getaway
BREAK CLEAR AWAY IN YOSEMITE Words + Photos by Julia Clarke
N
ot even a lifetime in the Rockies can
sun-dappled groves of giant sequoia trees,
prepare you for the sweeping majesty of
colorful meadows blanketed in wildflowers and
Yosemite National Park. No matter how many
dance in the mist of Vernal Falls. When you’re
times I go, my heart leaps each time I pop out
seeking a change of scenery after a busy summer
of Wawona Tunnel and get my first glimpse of
but can’t really bear to leave the mountains
the valley spread out before me. Tunnel View
behind, Yosemite makes the perfect fall getaway.
reveals a vast glacier-carved valley, framed by
The thundering waterfalls that materialize
the majestic rock monoliths of El Capitan and
in the spring slow to a mere trickle by summer’s
Half Dome and dusted by the spray of Bridal Veil
end, but so do the crowds. The trails are quieter,
Falls. Each time, I can’t help but pull over and
the days still long enough to explore and, with
get out to breathe in the view and the scent of
daytime highs in the low 70s and overnight
California pine.
lows in the low 40s, the conditions are perfect
After Tunnel View, the adventures here come thick and fast. In a few days here, you’ll discover
68
for hiking and camping. Oh, and the mosquitos? They’re long gone.
