Yosemite Valley from Inspiration Point. Yosemite National Park, California. April 27, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Evening photograph of Yosemite Valley from Old Inspiration Point. Inspiration Point was the equivalent to the Wawona Tunnel View before the tunnel was constructed, back at a time when an older route provided a road into the Valley. On this late April evening I decided to forego the usual crowd of photographers at the more accessible overlook and climb the steep 1.3 mile trail up to this beautiful spot – where I enjoyed a sunset view of the Valley alone (except for a couple of neighborhood deer) and in complete silence.
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Great info – looking forward to a visit.
Thanks, Rob. A couple more notes about this photo…
First, one of the fun things for me about this blog is that I often place images into the queue and then get distracted by other things until they appear here weeks or even a few months later – and I get some of the original pleasure of discovery all over again. That happened this morning when I saw this photo pop up.
Second, I wrote a bit about this location earlier this season right after I did this shot. For any Yosemite aficionado this is a must-see spot. The next time you find yourself contemplating a stop at the famous Wawona Tunnel View (and Parking Lot), go across the road to the overflow lot and find the start of the steep little 1.3 mile trail to Inspiration Point. While the trail is steep it isn’t too long and the rewards are worth it: a new (though, historically speaking, old) view of this famous Valley, likely viewed alone and in complete silence.
Dan
(A few notes about the trail. If you shoot sunset you’ll possibly come back down the trail in fading light so be sure that you are comfortable with hiking in low light and bring a headlamp. Also, the view location is not obvious when you arrive at the old Inspiration Point; head a bit to the right and drop down a bit and you should find it.)
This is an instant classic. The waterfall exposure is superb and a great element.