Yosemite Photo Trip

I am planning for a photo trip to Yosemite later this year (Septemper onwards). Will this be a good time to visit the place? Would a week too long or too short to photograph the park?<P>

As this would be my first trip to America, I would prefer to join some local photo tour groups. Would appricaite if someone can provide information on this area.<P>

If I'm really on my own, how much would I be expected to spend (accomodataion and food, transportation etc) per day in the park? <P>

Lastly, do I need to make reseveration with park or the specific lodging house?

Several points to remember when visiting Yosemite:

 

<p>

 

1. Due to severe flooding earlier this year accomodations in the park may be hard to get. Both campgrounds and rooms are in short supply. Many roads are damaged or washed out. The Park Service may restrict entry into Yosemite. Perhaps some of the California people can update us on this.

 

<p>

 

2. The water falls tend to dry out by August and do not return to reasonable levels of water until the rain and snow start in October. Depending upon weather and how late in September you visit you may get lucky and see water in the water falls. I have been in Yosmeite in mid September and seen nothing but dry rocks.

If I were you, I would search for them on the web. They have a page, and it gives phone numbers, information about the various shelter options, etc. They take reservations a year in advance. It is very hard to get into the main lodge, and when I called a month or so ago, they were booked up well into October at the main lodge. Occasionally there are cancellations. Call them, but be prepared to wait listening to music - they are even worse than B&H in this regard. :-) Once you get through to them, they will be happy to sell you (for $10) a packet for planning your trip, including maps, calendar of events, newsletter, etc.

If you can you should go there now. I just came back from there, and the water falls are amazingly nice. However the majority of the high country trail remains closed by this time (mainly at the eastern side).

 

<p>

 

Also they just opened the Tioga road a week before(not at the time when I was there:( ) and probably it's still not too crowded.

 

<p>

 

September will be too late if you plan to see water falls and wild flowers, but is a nice(and less crowded) time if you want to do anything else.

For Yosemite on the Web, try the Natiuonal Park Service;s home page. I think they are at www.nps.gov. You can then search for parks by name, state, or region.

 

<p>

 

Reseervations are a definite must. Yosemite fills up quickly.

 

<p>

 

Enjoy your trip.

Any time is a good time to visit Yosemite. The waterfalls may not be in action, but there are plenty of other scenic attractions. Check out <http://www.halfdome.com/> and <http://www.nps.gov/yose/yo_visit.htm> for some enticing information.

 

<p>

 

The Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite Valley conducts photo walks on Sunday and Wednesdays, so finding a local photo tour group is as easy as showing up at 9 a.m.

 

<p>

 

Staying in the park hotels is very expensive ($75-$200 per day, I believe), but compared to overseas travel probably not out of the question. I always stay in my tent when I go to Yosemite, but then I'm only four hours from home. If you want to stay in a tent, you will need reservations for Yosemite Valley campgrounds. However, there will be camping space available outside the valley. If you need more information, feel free to email me at <sspohn@concentric.net> and I'll do my best to get you prices on hotels in the Valley or other information you need.

I just noticed the web addresses didn't come through in my reply above. Lesson: don't use angle brackets inside responses.

 

<p>

 

Web sites for Yosemite information:

http://www.halfdome.com

http://www.nps.gov/yose/yo_visit.htm

 

<p>

 

My email address is below.

 

<p>

 

Darron

I was in Yosemite one month ago. It was my first time there and ... well, it is a real paradise !!! Best place on earth ?

 

<p>

 

True, it was not crowded at all at this moment of the year and I cannot imagine being there during the summer. Believe me, Yosemite without the waterfalls is not Yosemite (my opinion).

 

<p>

 

You need Web URL, OK, I got some:

 

<p>

 

http://www.shannontech.com/ParkVision/Yosemite/Yosemite.html

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/

http://www.nps.gov/yose/note3.htm

http://www.yosemitegold.com/yosemite/

http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/webtravel/rittmuller/Toomoo-pt2.html

http://www.primenet.com/~pcarlin/yosemite.html

http://www.kron.com/bab/9605/1.html

http://www.bpe.com/ports/sf/etc/yosemite/index.html

http://www.nps.gov/yose/

http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/US_National_Park/ca_yosem.HTM

http://www.photosecrets.com/sample3.html

http://www.mountainlight.com/home.html

 

<p>

 

 

I was camping at the upper pines campground, well located in the valley, not expensive (but, drawback, bad showers not so close and dirty restrooms, plus the mosquitos: very agressive). We were visited every night by bears, that's not a joke, there are there and it is not uncommon to spot one roaming in the campground early in the morning (5h30 AM).

