Yosemite National Park 

Philadelphia  San Francisco 

I saw the Yosemite National Park from the plane and my vague decision to go there turned immediately into a fixed one. The highest mountains were still covered by snow und I could see the blank rocks und even numerous waterfalls. I  rented a car in San Francisco to be more flexible within the park and drove via Golden Gate Bridge, Nappa Valley to Yosemite and arrived at the hostel at 9 pm. Thanks to Sharon, who had already a clue what to do, we decided to take a bus to Glacier Point and to hike the 8 Mile Panorama Trail back to the Valley Floor.  

Yosemite National Park embraces a spectacular tract of mountain-and-valley scenery in the Sierra Nevada, which was set aside as a national park in 1890. The park harbors a grand collection of waterfalls, meadows, and forests that include groves of giant sequoias, the world's largest living creatures.

The geology of Yosemite is characterized by granitic rocks and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and then tilted to form its relatively gentle western slopes and the more dramatic eastern slopes. The uplift increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in formation of deep, narrow canyons. About 1 million years ago, snow and ice accumulated, forming glaciers at the higher alpine meadows that moved down the river valleys. Ice thickness in Yosemite Valley may have reached 4,000 feet during the early glacial episode. The downslope movement of the ice masses cut and sculpted the U-shaped valley that attracts so many visitors to its scenic vistas today.
(from: http://www.nps.gov/yose/)

Back to top

Philadelphia  San Francisco