Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
long that was dynamited through solid granite in 1933. Emerging from the tunnel, visit-
ors are treated to a classic panorama as they enter Yosemite Valley. An interpretive sign
in the parking area identifies by outline the valley's major features: Sentinel Dome, Half
Dome (from this angle resembling the nose of a dolphin), Bridalveil Fall (tumbling from a
hanging valley between Cathedral Rocks and the Leaning Tower), and astonishing El Cap-
itan.
9.
Bridalveil Fall
Plungingmorethan600feetdownasheerrockface,thewatersofBridalveilFallareblown
bybreezesintoafinemistthatdescendsasagentle,rainbow-formingshoweronspectators
below. Native Americans called the fall Pohono, “spirit of the puffing wind.”
10.
Yosemite Valley
Just past the Bridalveil Fall parking area is Southside Drive, a one-way road that ushers
visitors into awesome Yosemite Valley. Formed about a million years ago, the U-shaped
valleywasscoopedfromtheSierraNevadabymassiveglaciers,whoseretreatleftamonu-
mental legacy—sheer granite cliffs and domes that rise thousands of feet from the bottom
of the valley. Following the swift Merced River, the route leads through the valley to the
Curry Village parking area, where visitors can board free shuttle buses that tour the valley
floor, including stops at several places in the park where cars are not allowed.
Did you know…
The indigenous people of Yosemite Valley used fire as a tool for thousands of
years. Fire was used to encourage the growth of plants used for basket making
and to promote the growth of the black oak—a sun loving species and a staple
food source for Native Americans from this region.
11.
Happy Isle Nature Center
Here the Merced River branches into several channels, creating small islands in the river
that are linked by footbridges. The nature center, which features exhibits on ecology and
natural history, also serves as the trailhead for hikes to a number of Yosemite treasures. A
1 1/2-mile trail leads to Vernal Fall and continues another two miles to the top of 594-foot
Nevada Fall. Happy Isle became a distinctly unhappy place in 2001, when a massive
quarter-mile-long rockfall decimated its forest and structures.
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