Yosemite Valley – Tunnel View

This is the classic view point for the Yosemite Valley. Its the one that any one who has an interest in Yosemite has seen.
I’ve added my photo to the millions of others… This time we visited the valley was the day after the big Memorial Day weekend. The crowds were still there (it’s Yosemite, after all!) but not in the crushing numbers we were told had been there over the holiday.
Beatiful, magical even if it’s over crowded!

«Valley View» is about as 5 stars as you get at Yosemite… and for many, many reasons.
Some people have a hard time finding this spot because its name of «Valley View» is an unofficial name. If you are looking at a map, you might want to look for the «Bridalveil Fall Viewing Point» instead. Thats how its listed on most maps, including Google. As other people have put before, this was one of Ansel Adams favorite spots to shoot from, and there’s a reason why. To be honest, if something was Ansel Adams favorite you really should not be asking why, but I will explain.
Sure, THOUSANDS of people get off at Tunnel View to see the grand overall view of the great Yosemite Valley. For many people if you came as a kid Tunnel View might have been your first look at Yosemite, so it holds a special place in many people’s hearts. But Valley view in my opinion and many other people’s opinion is a much better spot to hang out at.
Let’s put it this way. If I only had 30 minutes to be in Yosemite to take pictures and hang out. (Yes, its happened before… full moon, Christmas…) and I had to choose ONE spot to go, this would be it.
If you can’t figure out from all the majestic pictures that everyone can post from their cell phones, I will explain why you will always see lots of us pro/​amateur photographers at this spot. Instead of being thousands of feet above and away from the Valley up at Tunnel View, here you get almost the same view but MUCH more up close and personal. What’s really awesome is that even though many people know about it, Glacier Point this is not… for the most part you don’t get hundreds of people here all at once. Sure at sunset or sunrise you may get a bunch of people and photographers, but we might be talking about 40 – 50 instead of hundreds at Glacier Point or Tunnel View.
Another amazing thing about Valley View is where it’s situated and the parking. Its actually one of the easiest spots to park, walk around, get your pictures and soak up the amazingness of nature, then get in your car and leave the WHOLE PARK. Its literally on your way out of the valley, and if you have ever been to Yosemite you know the whole place is basically a one way loop, and this is at the very end of that loop as you are leaving the park, and you really have to know where it is or you will drive right by it. Check your map, but as you are driving along Northside Drive on your way out of the park to where the road splits in two ways (one way is the 120, the other way is the 140 and 41) about ½ a mile before that split if you look carefully on your left hand side there will be a parking lot… with maybe 20 spots in it. Thats it! No big signs, and hence usually the absence of HUGE crowds.
Don’t worry, if you miss it just go left at the split in the road and take that road as if you are coming into the park again. This also works as a faster way to get here if you are coming into the park and want to go to this spot first. Drive on the two lane one way road coming into the park, and not too far after the pull off spot where everyone stops to take pictures of El Capitan you will see a left turn onto a small road. Turn left there, that is El Capitan Drive. Drive for 1 minute and then turn left onto Northside Drive again like you are leaving the park and that little parking lot should be on your left hand side in a few minutes.
Once you know where it is, you can’t miss it again. The only thing missing here are restrooms, so if you gotta go… use the Bridalveil Fall parking lot bathrooms or one of the other handy nearby restrooms.
Just remember, bring a camera or a chair to sit in… if you sit quietly and there aren’t many people around, you just might feel like John Muir for a moment.
Yep, its really that good.
:0)

5 stars. Valley View (sometimes called Gates of the Valley) was one of Ansel Adams’ favorite spots. For a photography buff, it offers a variety of compositions. Most photographers hop out of the car and start with the «classic» horizontal compositions that include El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall, and Cathedral Rocks with the Merced River in the foreground. Once you get these essential basics out of your system, try some vertical compositions of El Capitan. Just downstream from the parking lot, you’ll find the river, with its rocks, rapids, grasses, and reflections, makes a nice foreground for these vertical compositions. A little upstream are nice views of Bridalveil framed by trees.

Einer der schönsten Viewpoints im Yosemite National Park ist sicherlich der spektakuläre Valley View Point. Man findet diesen am One-​way Northside Drive bevor man auf die Pohono Bridge kommt.
Man ist von diesem Postkartenmotiv einfach nur überwältigt und morgens um 10.00 Uhr konnte man die Ruhe genießen. Außer uns waren nur ein paar professionelle Fotografen anwesend, die das einzigartige Panorama bildlich festhalten wollten.
Links kann man den El Captain sehen und in der Mitte kann man einen Teil des Half Domes erkennen. Der vorbeifließende Merced River und die Grasfläche Bridalveil Meadow komplettieren das Gesamtbild. Auf einem riesigen Baumstamm konnte man es sich gemütlich machen, um dieses einmalige Panorama auf sich wirken zu lassen.
Während ich das einmalige Naturschauspiel mit der Kamera festgehalten habe, waren unsere Kinder dabei beschäftigt auf den Felsbrocken im Wasser zu balancieren. Das Wasser des Merced River war nicht besonders tief, so dass nur nasse Schuhe drohten. Wenn man später hier ankommt, wird man mit Busladungen von Touristen konfrontiert und die Parkplätze werden dann zur Mangelware.
Von hier aus kann man dann Richtung Tioga Road oder zum Glacier Point weiterfahren. Diesen Stopp sollte man bei einem Besuch des Parks auf keinen Fall auslassen.

so freaking pretty. i saw a grizzly. it was majestic. i never want to leave. waterfalls flippin’ everywhere. eff yeah.