 

<p>

 

Everything is photogenic in Yosemite. Classic views are outstanding and easy to spot. That also means it is difficult to do something original :-)

 

<p>

 

Glacier point is a must see (though difficult to shoot ! So many space and so many subjects). Exposure may be tricky in yosemite due to the green of the vegetation, the waterfall(s), the rocks and the sky, all in a same picture. You'll have to choose your subject. I frequently chose the waterfalls and so the sky is not blue. A polarizer give pleasant result with the reflection shots, and also with the green vegetation and river shots (mixed or not).

 

<p>

 

One comment about the flooding damages: the rangers worked well !

 

<p>

 

According to my experience, you don't need to spend your money to join a photo tour group, everything interesting in Yosemite is very easy to spot in the valley, and things not located in the valley are very well documented in books, pamphlets, poscards, calendars, hike-maps, web sites (see above). BTW, the mariposa groove is also a must-go (south entrance).

 

<p>

 

Most of the pictures you can find on the web or in books, poscards... are easy to spot subjects (except Galen Rowell's chefs d'oeuvre !)

 

<p>

 

 

YOU MUST MAKE RESERVATION MONTHS IN ADVANCE, EVEN FOR CAMPING.

 

<p>

 

A car is a plus but short hikes are usefull to change the composition and go away from the crowd (a very very few people hike more than 500m in the US parks !).

 

<p>

 

Hope this help. Vincent.

September is much better than July and August when Yosemite Valley

can be very crowded. You won't hit the peak of the waterfalls or

wildflowers though.

 

<p>

 

A week in the Valley would be fine, but there is a lot more in

the park (which I havn't visited myself, since I typically go

there at a time when the roads there are closed by snow).

 

<p>

 

There is a bus which runs around the valley, so a car isn't

absolutely essential if that's what you are interested in. You

will need a car to get to the back country though.

 

<p>

 

Accomodation in the park (yes, you need to make reservations!) runs

from about $45 or so for a basic cabin (no bathroom) to probably

$200+ in the better rooms in the fancy Lodge (Awahnee? not sure of

the spelling). Accomodation outside the park is availabe in

El Portal, but it's no cheaper and it's a <b>much</em> less scenic place

to stay. I assume it's there for when the park accomodation is

full during the summer. There used to be a couple of low cost

motels there, but not anymore I'm afraid. It's also 10 miles or

so (?) from the valley and there isn't any public transport (this

is America after all!).

A very good URL for many accomodations *outside* the park is http://www.yosemite.com/. All of the accomodations inside the park (excluding campsites) are made by calling 209-252-4848.

<P>I would suggest two less-crowded alternatives to Yosemite: Sequoia National Forest and Kings Canyon. A day trip to the Devil's Postpile might be worthwhile.

 

<P>Why not get a tourist guidebook (at a local travel-related bookstore, or amazon.com)? Processed tree carcasses are often very well organized and fit in a backpack very easily. Logistics are pretty well covered (pricing, phone numbers, accomodations, camping tips, etc.). There is a decent California & Nevada guidebook by Lonely Planet (http://www.lonelyplanet.com) with a decent section on Yosemite; it is a good start.

 

<P>When you land in America, go to a bookstore in large shopping mall and look in the travel section. You'll probably find some Yosemite-specific guidebooks.

 

<P>The following URL will bring you an amazon.com entry of <I>Yosemite: A Visitor's Companion,</I> a book which I have not read:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0811725987/3418-9440341-448804

 

<P>You can click on the various checkboxes to get additional titles. Do you prefer to browse bookshelves? When your airplane lands in the U.S., go to the bookstore of a large shopping mall and check out the travel section.

 

<P>If I remember correctly, the National Park Service (at Yosemite) offers guided photo tours. I'm not sure how to answer your "Is a week enough?" question. You get seven sunrises and seven sunsets; depending on when you go, you might not even see much of the moon. Hiking to the various "classic" spots might be strenuous, especially if you are not used to altitude. Lugging around a large amount of camera equipment will not be terribly enjoyable.

 

<P>There's at least one guidebook that lists the <I>50 Best Short Hikes in Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon</I> (ISBN 0899971326). That would seem to suggest that, no, seven days would not be enough. However, you might tire of Half Dome, big trees, etc., etc. How about a nice jaunt to Mono Lake?

 

<P>Reservations, especially for accomodations in the park proper, are always recommended; I would guess that walk-ins would be turned away due to 100% occupancy in the peak seasons.

 

<P>I suggest renting an automobile in California. As a native Californian who has voluntarily elected not to own a car, I believe I can honestly say that your limited time here will be most effectively spent if you have your own transportation (even in San Francisco, the one possible exception).