Yosemite Valley: A Temple of Granite and Light

My first visit to Yosemite in 2011 changed how I see the outdoors. Naturalist John Muir wrote that “no temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite,” and standing beneath those sheer granite walls, it’s hard to disagree.

That first trip pulled me into hiking, nature, and photography — and I’ve been back six more times since – in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2024, and most recently for a few days in April 2026 – with no plans to stop going back.

Tunnel View

One of the classic views in Yosemite, captured in “Thunderstorm” by Ansel Adams, is Tunnel View, which greets you as soon as you exit Wawona Tunnel.

Wawona Tunnel

Entering Yosemite from the south via Highway 41, Wawona Road passes through Wawona Tunnel. When it opened in 1933, the 4,233-foot passage carved through solid granite was the longest automobile tunnel in the world.

Half Dome

Yosemite’s most recognizable landmark, Half Dome rises above the valley with its sheer northwest face and rounded summit. Despite its name, it wasn’t cut in half. Its shape is the result of millions of years of erosion and exfoliation.

Long before it was called Half Dome, the Ahwahneechee people who lived in the Valley knew it as Tis-sa-ack. Joe Redhead’s “Half Dome” recounts the legend:

A women and her husband left the river plains of the Central Valley to visit their relatives across the high mountains to the east. It would be a long journey. The woman’s name was Tis-sa-ack, and the man was Nan’s. The trip was tiring and they slogged up the dry and hot foothills. Finally, they arrived in the Valley exhausted and dirty.

At the head of the Valley, they came to a broad section of the river known as Ah-wei-ya. Today we call it Mirror Lake.

Tis-sa-ack placed her baby in its basket and drank from the lake. She was so thirsty that she filled her cup again and again. No amount of water could quench her thirst. When Nangas arrived a few moments later to drink from the lake, not a drop remained.

Anger consumed Nangas. He rushed to his wife and started to beat her. Tis-sa-ack tried to flee from the onslaught, but she could not escape his blows. Tears filled her eyes. Finally, in great pain, she faced her husband and threw her basket at him.

This violence angered the Great Spirit. Nan’s and Tis-sa-ack had disturbed the peace of the Valley. In retaliation, the Great Spirit turned them to stone. Their abandoned baby became Royal Arches, and it stands above today’s [Ahwahnee Hotel]. Nan’s become Washington Column and North Dome. The thrown basket became Basket Dome, which sits aside North Dome. Tis-sa-ack became Half Dome. The dark streaks running down its Northwest Face are her tears of pain. And thus Tis-sa-ack is often translated to “face of young woman stained with tears.”

Half Dome

John Muir referred to the peak as both “Tissiack” and “South Dome.” While North Dome retains its name, “Half Dome” is the one that endured.

From the Valley, the hike to Half Dome is a strenuous 14-16 mile round trip with 4,800 feet of elevation gain, including a final 400 foot ascent up a steep, slick granite incline aided by steel cables (bring gloves).

I’ve climbed it three times – twice as day hikes in 2015 and 2016 plus in 2017 on a multi-day backpacking trip that included Clouds Rest. It’s a popular hike, and a permit is required to reach the summit.

Yosemite Valley Chapel

Built in 1879, Yosemite Valley Chapel sits in one of the most dramatic settings in the Sierra Nevada and is the oldest structure in Yosemite Valley.

Gates of the Valley

Valley View — historically known as the Gates of the Valley — is a classic panorama from Yosemite Valley’s west end. Framed by El Capitan on the left and, to the right, Sentinel Rock and Cathedral Rocks surrounding Bridalveil Fall as it drops to the valley floor, the Merced River flows through the foreground.

Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Valley is home to the tallest waterfall in North America. Dropping a total of 2,425 feet, Yosemite Falls consists of three sections: Upper Yosemite Fall (1,430 feet), the middle cascades (675 feet), and Lower Yosemite Fall (320 feet). From the valley floor, only the Upper and Lower Falls are visible, framed by ponderosa pines.