What is the overwhelming attraction of Yosemite?

[irishman]

Disclaimer: I have never personally been to Yosemite.

This forum is stuffed full of shots from Yosemite. Yesterday I go to Barnes and Noble and buy two things---the newest "Outdoor Photographer" and an Ansel Adams book of his 400 best shots. On the cover of Outdoor Photographer is a shot of Yosemite (very mediocre), and Adams's book is chock full of Yosemite pictures---22 alone of Half Dome. Most shots are taken from the same vantage point which I can close my eyes and see clearly. To me, Yosemite is just "OK". Personally, I can look out my bathroom window and have more interesting scenery. A friend of mine goes to Yosemite every summer. I finally convinced her to try Zion, Bryce and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. After much arm twisting she relented and upon her return could not thank me enough! Her Yosemite days are over. I guess my question is: Is it some sort of spiritual pull that attracts such large numbers of people, or is it more the close proximity to major metropolitan areas? I'm not inviting a flame war, just curious.

[rgmcleod]

I think it's just a beautiful place. If you go often, the "Awe" of Yosemite can retreat and diminish, but for the first timer it can be WOW! But I guess great places don't make great photographs, great photographers do.

[gjl711]

One has to wonder where you live for your toilet to offer better scenery than Yosemite. Granted that Yosemite is not the only scenic place on earth, but it's got to be way up on the list.

[Duder]

you need to go to Yosemite, and if you come back still unimpressed.....we'll have you carted off to the loony house.:razz:

[ayotnoms]

Like all natural wonders, the sheer scale of the place makes person feel small to the point of insignificance. It just overwhelms you. I remember standing at Glacier Point and being able to hear the roar of the water from Nevada Falls way off in the distance.

I have agree with the previous poster that repeated visits would probably cause the awe to diminish.

Finally, if you get the chance visit the place for yourself and make your own determination. I'd venture to guess that you'll find it a tad different from the view outside your bathroom. :)

[short5]

Personally, I can look out my bathroom window and have more interesting scenery. You have buffalo, bears, elk, wolves, coyotes, geysers, mountains, and many other similar things outside your bathroom window:shock:? Sounds like a wonderful place to crap.

[sparker1]

You have buffalo, bears, elk, wolves, coyotes, geysers, mountains, and many other similar things outside your bathroom window:shock:? Sounds like a wonderful place to crap.

Three trips to Yosemite and I've never seen a buffalo, elk, wolves, coyotes or geysers. Sounds more like Yellowstone, a place that some worship much like some worship Yosemite. I personally like both those parks, but feel that many others (including those in Utah and Colorado) are right up there with them. I don't know why there are more Yosemite fans on this forum than fans of other parks.

[adamp88]

Disclaimer: I have never personally been to Yosemite.

Well there ya go. :)

To me the draw is that so much incredible beauty is packed into such a (relatively) small geographic space, and so much of it is accessible. If you're just going for the tourist spots, there's tons of those, but if you're up for some hiking/camping, a whole other world opens up.

It's hard to put into words. It might seem stale if all you've ever seen are shots taken from the same place, but I guarantee you, no matter how tired you might get of seeing pictures taken from Tunnel View, stand there in person during a colorful sunrise/sunset, or as a winter storm clears away, or even a plain midday with a few clouds in the sky, and you'll understand why there are so many pictures. :)

[gjl711]

...To me the draw is that so much incredible beauty is packed into such a (relatively) small geographic space, and so much of it is accessible. If you're just going for the tourist spots, there's tons of those, but if you're up for some hiking/camping, a whole other world opens up. King's Canyon is a lot like that as well. You have the tourist spots like the General Sherman tree, where everyone parks, snaps their pic and heads on to the next attraction. But get out of the car, throw on a backpack and head up one of the trails and within an hour your seeing some spectacular scenery.

[Tsmith]

Although I loved my trip to Yosemite\Sequoia NP the summer before last my recent visit to Glacier NP really intrigued me even more so, even my wife.

[tenoverthenose]

I live a few minutes from the park and I love it. Its truly a beautiful place, but like others have said, most of the park is outside of the "tourist spots". There are plenty of amazing places to visit that actually require -gasp- hiking and maybe even and overnight trek. Some of my favorite shots of Yosemite were taken by locals who know their way around and have worked hard to get into the right place to take a shot.

