Yosemite's valley of the giants

MORE than four million people visit Yosemite National Park in California's rugged Sierra Nevada mountain range each year – and for good reason.

Nature's glory ... enjoying the view from Glacier Point towards Half Dome. Picture: Valerie Martin

MORE than four million people visit Yosemite National Park in California's rugged Sierra Nevada mountain range each year – and for good reason.

A four-hour drive east of San Francisco, or a six-and-a-half hour drive north-east of Los Angeles, the park offers some of the most spectacular scenery in the world: waterfalls plunging into deep valleys, lush meadows and alpine lakes, forests of ancient giant sequoia trees and granite blocks the size of ... well, mountains.

The trouble is, most visitors arrive during the northern hemisphere's summer months, from late May to early September. And most of those head straight for the park's most famous attractions found in the 11km-long, 900m-deep Yosemite Valley. The resulting jostle of humanity can resemble an alpine rush hour.

They're all following in the steps of John Muir, the American conservationist who helped convince his government to set the park aside for special attention. Muir wrote in 1868: "It is by far the grandest of all of the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter."

Perhaps one of the most appealing things about Yosemite is that its natural drawcards are surrounded by an ever-changing landscape, depending on what time of year you visit.

And if you arrive outside of the summer tourist crush, you can experience some of nature's greatest hits without feeling the crush of a crowded theme park.

If you must visit during the summer, there are plenty of ways to witness the grandeur without being stampeded by the masses.

Within its more than 300,000ha – about 95 per cent of which is designated as wilderness – there are 1300km of hiking trails, allowing you to wander from remote valleys to nearly 4000m summits.

There are 20km of bikeways that avoid traffic on the valley floor. If you don't like to pedal, horse-riding is possible, with guided trips into the High Sierras.

If you do have a car, the good thing about summer is that you can drive to Glacier Point – impossible when snow arrives – which presents a breathtaking view of the eastern valley, including Half Dome and three waterfalls. It's near to other lookouts which provide bird's-eye panoramas.

Summertime also means you can drive to the exclusive camping areas.

Come autumn, the crowds fade and the leaves of the acorn-bearing black oaks turn golden and red. Bright colours are splashed around the valley's floor, highlighting the monumental landmarks.

You meet fewer hikers on the paths throughout the park, and securing accommodation is both easier and less expensive. When autumn gives way to the winter months and snow starts falling, those in the know are aware of a whole new set of activities. Skis, sleds, toboggans, ice skates and snow shoes are dusted off to take advantage of the park's relatively mild climate.

Wildlife enthusiasts enjoy the less-obstructed visibility to spot coyotes, mule deer and raccoons, and the occasional bear.

Winter sunrises and sunsets are especially dramatic with the effects of the alpenglow on rock formations.

Since 1927 when the classic Ahwahnee Hotel, now a national historic landmark, opened its doors, Christmas holidays have signalled the coming Bracebridge dinner, an annual pageant and seven-course feast.

Other special events include chef's holidays in January with cooking demonstrations, tastings and gourmet banquets, plus the Vintners' Holidays, in which some of California's prestigious wine producers introduce their latest offerings.

Spring, with the melting snow in the high Sierras, means the countless waterfalls are flowing in all their glory, including Yosemite Falls, the fifth-highest in the world at 740m.

Bridalveil Fall presents a large plume that sways across the Cathedral Rocks formation, and you'll find out why the Mist trail is so named if you hike up the slippery 600-step granite stairway to the magnificent Vernal Fall.

Spring is also time for wildflowers, and they present spectacular displays in valley meadows and along the roads.

Accessible by a short walk at the head of the valley, Mirror Lake fills up in spring and offers great reflections of Tenaya Canyon and the almost 2700m Half Dome.

For those who don't want to just gaze from below, the spring season is often considered the best time for rock climbing – the days are long, summer heat hasn't arrived and the ice has melted.

Yosemite's El Capitan is the world's largest granite rock at 1095m and a magnet for climbers from around the world.

Finally, any season is the time to bring your camera, especially one with a wide-angle lens.

The classic images of Ansel Adams (1902-84) have inspired photographers for decades, and professionals who follow in his footsteps give walks, workshops and seminars that focus on unique aspects of the park.

The Sunday Telegraph