Yosemite National Park: Iconic Views, Hikes & Waterfalls

Deep in the Sierra Nevada mountains of eastern California, Yosemite is one the most stunningly beautiful places in all of North America. Located in a deep valley formed by glaciers during the last Ice Age, the national park is home to sheer granite cliffs, soaring waterfalls, towering giant sequoia groves, and abundant plant and animal life. Whether you’re looking for challenging hikes or gentle walks (and even accessible drives), Yosemite has it all.

Half Dome

One of Yosemite’s two most iconic rock formations, Half Dome’s awe-inspiring shape is the result of tectonic uplift and erosion that created a smooth dome that was later cut in half by a glacier, leaving behind a half-dome on one side and a sheer vertical rock face on the other.

Though it looks death-defying, Half Dome can be summited via an extremely strenuous, 10- to 12-hour roundtrip hike that requires pulling yourself up a ‘staircase’ with steel cables for the final approach (as well as a permit from the Park Service). But the rock formation can also be appreciated from a distance at Glacier Point, which offers the best panorama of the park and is easily accessible by car.

El Capitan

The other most famous rock in the park is El Capitan, an even more sheer cliff that runs around 3,000 feet (914 m) from base to summit. The cliff is the most famous (and most challenging) big wall in the world, attracting a few hundred professional climbers each year who attempt the climb, which can take days to complete. El Capitan was immortalized in film in the documentary Free Solo, which showed the climber Alex Honnold make his way up the rock face with no ropes in under four hours in a literally death-defying feat.

Again, though, you can appreciate the cliff without putting your life at risk. One of the best places to see El Capitan is from the viewpoint known as Tunnel View, which will likely be your first entry into the valley after emerging from a long, dark tunnel. You will also get plenty of up-close views along the half-hour Yosemite Valley Loop drive.

Yosemite Falls

Yosemite’s steep cliffs and large-scale snowmelt from the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains means that the park is home to a great number of cascading waterfalls, which are at their peak in the late spring. The tallest of them (and the tallest in North America) is the iconic Yosemite Falls, which drops an impressive 2,425 feet (739 m), split between the upper and lower falls with a flat portion in between.

You can reach the top of the upper falls via a six-to-eight-hour roundtrip hike, or just take the short one-mile loop from the parking lot to check out the waterfall from the bottom. From the top or the bottom, the falls are an incredible sight and a reminder of the indomitable power of nature.

Mist Trail

If you want to get up close and personal with Yosemite’s waterfalls, there is no better place to feel their power than the so-called ‘Mist Trail,’ which leads you to the top of Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall.

Make your way up the Merced River to the first waterfall, Vernal, where you will be refreshed by the water vapor that sprays in all directions from the force of the water that plunges 317 feet (97 m) to its base. Keep heading up and, after a mile-and-a-half of rocky switchbacks, you’ll be at the top of Nevada Fall, a tremendous force of nature that cascades 594 feet (181 m). The thundering sound of this waterfall is impressive enough, but it is coupled with breathtaking views of the valley as well as the rounded backside of Half Dome.

Head back down along the John Muir Trail for different and equally beautiful scenery. All in all, the hike will take about five or six hours roundtrip—for me, it is the best day hike in Yosemite.

Mariposa Grove

This grove contains around five hundred towering giant sequoias, an astounding concentration of some of the oldest living organisms on the planet. Nearly all of the sequoias in this grove are over 2,000 years old, with the famous ‘Grizzly Giant’ tree reaching around 3,000.

Native exclusively to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the giant sequoia is an icon of the American West and one of the most awe-inspiring creations on earth. These trees are truly a sight to behold.