[Bill Boehme]

Well, Not everybody is impressed by scenery that is overwhelming and which photographs do a less than adequate job of depicting.

While there in October, one of the park Rangers asked everyone in our group as we were taking a nature walk why we came there and what was our impression of the place. Next, the Ranger said that only one person has ever told him that they did not like Yosemite. He asked the lady if she would like to share the reason that she did not like it, and her answer was that, "there's nothing but rocks, trees and water here". I guess that she was looking for the theme park and hadn't found it yet.

I have seen coyotes, deer, bears, and squirrels there. I think that you will have a hard time finding buffalo or woolly mammoths there.

[short5]

Three trips to Yosemite and I've never seen a buffalo, elk, wolves, coyotes or geysers. Sounds more like Yellowstone.My Bad.
They both start with Y:rolleyes: You are right. In my limited travels out west I went through Yellowstone and was impressed with the amount of wildlife.

[BillsBayou]

... Personally, I can look out my bathroom window and have more interesting scenery...


Funny you say that. I get more interesting scenery by looking INTO my neighbors' bathroom windows.

[Seefutlung]

Yosemite is considered as one of the most beautiful place in the world.

You should hold back your opinion until you have the expertise to make said opinion (i.e visit the valley ... but you'll probably won't have an open mind if you ever do visit Yosemite.)

[20droger]

And everyone needs an open maid.

[gjl711]

Funny you say that. I get more interesting scenery by looking INTO my neighbors' bathroom windows.
Hmm... stuff like that here can get you arrested especially if you're standing on a ladder to do so. ;)

[liquidhands]

Yosemite probably is more popular than other parks because of its proximity to major metropolitan areas. Also, the crusade to preserve the park is more important and public than trying to protect a place where ppl don't live anyway. this is especially pointed with the loss of hech heche.
Of course the valley is beautiful and everyone should visit... but just once... there are too many dang ppl there these days.

[Marine 3]

Personally, I can look out my bathroom window and have more interesting scenery.
Well, If you live in such a great location such as yellowstone or the grand canyon and that is your view, maybe you have a point. If you live in some suburb of a major city or even the sticks in general I find your synopsis of your view from the can a bit skewed. Or in other words I doubt very much that your view is better then all of Yosemite. It's rather large and has a lot to offer.

I've been to yosemite once and I have every intention of going back. Maybe a portion of the love of these places is the lack of proximity to them. I have to travel 24 - 30 hours to get to yellowstone and find it is well worth it every time I get there, now 4 times. But living where I do, in suburbia, it is hard to get great scenery of any kind, especially from the toilet I sit upon.

[KirkHMB]

I think Yosemite's reputation of making you go Awwwww is well deserved. The first time you come out at tunnel view will take your breath away, most pictures don't do it justice. Also, you need to see it in multiple season to really appreciate the beauty. Stand at the base of El Cap, look straight up, and try to not be impressed. Stand on Glacier Point, look over at Half Dome............................

I think Zion, Bryce, Canyons are probably equally beautiful, especially in season.

[Mark_Cohran]

In 2003 I took a 4 week long road trip to the following places:

Oregon Pacific Coast Highway to the National Redwood Forest.
Yosemite, then Tioga Pass to the ghost town of Bodie, CA.
Through Death Valley (spending a couple of days there), then on to Las Vegas.
From Vegas to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for 5 days.
Then off to Bryce and Zion, then through Utah and Idaho, then to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons the Snake River Valley, and back into Oregon via the Columbia River Gorge.

I would rate Yosemite as very near the top of those places for beauty. The place that surprised me most was Death Valley. But, I sure wouldn't be knocking Yosemite if I hadn't been there. :)

Mark

[Becca]

I thought the same thing about the Grand Canyon. Nice photos, looked pretty... but what was the big deal? I even rafted the canyon and thought... nice, pretty, but "Grand"? (You just don't get the scope of the thing from the bottom!) Then I took a trip back to the canyon and stood on the rim. The most awe-inspiring site I've ever seen.

I'm sure it would be the same way with Yosemite. The photos just don't do it justice.

[irishman]

Yosemite is considered as one of the most beautiful place in the world.

