bridalveil, Nevada Fall, and Vernal Fall.

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Sights: High Country Things to See and Do at Yosemite

Tunnel View is another standpoint that gives a full view of the valley located at the western end of Wawona tunnel.

The Crane Flat is an amazing meadow and forest found 16 miles from Yosemite Valley. Sites nearby are the Tuolumne and Giant Sequoias Merced Groves. Glacier Point is located just 30 miles from Yosemite Valley. It overlooks the valley and the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. Both cross country and downhill skiing is available at Badger Pass during mid December to early April. It also overlooks the Washburn Point. It gives a great view of the southern side of the Yosemite Valley in just half a mile before Glacier Point.

Hetch Hetchy Valley has sceneries that usually start up as a point of many trails. Hiking is advisable during spring and early summer. The road through the valley is open year round but with restricted hours. It is however closed during winter and spring.

Tuolumne Meadows is an open alpine meadow surrounded by domes, peaks and the Tuolumne River. This area is available for snowshoes or skis from November through May or early June. Visitors can explore the meadows through Dog Lake trailhead for 15 miles.

Wawona is the place for Wawona Hotel, Pioneer Yosemite History Center of historic buildings and the Mariposa Grove.

Yosemite is great for those who love outdoor adventure. It has over 800 miles of trails for hiking. No permits are required for hikers who want a day hike to its many trails and footpaths along the valley. Some trails are easy but some are more tiring such as the sheer granite walls. Hikers may also encounter switchbacks, steep terrain and changing rapid weather conditions.

Backpackers can access the Glacier Point road towards trails in the Clark range as well as the parks along the southern part. Tuolumne Meadows also offers 8 different trailheads.

The Chilnualna Falls and Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias are popular day hikes at Wawona.

Heading for Yosemite Nationa Park? Find the best hotel deals at HotelsCombined.com:

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Activities: Things to See and Do at Yosemite

Yosemite Valley also offers stunning rock climbing activities being about 3,000 feet tall and having vertical faces. The Tuolumne Meadows is also famous for its high elevation rock climbing. The Yosemite Mountaineering School guides have been assisting visitors since 1969, showcasing an AMGA certificate.

One can also go horseback riding. Again, Tuolumne Meadows and Wawona offer commercial horse riding at DNC Parks and Resorts, along with custom guided trips.

For those who love skiing, try it in Badger Pass. Their cross country and downhill trails are about 350 miles. The tracks and skating lanes are connected from Badger Pass to Glacier Point. It is open during December and closed on April.

For backpacking, Little Yosemite Valley is one of the most famous sites. It is 4 miles from the Yosemite Valley floor along Merced River.

Lastly, Yosemite has 13 campgrounds, all with forest canopies and rooms. Campgrounds are available at Crane Flat, Wawona, Hodgdon Meadow and half of Tuolumne Meadows. Camping reservations are made from April to September.

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A hearty thank you to David for sharing his interesting things to see and do article with us! Be sure to follow him at Ezine Articles for more great articles!

Would you like to contribute a guest article about things to see and do in a place you love to share with our
readers? Just go to Discover Northern California's Guest Articles and fill out the super easy form. You, too, can have a story published!

If you'd like to compare prices before booking your own adventure in the Yosemite area, take a look at HotelsCombined.com:

In the meantime, here are some more guest articles for you to enjoy:

Mono County: Mysterious Mono Lake
Laura Twining's article about her trip to Mono Lake and what she learned!

RV Destinations in Northern California
Here's an article by Creztor Tessel with some great places in NorCal for parking your Recreational Vehicle!

Sonoma County: Enchanting Healdsburg
Meghan Malloy's article about her favorite way to visit Northern California's Wine Country!

Tahoe City: Discovery Trail
Michele Whiteaker's article about her family's trip to build a Discovery Trail at Lake Tahoe, with video!

Yosemite: Taft Point
Kristopher Corey's article about hiking Yosemite National Park's Taft Point. It's truly a gem!

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