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A “China’s Huangshan Meets California” Crash-Course

Only 260 km east of San Francisco, Yosemite NP is the Western Hemisphere’s geological selfie-stick: 1,200 sq-miles of cathedral cliffs, ribbon waterfalls and meadows so perfectly framed they feel green-screened. If Huangshan greets you with granite spires in sea-of-clouds, Yosemite answers with 3,000-ft monoliths carved by actual glaciers—and you can drive to the view in a Prius. Below is a jet-lag-proof 2-day loop that ticks every icon without turning your calves into beef-jerky. 🚗 GETTING THERE Fast: I-580 E → I-205 E → CA-120 E (Groveland entrance) = 3 h 30 m door-to-door from SF in light traffic. Winter detour: CA-140 through Mariposa when 120 closes for snow. No tollbooth—pay $35 at the park kiosks; credit card only after 10 p.m. 🏠 SLEEP BASE Inside the park = less driving, more sunrise. • Yosemite Valley Lodge – steps to Falls, heated pool, bike rental. • Curry Village “tent-cabins” – cheapest roof, bear-proof lockers, star-show included. Book 6 months out; cancellations drop at 8 a.m. PST—set an alarm. 📸 2-DAY ICON RUN DAY 1 – “Get Wet, Get High” 0500 Coffee in car; hit Mist Trail parking by 06:30 (lot fills by 08:00). 0645 MIST TRAIL – 1.5 mi / 1 h to Vernal Fall footbridge. Double-rainbow mist = keep phone in zip-lock. Continue 0.7 mi stone steps DAY 2 – “Big Wall, Big Water” 0530 Shuttle stop → Upper Yosemite Fall trailhead (saves 0.8 mi walk on road). 0600 UPPER YOSEMITE FALL TRAIL – relentless switch-backs, 3.5 mi / 3,200 ft gain to top. Shortcut: Oh-My-Gosh Point at 1 mi gives postcard shot of 1,430-ft upper fall—plenty if your lungs file a complaint. 1100 Descend; ice-cream sandwich at Village Store ($6 but you’ve earned it). 1300 Tunnel View – 10-min stop, Wawona Tunnel lot. Classic El Cap left, Bridalveil right, Half Dome center—same angle as macOS wallpaper since OS X 10.10. Use 24 mm to avoid “selfie-arm” distortion. 1400 Late lunch at The Ahwahnee (Majestic) dining room—vaulted pine ceiling + 50-ft windows. Splurge on lamb burger ($28) or just order coffee and ogle the architecture; no one blinks. 1500 Rent cruiser bike at Valley Lodge → loop 12 mi round-trip to Mirror Lake (actually a seasonal pool). Afternoon light bounces off Half Dome reflection—zero hiking required. 1730 Return bike, dip feet in Merced River, start drive back to SF by 19:00; home ~22:30 with In-N-Out shake in hand. 🧗 EL CAP & HALF DOME DEEP CUTS • El Capitan Meadow – bring 200 mm lens to spot orange-dot climbers at 3 p.m. when sun hits the wall. Every dot = a human bivouacked on a porta-ledge smaller than your desk. • North-West Face of Half Dome – NW Face is the 2,000-ft cliff that birthed THE NORTH FACE logo. Best wide-shot from Glacier Point or Washburn Point (1 mi drive further, always empty). 🌊 WATERFALL CALENDAR April–May = fire-hose season; expect mist so heavy Vernal Fall feels like a car-wash. June–July = manageable flow, perfect rainbows. Aug–Oct = narrower falls but still photogenic; by late fall upper fall often dry. ⚠️ SAFETY & ETIQUETTE • Mist Trail granite = polished ice when wet; micro-spikes save dignity. • Bear boxes: anything scented goes in—coconut lip-balm included. • No drones, no feeding wildlife, no rock-stack art (leave cairns to rangers). 📦 PACK LIST 1 L water per person on Mist; 2 L minimum for Upper Fall. Brim hat + cheap poncho (mist soak). Headlamp for pre-dawn starts and Glacier Point night exit. Layers: valley 90 °F, summit 50 °F, shade 40 °F swing normal. #US #CA #Sonoma