You should hold back your opinion until you have the expertise to make said opinion (i.e visit the valley ... but you'll probably won't have an open mind if you ever do visit Yosemite.)

Ouch! Sensitive? Before you accuse me of having a closed mind, re-read my original post and tell me exactly where I disparaged "your" park? Perhaps because I'm more of a canyon man than a mountain man and prefer the wild colors of the southwest to the grey granite of that part of the Sierra's I'm just curious of what the attraction is. I live near a town in Arizona (Sedona) that supposedly has 3 "vortex's", spiritual openings in the earth's crust. I don't understand that, either. I suppose that makes me closed minded as well?

[rdricks]

Different places for different people. I grew up in the Colorado. I spent much of my time in Rocky Mountain NP and around Yellowstone/Grand Teton. Beautiful country. However, I personally prefer the ocean. I have many beautiful shots of the mountains, but my vacations (and as a result photos) tend to revolve more around ocean landscapes.

Some folks prefer mountains, some deserts, some ocean, some tundra, some (whatever I left off).

Having said that, Yosemite is high on my list of places to see (That and Glacier National Park).

-Ryan

[gjl711]

...Some folks prefer mountains, some deserts, some ocean, some tundra, some (whatever I left off). ...
I think folks like to vacation somewhere different. I live in the flatlands of Illinois and love to go to the mountains as I have none here. Well, there is Mount Trashmore, but a giant heap of garbage just doesn’t cut it as a vacation spot. ;):)

[cosworth]

I have only flown over Yosemite and have seen a million shots of it. No desire to go. I have landscapes 2 hours from me that make yosemite look like a park in East LA.

Nice place but yeah, pilgrimages (read the plurality there) are pointless unless you missed a shot and NEED to go back.

Grand Canyon, Olympia range, Death Valley, Bonneville, Niagra - the list goes on. The US has some great scneery but yeah, take a couple shots and hit another palce.

[Seefutlung]

Ouch! Sensitive? Before you accuse me of having a closed mind, re-read my original post and tell me exactly where I disparaged "your" park? Perhaps because I'm more of a canyon man than a mountain man and prefer the wild colors of the southwest to the grey granite of that part of the Sierra's I'm just curious of what the attraction is. I live near a town in Arizona (Sedona) that supposedly has 3 "vortex's", spiritual openings in the earth's crust. I don't understand that, either. I suppose that makes me closed minded as well?

No offense, but (the big but), to me your opening remarks came off a bit on the negative side. As such, I figured if you ever visited Yosemite, you would "probably", (again I am using the word "probably" because I don't know you so I have to generalize/guess as to how you would react), with the intent of defending your words as opposed to being open to nature at its best.

And Yosemite isn't my park, it belongs to all Americans ... but Yosemite is so special that it should belong to all people, just like the Grand Canyon, et cetera (inset your fav natural wonder here _____ .)

If you ever make it to Yosemite, the trails to the back country are equally appealing as the canyon floor. Make sure you stop at Kings Canyon around the bend, home to the Giant Sequoias standing 200'+ tall. Entering Kings Canyon, especially in the morning, you may find yourself in a thick, wet, blanket of fog and mist. The trees are just shadows, dark shapes in a gray world. Then a veil is lowered and you seem surrounded by these incredibly huge giants. You can feel your neck bend in an unaccustomed manner as you start gazing skyward ... looking for a top ... an end. There isn't a top, no end in sight for these trees, all you can see is a middle, the uppermost lost in the grayness. The wet fog creates a muffled church-like silence observed by all creatures. I felt that it was an honor to be able to reach out and touch the wet bark of a living thing so old and large and beautiful.

In the early morning mist, a walk amongst and between these living giants ... is the closest thing I've ever experienced to a religious experience.

Gary

PS- I'm an ocean/coast type of guy, but Yosemite is still .... well ... just it's absolutely lovely .. and when the light is right ... it will leave you breathless.
G

[nwyman]

I went to Yosemite back in August of 2001. Crowds were down - everyone said it was the wrong time of year to go, but that was the only time I had the opportunity.
I had seen it in pictures.
I had seen it on TV.

Seeing it in person was the reason I took up photography. Would love to go back with my 40D now, but will have to be content with the photos I took with a disposable camera at the time.

