Gold Coast Travel: Soak up the scenery in Yosemite

WHETHER you’re chasing waterfalls or postcard peaks, Yosemite’s landscapes really deliver for photographers.

Yosemite National Park in the US.

THE problem with driving to Yosemite is all the stopping. Not that you need to, but you’ll want to.

As you approach the legendary American park, the views just keep getting better and better.

With each bend on highways 120 or 140, the landscape shifts, giving way to more and more of the cliff faces and soaring pines that inspired Abraham Lincoln to decree it the first piece of preserved land in the US.

If you can hold off jumping out of the car until Tunnel View — the classic postcard shot of Yosemite Valley — you’ve done well. But even then, you’d be advised to drive on.

Yosemite Falls.

This is nature at its finest. And plenty of people know all about it. So stay in the car, head down into the valley and get moving to beat the crowds.

Yosemite was a treacherous multi-day trip in the horse and cart for recreation-seeking 19th century pioneers.

But in 2016, more than five million people packed their cars and campervans to visit the park.

Most come in summer, when the sun melts the glaciers of the Sierra Nevada, feeding the Yosemite’s many waterfalls.

That’s a lot of traffic on the trails, making an early start essential.

For one-day visitors, the perfect walk is the Mist Trail. The 11km walk follows the Merced River upstream, taking in two mammoth waterfalls.

The 100-metre Vernal Fall, as seen from the Mist Trail.

The first is Vernal Fall, with a path so well-maintained you’ll see exhausted parents pushing prams along the way to give their baby a first glimpse.

Continue on and the day tourists drop off. Squirrels are a more likely companion as you rise above the tree-line.

The path heads directly into the fall, a blessed relief given your exertions in the sun.

Prepare to be saturated; but don’t worry — the California sun will have you dry in no time.

Another two hours and you’re on top of the world.

At the crest of Nevada Fall is where Yosemite’s grandest view reveals itself. Liberty Cap — a mighty granite dome as tall as almost any Australian mountain — dominates the landscape, with Half Dome in the background.

Liberty Cap, a 2100-metre granite monolith, soars over Nevada Fall in the foreground and Half Dome in the background, inside the Yosemite National Park in California.

A few minutes’ walk into your loop back down to the forest floor and the two peaks will line up with Nevada Fall for the perfect Yosemite photo.

This part of the hike doubles as the start of the John Muir Trail, a monstrous 338km journey and one of the wonders of the hiking world.

But the Mist Trail returns you to the Yosemite Valley in under two hours.

Early risers have the rest of the day to explore the valley.

Jumping in a tube down the Merced river gives a new perspective on the park’s other falls; Yosemite and Bridalveil Falls are particular highlights.

A view while tubing down the Merced River inside the Yosemite National Park in California.

An reconstructed Indian campsite is well worth a visit, as are interpretative centres that detail the geology and ecology of the park.

Leaving the park past Tunnel View, it’s now time to jump out of the car. The sunset splashes a pink hue across the valley; it’s the perfect time for a few more photos. You’ve earned it.

GO

Yosemite is around a four-hour drive from San Francisco. Qantas and United Airlines offer a direct service from Sydney to the Californian city.

STAY

There’s a range of accommodation available inside the park, from hotels to lodges to campgrounds. And of course, camping is available for multi-day hikes. Alternatively, consider driving in each day from Gold Rush-era towns like Mariposa.

PLAY

Park entry costs $20 for a car and allows a week’s stay. Rent a tyre to float down the river for $30 per person.