Anywhere Else, They Would be Exceptional: Can you Succeed at this Yosemite Valley Scavenger Hunt?

I've been privileged to visit Yosemite Valley dozens and dozens of times over the years, often dragging students, and sometimes with just me and Mrs. Geotripper. We always revel in the beautiful sights, and study the various moods of iconic features like Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, and El Capitan. But there are many times when I notice other unique geological features that in any other setting on the planet would probably be the centerpiece of a national or state park. They get lost in the grandness of this extraordinary landscape. That is the reason for today's post. If you are ever lucky enough to visit Yosemite Valley, take your pictures of Half Dome and Bridalveil Falls, but keep an eye out for some of these other exceptional rocks and waterfalls.

First up is North Dome (above). Just think about it...aren't you just settling for less when you concentrate on Half Dome? Why not a whole dome? It's there if you know where to look (or you know how to read a map!).

Elephant Rock (above) is tucked away on the canyon rim somewhere where the park service didn't even worry about powerlines spoiling the view of the rock. Even more important: can you see the elephant? After 30 years I finally figured it out...

Silver Strand Falls suffers from "backwards distraction". Some sights in Yosemite are so awesome that you can't do anything but stare. And never turn around to see what is happening behind you. There is an epic sight in the opposite direction and thus you might never notice it...a 574 foot high waterfall! It's especially spectacular in winter when the waterfall may be entirely frozen.

Another sight that gets lost in the shuffle of the big views in Yosemite Valley is Sentinel Dome. It's another "whole dome", and while it is not as imposing as Half Dome, it's a great deal easier to climb. In fact, the trail to the summit is only a mile long, and the view is stunning.

Is it possible to simply not see a 1,180 foot high waterfall? It seems like it would be hard to miss, but that's the case with Lehamite Falls. It has the distinction of the only feature in Yosemite Valley that retains its original Ahwaneechee name. It's not behind some other feature. In fact, it often appears on the edge of shots of one of the iconic waterfalls of Yosemite.

There is another waterfall that can be easy to miss. Staircase Falls can be heard splattering down the cliffs behind a well-known pizza shack in Yosemite, but it often gets missed in the shuffle. It's 1,300 feet high, just short of Upper Yosemite Falls (although it descends in a series of...stairs).

Finally, can you guess the location of this stunning example of exfoliation in action? Exfoliation is the tendency of newly exposed rocks to break in planes that are parallel to the surface of the rock, causing the monolith to eventually take a dome-like shape.

Do you know Yosemite well? What features do you think don't get enough attention by park visitors?

A Spring Day in Yosemite: Celebrating the Unsung Waterfalls

Springtime in Yosemite! I was there on Sunday, and witnessed the valley at one of the most beautiful times of the year. In the last post, I concentrated on Yosemite's most famous waterfall, Yosemite Falls, especially the Upper Fall. Spring is also a great time to see some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world that aren't really well known, including the actual highest waterfall in Yosemite Valley. That waterfall would be Ribbon Fall, which drops 1,612 feet, which is nearly 200 feet taller than Upper Yosemite Falls, which only drops 1,425 feet. Ribbon is not as famous because it has a small drainage and thus only flows for part of the year.

The other waterfalls are not well known because they are a bit difficult to see. Silver Strand Fall is a 574 foot fall that suffers because it is best seen from the Wawona Tunnel View, and 99% of the people who stop there are looking at one of the most famous panoramas in the national park system:

Yeah, that one...

Next time, after enjoying the incredible view of the valley, turn 90 degrees to your right, and look up...way up. If it is flowing, it is a pretty waterfall, though it is hard to get a shot with the sun shining on the cliff. Late afternoon probably is the best time to check it out.

I walked a stretch of trail that I have missed in the past, along the Merced River between the Horse Stables and Happy Isles. I looked up and saw a waterfall I've not seen from the valley floor before: 370 foot high Illilouette Fall. This first shot below gives an idea of how tricky it is to see...

Zooming in gives a better idea of the setting, but from this angle there is no clue to how interesting the fall is in a complete view. You have to hike about four miles from Glacier Point to see the best view. I haven't been there yet, but here is a nice shot from someone else.

If you get to Yosemite and you've seen the famous spots, I have a mission for you: find the unsung waterfalls. There are lots more to find: Sentinel, Royal Arch Cascades, Lehamite, Staircase, Horsetail, Widow's Tears, and more that I haven't found out about yet.

To wrap up, I'm tossing in a familiar fall looking a bit less familiar. The wind was blowing across the top of Bridalveil, making the fall look twice as wide as it actually is.

Yosemite is a wonderful place....

Under the Volcano: Changing the Emphasis -Part 8

Silver Strand Falls is another victim of people looking the wrong direction from a spectacular view point in Yosemite Valley. It is tucked high in the cliffs above the Wawona Tunnel View (Standing Underneath Volcanoes) on the south side of the valley. The falls are around 600 feet tall, and spill over a cliff of Taft granite, a fine- to coarse-grained white to gray biotite granite that is locally porphyritic with phenocrysts of potassium feldspar. The rock was intruded about 96 million years ago.

Looking through my files, I found only three pictures of the falls, and all were wintertime shots when the falls were frozen. I am also guilty of ignoring them!