It's a magical place.

[KirkHMB]

Perhaps because I'm more of a canyon man than a mountain man and prefer the wild colors of the southwest to the grey granite of that part of the Sierra's I'm just curious of what the attraction is. I live near a town in Arizona (Sedona) that supposedly has 3 "vortex's", spiritual openings in the earth's crust. I don't understand that

Well, since you don't understand the vortices (either++), that means you're not a complete freak (humor intended). (++Either implying "me too").

Sedona is another place that is gorgeous, and can make quite an impression on people. [Unfortunately, due to its lack of protection as a national park (is it a state park?), they are destroying it with commercialism and building.] So yeah, compared to Sedona, Yosemite might not impress you much. But, Yosemite isn't all grey granite. Catch it in season, and it can be snow white, autumn colored, spring green with misty overtones, summer sunburn red.......... I've been in fall, and winter so far, still haven't caught spring, don't want to catch summer. Yosemite's valley floor can be quite the canyon, the high country can be mountainous. The back side descending into Mono can be very canyon-like. I think trying to categorize Yosemite fails due to the vast area it covers, and the differences in terrain as you move around it.


Crud, and now I gotta go dig out my Sedona in winter pictures as well as the Yosemite shots. You guys and gals are fueling my creativity and making me want to get out and shoot more.

And I live at the beach (near Mavericks and Half Moon Bay, CA), so that's why I prefer the mountains. Stupid, I know.

[Mike55]

Three trips to Yosemite and I've never seen a buffalo, elk, wolves, coyotes or geysers. Sounds more like Yellowstone, a place that some worship much like some worship Yosemite. I personally like both those parks, but feel that many others (including those in Utah and Colorado) are right up there with them. I don't know why there are more Yosemite fans on this forum than fans of other parks.



The most complete parks in the lower 48 are Yellowstone/Grand Teton(six miles apart) and Glacier. No other parks can even come close to the full representation of native wildlife. These parks also are the wildest ecosystems in the lower 48. They are still home to the grizzly bear and the wolverine, the two most development sensitive animals in North America. In Glacier alone, rare predator upon rare predator is stacked in spectacular narrow valleys.

If you seek varied and rare wildlife, wilderness, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, forests , mountains, and the largest intact ecosystems, these are your places in the lower 48. They have no peer.

[squashed]

Exactly, you cant base an opinion by not being there. I live 50 minutes from the gate. Its not just Yosemite thats beautiful, its everything that surrounds Yosemite too.

[Mike55]

I have only flown over Yosemite and have seen a million shots of it. No desire to go. I have landscapes 2 hours from me that make yosemite look like a park in East LA.


So you guys have the world's oldest and largest living creatures up
there?

Yosemite has giant sequoia trees. There are two national parks south of Yosemite that have them as well. No one else in the world does.

Yeah I guess that's "ho hum"...... :lol:

[Tandem]

The attraction of much of the national park system is accessibility and the fact that all the attractions are mapped out for you. You can enjoy them with the whole family - even with those members that have limited mobility. These places wouldn't be near as popular without the highways that lead right up to and throughout them.

I have hiked and biked through areas of the western US that rival the best that the national parks have to offer. Some of it close to home. The difference is that those places are much harder to get to and don't have restrooms and a visitor center around the next bend.

[20droger]

I have hiked and biked through areas of the western US that rival the best that the national parks have to offer. Some of it close to home. The difference is that those places are much harder to get to and don't have restrooms and a visitor center around the next bend.
So make like a bear! Man survived a long time without restrooms OR visitor centors (inns).

[squashed]

So you guys have the world's oldest and largest living creatures up
there?

Yosemite has giant sequoia trees. There are two national parks south of Yosemite that have them as well. No one else in the world does.

Yeah I guess that's "ho hum"...... :lol:

Thats not even counting the Bristlecone Pines which are older and they are only 1 1/2 hrs from Yosemite.

[Mike55]

I have hiked and biked through areas of the western US that rival the best that the national parks have to offer. Some of it close to home. The difference is that those places are much harder to get to and don't have restrooms and a visitor center around the next bend.


There's no question that many national forests and BLM lands can offer just as great of an experience as the designated parks. But what's great about the truly big parks in the lower 48(Yellowstone, Glacier) is that by just walking a mile off the road, you begin to enter serious backcountry.

