Day 13 - Yosemite National Park

Shortly after sunrise, we reached our first destination of the day, Glacier Point. From this magnificent viewpoint at 2,200 meters, you have a great view over the entire Yosemite Valley and the famous Half Dome. The landscape shone in the morning sun and we were glad to be here so early. In addition to the great light, it also had the advantage that there were hardly any visitors here at this time of day. So you could enjoy the view in peace and quiet.

Michelle was once again interested in the local forest inhabitants and took lots of pictures of squirrels and other fluffy animals. :-)

When more and more people arrived at the viewpoint, we drove down to the valley to get some excursion tips at the Visitor Center. During the drive, you become aware of how big this park is. Here are some key facts about Yosemite National Park:

Yosemite National Park is one of the most fascinating and breathtaking landscapes in California. It is located about 240 kilometers east of San Francisco in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, which stretches over 500 kilometers in length and over 100 kilometers in width through the eastern part of California. With a total area of ​​over 3,080 square kilometers and an altitude between 609 and 3,962 meters, the park covers one of the most beautiful mountain valleys in the world.

The area of ​​today's park was the first to be officially planned as a park by the federal government of the United States. The park was created in 1864 on the basis of California law and taken over by the federal government in 1890. In 1984 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as its impressive granite rocks, waterfalls and clear streams, groves of giant sequoias and its biodiversity are known worldwide.

Our hike today on the "Mist Trail" took us up to Vernal Fall, a very beautiful waterfall on a rock wall in just under 2 hours.

And there was a lot to see along the way.

And yes, of course, there were squirrels here too...

And now we're firing up the grill on our balcony and enjoying a delicious BBQ!