I’m not a fan of crowded trails, but the trail from Yosemite
Valley up through Vernal and Nevada Falls is one of my favorite destinations in Yosemite National Park despite the swell of
people it attracts.
Thankfully we started the hike early enough to avoid the
swell. From the southeast corner of Yosemite Valley, the trail begins with a
modest ascent towards the south and then to the east to gain a view of the Illilouette Valley . A footbridge across the Merced
River offers the first glimpse of Vernal
Falls in the distance to
the east. A short while later one arrives at the southern side of the falls
where there is a steep incline up the granite bedrock up to the top of the
falls. In wetter seasons, Vernal
Falls is a wide white ribbon
that cascades over a sharp lip of granite, but at the tail end of a long dry season,
the November falls were broken into three independent streams of water flowing
down the rock.
Despite the diminished flow, Vernal
Falls still seemed to have more water
than some of the other waterfalls in the Valley, notably Yosemite Falls
which was barely a humble trickle of water. I rather prefer to see Vernal Falls
at this lower level of flow; the waterfall produced trickles and ribbons of
water rather than a huge thunderous gush. The effect at the base of the falls
is very different too since a full cascade of water produces so much spray that
the trail becomes doused in mist.
Vernal Falls. |
Nevada Falls. |
At the top of Vernal
Falls , the trail levels out to
commanding views of the Illilouette
Valley to the west, and the
greeting of Emerald Pool, a temporary tranquil rest stop for Sierra snow melt
before it plunges over the Vernal. The trail continues east and then crosses
over the Merced River again back to its
northern bank. Then the trail ascends steeply again in anticipation of reaching
the top of Nevada
Falls .
I hiked just a bit beyond Nevada Falls along the John Muir
Trail where it heads into the Little Yosemite Valley and crosses into the
Yosemite wilderness. Venturing a little off trail, I went just a ways up the
eastern slope of Liberty Cap where there was an excellent view of the valley to
the east. A pair of granite domes were visible some miles in the distance to
the east. The domes appeared to be composed of sheets of granite, like Half
Dome itself. Where the sheets were
partly broken, the laminar fractures produced dark shadows on the rocks. These patterns
are one of my favorite manifestations of the diversity of granitic composition
in the Sierra.
Panorama (looking east) of Little Yosemite Valley from the eastern slope of Liberty Cap. |
The trail continues several miles to the summit of
Half Dome and the broader Yosemite wilderness
for overnight backpacking. Permits are required for both, and while both adventures
sound very appealing, I’d prefer to find a time to when the crush of the crowds
can be avoided.
Sheets of water at the base of Nevada Falls. |
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