But I will say this:

A visitor center and restrooms bordering 3 million acres of wilderness is much wilder than a gravel road leading to a 50,000 acre roadless area.

[Tandem]

There's no question that many national forests and BLM lands can offer just as great of an experience as the designated parks. But what's great about the truly big parks in the lower 48(Yellowstone, Glacier) is that by just walking a mile off the road, you begin to enter serious backcountry.

But I will say this:

A visitor center and restrooms bordering 3 million acres of wilderness is much wilder than a gravel road leading to a 50,000 acre roadless area.
Good points and if you get to the trailhead early and leave late you can avoid most of the tourist gridlock.

[Bill Boehme]

I have only flown over Yosemite and have seen a million shots of it. No desire to go. I have landscapes 2 hours from me that make yosemite look like a park in East LA.

Nice place but yeah, pilgrimages (read the plurality there) are pointless unless you missed a shot and NEED to go back.

Grand Canyon, Olympia range, Death Valley, Bonneville, Niagra - the list goes on. The US has some great scneery but yeah, take a couple shots and hit another palce.

There are many places in Canada that I have not been, but have seen "millions" :rolleyes: of pictures. I would not be so rude as to to make dismissive remarks about those places based on my infinite wisdom gained by not having gone there.

[misfit]

Getting back to the OP, the allure of Yosemite for me lies in a sense of feeling home. I've been to Yosemite 3 times, each in a different season. Each time I have had differing experiences. The thing that drew me to Yosemite was an image of Tuolumne Meadows, it is a simple landscape with long golden grass stretching out towards the various dome formations flanked by pines and alpine rivers flowing towards the Yosemite valley, I was dissapointed not to have made it up to the meadows on the firt two trips. This year I visited the spot i saw in the image, I put down all my gear, sat down and tears filled my eyes, I don't know why? I also forgot to take a picture of that scene, doh. :lol:

It's not so much a drive through, look at the scenery, take a few snapshots for the holiday album and go home. Yosemite needs to be discovered, there are wonderful things that lie beyond the scenic drives, and of course you have to visit at the right time to get the best that Yosemite has to offer.

I don't mean to Stereotype, but most of the tourists at the National Parks I have visited seem to expect things to happen for them and not look out for themselves. Go figure.

Oh and the brownies in the cafe next to the shop at Tuolumne just happen to be the best brownies ever.........

Bryan

[OdiN1701]

If you have never personally been - you don't and will not understand.

Going through the tunnel for the first time, and coming out seeing the magnificent Yosemite Valley before you - there isn't any experience quite like it. It is an awesome and wonderous place that you simply must visit once in your life.

Yes other places can cause a sense of wonder, but that's not to say that they take away from Yosemite. Yes, it can be hard to get a photograph there that hasn't been done before, but it's possible. I attached one of my favorites. Lighting in the Valley can be hard to adjust for at times - and sometimes it's a matter of "right place, right time" with weather and everything.

But do yourself a favor and go visit Yosemite. You will not regret it.

[OdiN1701]

In 2003 I took a 4 week long road trip to the following places:

Oregon Pacific Coast Highway to the National Redwood Forest.
Yosemite, then Tioga Pass to the ghost town of Bodie, CA.
Through Death Valley (spending a couple of days there), then on to Las Vegas.
From Vegas to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for 5 days.
Then off to Bryce and Zion, then through Utah and Idaho, then to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons the Snake River Valley, and back into Oregon via the Columbia River Gorge.

I would rate Yosemite as very near the top of those places for beauty. The place that surprised me most was Death Valley. But, I sure wouldn't be knocking Yosemite if I hadn't been there. :)

Mark

Death valley is an amazing place as well. I have several really awesome pictures from there.

[Mark_Cohran]

Death valley is an amazing place as well. I have several really awesome pictures from there.

I absolutely agree. On a road trip a few years ago, my wife wanted to stop in Death Valley for a couple of days. I wasn't too keen on it, but I could tell she really wanted to stay there. Some of the best shots of the trip came from there!

[20droger]

Almost anywhere man has not yet erased the handiwork of the Creator is beautiful: all beautiful, all different, all worth capturing.