Toggle navigation
All Photo Tours
Leaders
Trip Reports
FAQs
About Us
Contact
eNews
(206) 463-5383
Find a Tour
By Date
2023
September 2023
October 2023
November 2023
December 2023
2024
January 2024
February 2024
March 2024
April 2024
May 2024
June 2024
July 2024
August 2024
September 2024
October 2024
November 2024
December 2024
By Region
Africa
Arctic & Antarctica
Asia
Central & South America
Europe
North America
Pacific
By Type
Bird
Cultural
Great National Parks of the World
Joe's Top Picks
Landscape
Ship-Based
Wildlife
Yosemite in Autumn 2022 Trip Report
By Eric Rock on Dec 15, 2022
View Slideshow
There is something about arriving to the Yosemite Valley that conjures up emotions and feelings of grandeur. We made our group arrival through the south entrance while driving along the scenic Wawona road. Just as we began our descent into the valley, we exited the tunnel to the welcoming view of one of the most inspiring scenic landscapes in North America. Here is where the whole of the Yosemite Valley is laid out before us. The undulating domes of granite mountains frame the verdant valley floor of pine forests and grassy meadows—all hugging the ribbon-like Merced River. It’s impossible not to stop and take our first couple of snaps and discuss the photographic possibilities that lie ahead.
Lodging in the center of the valley is definitely the way to go as most of the scenic landscapes are within an easy fifteen-minute drive of our accommodations. With seasonal changes in the air, autumn is the time of cool mornings and few crowds. Up and till now, the season has been unseasonably warm and dry, with little water flowing from the cliffs over the valley. Along with the absence of Yosemite’s famous waterfalls, the warm weather has also held back the seasonal change in color of the forests of dogwood and big leaf maples, yet the landscape still manages to wow the photographers seeking to capture just a little bit of this beauty.
Each morning, we headed out early to catch blue hour and the subsequent golden glow of sunrise at some of the valley’s more famous views or, occasionally, we would opt for one of our time honored favorite quiet spots along the valley floor. By mid-morning it was time for a break and a good wholesome brunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel. We quickly set into a daily pattern and after a short midday break, we would head back out following the light into the surroundings for more photography, easily capturing great images until sunset.
Our scenic locations up and down the valley would often find us within view of the beautiful Merced River. The dry conditions over the valley left the mighty river running lower and slower. This is when the Merced offers up many new and unique reflecting pools around which to work our photographic compositions. With our small group immersed in photography, it was easy to get lost in the moment. Sometimes it was just the early morning timing, sometimes it was the out of the way locations that we found to photograph but we always seemed to have plenty of room—often having our photo locations pretty much to ourselves.
Every trip to Yosemite National Park should include an excursion to the Mariposa Grove of ancient sequoia trees. With all the wildfires in the area lately, these treasured trees gain national attention as the ever-expanding fire seasons threaten their reign over the landscape.
I can happily say that this stately grove survived another season, mainly due to good planning and a lot of hard work from wild land firefighters. The thinning and trail work around the grove is designed to help protect the trees in the case of a fire but has also worked to a photographer’s advantage allowing new angles on some old favorite trees like the massive Grizzly Giant. After an afternoon at the big trees of Mariposa Grove, it was well worth our gastronomic interest to make a planned stop for dinner at the historic Wawona Hotel and enjoy one of our best meals of the week in its comfortable historic dining room.
Everyone who photographs at Yosemite has their favorite views of the valley. I like to finish up the trip with an out of the way view that frames some of the more notable granite features of the park and, with some luck, catch it just as the glow of sunset falls over the scene. As usual the evening did not disappoint. The setting sun managed to slip its last rays under a thin layer of clouds just west of the park, illuminating the sky and painting the valley with a neon incandescence.
It’s always rewarding to introduce photographers to some of our favorite photographic locations in Yosemite. From trip to trip these locations may be a little different based on conditions but rest assured always reliable in their beauty. Yosemite is one of those havens on Earth that always manages to work its way deep into a nature photographer’s soul.
Search for:
Trip Report Archive
August 2023 (
1
)
July 2023 (
4
)
June 2023 (
3
)
May 2023 (
2
)
April 2023 (
3
)
March 2023 (
4
)
February 2023 (
3
)
January 2023 (
3
)
December 2022 (
4
)
November 2022 (
3
)
October 2022 (
2
)
August 2022 (
3
)
July 2022 (
1
)
May 2022 (
3
)
April 2022 (
2
)
March 2022 (
1
)
January 2022 (
4
)
November 2021 (
4
)
October 2021 (
1
)
September 2021 (
1
)
August 2021 (
3
)
May 2021 (
1
)
August 2020 (
1
)
April 2020 (
2
)
March 2020 (
1
)
February 2020 (
3
)
December 2019 (
2
)
November 2019 (
1
)
October 2019 (
2
)
September 2019 (
2
)
August 2019 (
2
)
July 2019 (
5
)
June 2019 (
6
)
April 2019 (
2
)
March 2019 (
1
)
February 2019 (
3
)
December 2018 (
1
)
November 2018 (
2
)
October 2018 (
2
)
August 2018 (
3
)
July 2018 (
1
)
June 2018 (
3
)
May 2018 (
4
)
April 2018 (
2
)
March 2018 (
6
)