Last summer, (July, 2012), we fulfilled a long-time dream by visiting Yosemite National Park. We were visiting our older daughter who lives in LA and we decided to make the trip north. Our first stop was the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. Truly awesome! As we continued our adventure, we stopped at two sites that left me speechless. The first was Glacier Point with its magnificent views of the valley, especially Half Dome. After leaving this site, we continued until we entered the Wawona Tunnel. This puzzled me because I wasn’t expecting a tunnel here in the wilderness. Then we exited the tunnel and, lo, the whole of Yosemite Valley spread out before us, El Capitan, Bridal Veil Falls, Half Dome and more. It was one of the views I had always dreamed of. We spent that night at a very nice hotel in Mariposa, about 25-30 miles away and then we headed back to the valley the next morning. We hiked up to Bridal Veil Falls, waded in the Merced River, shopped in the Village Store and watched climbers on the face of “El Cap”. Our only regret is that we did not have more time to explore the park, (Great reason to return!).
Sincerely,
Yosemite National Park
With its sculpted granite rock formations, towering ancient sequoia trees and spectacular waterfalls, it's no wonder Yosemite is one of the most celebrated national parks in the world.
State(s): California
Established: 1890
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