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Riley Stone
Riley Stone
5 months ago
Riley Stone
Riley Stone
5 months ago
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A “China’s Huangshan Meets California” Crash-Course

Only 260 km east of San Francisco, Yosemite NP is the Western Hemisphere’s geological selfie-stick: 1,200 sq-miles of cathedral cliffs, ribbon waterfalls and meadows so perfectly framed they feel green-screened. If Huangshan greets you with granite spires in sea-of-clouds, Yosemite answers with 3,000-ft monoliths carved by actual glaciers—and you can drive to the view in a Prius. Below is a jet-lag-proof 2-day loop that ticks every icon without turning your calves into beef-jerky. 🚗 GETTING THERE Fast: I-580 E → I-205 E → CA-120 E (Groveland entrance) = 3 h 30 m door-to-door from SF in light traffic. Winter detour: CA-140 through Mariposa when 120 closes for snow. No tollbooth—pay $35 at the park kiosks; credit card only after 10 p.m. 🏠 SLEEP BASE Inside the park = less driving, more sunrise. • Yosemite Valley Lodge – steps to Falls, heated pool, bike rental. • Curry Village “tent-cabins” – cheapest roof, bear-proof lockers, star-show included. Book 6 months out; cancellations drop at 8 a.m. PST—set an alarm. 📸 2-DAY ICON RUN DAY 1 – “Get Wet, Get High” 0500 Coffee in car; hit Mist Trail parking by 06:30 (lot fills by 08:00). 0645 MIST TRAIL – 1.5 mi / 1 h to Vernal Fall footbridge. Double-rainbow mist = keep phone in zip-lock. Continue 0.7 mi stone steps DAY 2 – “Big Wall, Big Water” 0530 Shuttle stop → Upper Yosemite Fall trailhead (saves 0.8 mi walk on road). 0600 UPPER YOSEMITE FALL TRAIL – relentless switch-backs, 3.5 mi / 3,200 ft gain to top. Shortcut: Oh-My-Gosh Point at 1 mi gives postcard shot of 1,430-ft upper fall—plenty if your lungs file a complaint. 1100 Descend; ice-cream sandwich at Village Store ($6 but you’ve earned it). 1300 Tunnel View – 10-min stop, Wawona Tunnel lot. Classic El Cap left, Bridalveil right, Half Dome center—same angle as macOS wallpaper since OS X 10.10. Use 24 mm to avoid “selfie-arm” distortion. 1400 Late lunch at The Ahwahnee (Majestic) dining room—vaulted pine ceiling + 50-ft windows. Splurge on lamb burger ($28) or just order coffee and ogle the architecture; no one blinks. 1500 Rent cruiser bike at Valley Lodge → loop 12 mi round-trip to Mirror Lake (actually a seasonal pool). Afternoon light bounces off Half Dome reflection—zero hiking required. 1730 Return bike, dip feet in Merced River, start drive back to SF by 19:00; home ~22:30 with In-N-Out shake in hand. 🧗 EL CAP & HALF DOME DEEP CUTS • El Capitan Meadow – bring 200 mm lens to spot orange-dot climbers at 3 p.m. when sun hits the wall. Every dot = a human bivouacked on a porta-ledge smaller than your desk. • North-West Face of Half Dome – NW Face is the 2,000-ft cliff that birthed THE NORTH FACE logo. Best wide-shot from Glacier Point or Washburn Point (1 mi drive further, always empty). 🌊 WATERFALL CALENDAR April–May = fire-hose season; expect mist so heavy Vernal Fall feels like a car-wash. June–July = manageable flow, perfect rainbows. Aug–Oct = narrower falls but still photogenic; by late fall upper fall often dry. ⚠️ SAFETY & ETIQUETTE • Mist Trail granite = polished ice when wet; micro-spikes save dignity. • Bear boxes: anything scented goes in—coconut lip-balm included. • No drones, no feeding wildlife, no rock-stack art (leave cairns to rangers). 📦 PACK LIST 1 L water per person on Mist; 2 L minimum for Upper Fall. Brim hat + cheap poncho (mist soak). Headlamp for pre-dawn starts and Glacier Point night exit. Layers: valley 90 °F, summit 50 °F, shade 40 °F swing normal. #US #CA #Sonoma

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