8 lesser-known sights to see in Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is one of those natural wonders so well-known it almost feels like a theme park—right down to the excessive heat and long lines that characterize crowded summer weekends. While major sights around the national park might feel like Disneyland attractions, even on the busiest days, the Yosemite Valley and its surrounding area have plenty of natural wonders, beyond the obvious landmarks like Yosemite Falls or Half-Dome, just waiting to be discovered. Here are ten to start with.
Hetch Hetchy
The Hetch Hetchy Valley lies to the north of the Yosemite National Park Valley and tends to be off the beaten path for most visitors, which may be a blessing for the solitude it provides. The Hetch Hetchy area offers yet another breathtaking valley filled with peaceful waters, dramatic rock formations and diverse wildlife for those already familiar with its more popular neighbor to the south.
Mariposa Grove
At the southernmost tip of Yosemite National Park, visitors can drive their way along narrow roads to a grove of massive, hardy sequoia trees. Each spectacularly ancient tree is truly something to behold, functioning as an ecosystem of its own, able to endure centuries or even millennia as well as multiple forest fires. The chance to see a cluster of sequoias without visiting the Sequoia National Park further to the south is an opportunity tourists shouldn’t pass up.
Tunnel View/Inspiration Point
The vision you have in your mind of the Yosemite National Park Valley—lush green trees nestled between the granite walls of El Capitan and Half-Dome, plus the spurting mountain waters of Bridalveil Fall—probably comes from a photograph or painting captured at Tunnel View. The panoramic view of the park’s central area seen as one emerges through a highway tunnel is absolutely iconic, but nothing can prepare you for the sight in person. Hike up to nearby Inspiration Point for a slighter higher, more isolated place to take it all in.
Tuolumne Meadows
Further east from most of Yosemite National Park’s most popular sights, Tuolumne Meadows is a section of, you guessed it, meadows characterized by thick beds of greenery covering areas of shallow groundwater. The still waters and gentle vegetation of the Meadows are in constant seasonal flux, often turning the entire area into a reflective lake when the snowmelt begins in spring. Come a little bit later, just before summer officially begins, to enjoy the short but sweet bloom of the area’s impossibly vibrant wildflowers.
Cathedral Peak
One of the greatest sights in the surprisingly large Tuolumne Meadows area of the park is this recognizable peak. The granite mountain of Cathedral Peak tapers to a sharp point that looks great from all angles, but especially for rock climbers who dare to make it up the steep summit. The barren gray surface of the mountain shows the curves of the rock in stunning detail, visible even from the grasslands below.
Glacier Point
Glacier Point is inaccessible during most of the year during weather conditions, but if you visit after the icy conditions have melted away, it offers a stunning vantage point of the peaks surrounding Yosemite Valley, and in particular Half-Dome, from roughly the same height. Take the hikers’ bus up and back down from the viewpoint, or stay there to begin a couple of the park’s most strenuous, albeit rewarding hikes.
Vernal Falls
Yosemite Falls is an undoubtedly impressive sight for its sheer height, but its outdone in terms of raw power by the neighboring Vernal Falls on the Merced River. The impressive curtain of water is accessible only via a short, steep hike that tends to drench hikers with mist during some parts of the year. Views of the crystal clear water near the top of the falls are breathtaking as well, but don’t venture into the treacherous river, as unexpected currents have been known to sweep swimmers away to their deaths.
Mirror Lake
Mirror Lake truly lives up to its name, boasting impossibly still waters that shimmer with color on a clear day. The lake is actually the final remnant of an enormous glacial lake that once occupied most of the national park after the last Ice Age. Better still, it’s easy to get to via a gently sloped two-mile hike that passes the lake and then continues upward to unique views of the tree-covered mountains rising all around the eastern part of Yosemite Valley. The trail also features a large footbridge allowing hikers to stand in the center and witness the flow of the Tenaya Creek from directly above.
