Yosemite National Park: Incredibly Mesmerizing & Breathtaking

We decided to go on a side trip from San Francisco - Yosemite National Park. There are many options on getting there, by train, bus or car, either one have their advantages and disadvantages. We prefer flexibility and convenience of setting our own schedule so we rented a car with Turo for this trip. 

      

It takes at least 4 hours to get there by car and we truly enjoy the scenic drive along the way.

 

 

 

After taking some photographs, we continue on the route and stop by Starbucks for a hot coffee and grab a quick snack.

Yosemite National Park was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. It was first discovered in 1890, is one of the oldest nature preserves in the United States. 

  

The Yosemite region is part of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in eastern California. A combination of glacial ice and the granitic rocks of the Sierra Nevada batholith created the scenery of the Yosemite Valley.

Some of the iconic attractions are Glacier Point, Tunnel View, Half Dome, El Capitan and Tuolumne Meadows etc. There are so much to see in the park that you wouldn't finish in one day.

Yosemite is a glaciated landscape, and the scenery that resulted from the interaction of the glaciers and the underlying rocks was the basis for its preservation as a national park.

The park has three groves of ancient giant sequoia trees - the Mariposa Grove (200 trees), the Tuolumne Grove (25 trees), and the Merced Grove (20 trees). 

Yosemite is home to countless waterfalls and one of the tallest in the world is Yosemite Falls at 2,425 ft. We stop by Bridalveil Fall which is the first waterfall when entering Yosemite Valley.