Half Dome Panorama from Glacier Point

Yosemite, considered by many the best National Park in the United States.

This 14-image composite captures the High Sierra, including Half Dome, Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall from the vista at Glacier Point.

I don't know that I would characterize it as best, though it is magnificent and beyond compare (as are most of the parks). It is amazing how accessible, and how diverse this park is. The High Sierra is stunning and splendid in its grandeur.

If you visit California and stay only on the coasts in one of the big cities (San Diego, LA, or San Francisco), you are missing the best part of California. Come, explore the eastern interior of the state, and catch a glimpse of heaven.

Tis-sa-ack

Despite the fact that no less an expert than Josiah Whitney, chief of the California Geologic Survey (1860-1874), and namesake of the highest peak in the continental United States, pronounced this peak as perfectly inaccessible, Half Dome has become one of the most popular hikes and climbs in the United States.

The single most iconic feature in Yosemite National Park, rising nearly 4800' above the floor of Yosemite Valley, the reality of Half-Dome is that it is not a round dome that has been sheared, but rather an arête (or part of a narrow rock ridge separating two valleys).

The Ahwahnechee inhabitants of Yosemite Valley called the mountain, Tis-sa-ack, meaning cleft rock. There are many legends surrounding this name but suffice it to say the grandeur of this place supplants them all.

Because it is so iconic, Half Dome is the subject of millions of pictures (hundreds in my catalog), this is one taken on a summer day from Glacier Point that I felt looked best in monochrome.

To-tock-ah-noo-lah

Although Half Dome may be the most iconic image of Yosemite, El Capitan reigns supreme as the most iconic adventure in Yosemite.

While there are more technically difficult rock climbs in the world, this granite mountain at the western end of Yosemite Valley is considered the crown jewel of the sport in terms of big wall climbing. First climbed in 1958 by a team that took 47 days over an 18-month period using expansion bolts, rope, pitons to reach the summit, the number of routes and methods to summit have increased dramatically since. In June 2017, the unthinkable was achieved when Alex Honnold became the first person to free solo (climb alone without the benefit of ropes, harnesses, or any other protective equipment) El Cap in a mere 3 hours and 56 minutes.

In the Native American Miwok language, To-tock-ah-noo-lah means 'the chief'. The Mariposa Battalion of the California State Militia appropriated the sentiment with the Spanish term, 'El Capitan', in 1851 while reconnoitering the valley to fight the Yosemites and Chowchillas in the Mariposa War. I shot this image from the Bridalveil Fall Trail, in late June, because I liked the framing of the rocks and trees.

Pure Craziness!

Taft Point is one of the most dangerous locales in Yosemite National Park. As you can see there is a railing....around a 5' section!

The fissures here drop directly to the Yosemite Valley, about a 1000' below. For a guy who doesn't feel comfortable beyond the third rung of a ladder, this place induces non-stop heart palpitations.

Still, it is undeniably worth the hike and worth photographing. My wife and I spent about an hour exploring this area and watching other people do some crazy things along the edges.

If you get to Yosemite NP, this is a worthwhile hike, because it's fairly easy and along the Glacier Point road. The views are stunning, and the experience is something that will stay with you a lifetime.

Yosemite Sunset

John Muir once opined, "It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter."

Yosemite National Park is a study in grandeur, from the massive granite cliffs to the towering giant sequoias, it is home to some of the most breathtaking spectacles on earth.

America's National Parks are some of the greatest treasures in the world, and people should make every effort to take in their beauty in person. I hope that, in some small way, sharing some of my images on social media and the internet helps to inspire people to unplug and explore for themselves, these "special temples of Nature."