Today I’m sharing something I wrote elsewhere in response to a question by someone who plans to visit and photograph Yosemite National Park in late August. I have changed elements of the original post, shortening the original question and editing my own response a bit. Enjoy!

[c Spring Trees, Waterfall Mist

I’ve never been to Yosemite but I have a chance to visit for a week in late August. I’ve heard that’s a very busy time, but that’s the time I have available and I’d love to see it.

I’ve ordered Michael Frye’s book  but am hoping for some additional information. I’m thinking of coming in the south entrance and am wondering of this is a good approach. Also, if anyone has any lodging ideas I’d love to hear them.

Michael’s book (“The Photographers Guide to Yosemite“) is a great place to start. It will help you find some of the subjects that you probably have in mind to photograph, and it is full of Michael’s general situational knowledge and experience about the park. Michael has an intimate knowledge of the place — not just of locations, but of daily and seasonal variations and more.

You are right that this will be a very busy time in Yosemite — it is more or less peak season! This affects not only the Valley, but also high country areas such as Tuolumne Meadows. Here are some thoughts about your visit.

• Try to avoid the Valley on weekends, when lots and lots of us Californians show up on day trips and quick weekend visits.
• Get up as early as possible. I’m usually out shooting before the sun rises. I know that may not sound like fun, but it is perhaps the most beautiful time of day at many park locations, and you’ll frequently find yourself in solitude and silence at locations that will be buzzing with tourists  later in the day. (Example: Glacier Point is a very popular place, which should be no surprise considering the stunning views it provides. It can be very crowded at sunset, and photographers may be challenged to find “the perfect spot” among the hordes. Yet, at dawn, even in the high season, you might find yourself almost alone there.)
• Don’t eat dinner at dinner time! I’m surprised by the number of people who head back to camp or to a restaurant during the most beautiful light. Do what lots of serious photographers do — eat “dinner” at 3:30 or 4:00 and then head out to photograph right through the evening hours. (Another case in point: I’m a frequent visitor to Tuolumne Meadows, where I often see only a tiny number of people out in the meadow at the end of the day during the astonishing sunset and twilight hours — the daytime visitors have left and most of the campers are huddled in the smoky campground!)
• Finding lodging will be a challenge in the summer if you don’t have advance reservations. At this point you can hope for a cancellation in order to get anything in the Valley or the rest of the park, but it is worth a try. Inside-the-park rates are high, but there is a convenience factor and and experiential factor. You could consider some of the more rustic accommodations outside the Valley at places such as White Wolf or even the tents at Tuolumne Meadows, where openings due to cancellations are possible.
• You have a number of options outside the park — Oakhurst, along the south entrance that you mentioned, is one, and the Mariposa area is another. There are some popular motels along the west entrance to the park roughly in the El Portal area and a bit to the west. There are also places along route 120 coming in via Groveland. Although it is quite a distance from the Valley, there are places outside the park to the east of Tioga Pass, too.
• You’ll have better luck if you can camp. Even in the peak season you can (especially on weekdays, and more likely early in the week) get on a wait list for a camp site in many places. At some of the less used locations, you can simply drive in as others are leaving. (Getting a campsite in the Valley is still going to be very tough.)
• Yosemite Valley may not quite conform to the photographs that have created your image of the place, at least not in August. It will likely be hot, and the meadows will be dry, waterfalls will be reduced or even dried up, the sky is likely to be cloud free. There will be a lot of people.  (It is possible get off the beaten track even in the Valley and find more solitude.) You can find extraordinary beauty there at any time of the year, but you may have to look a bit more carefully. More specifically…
• Waterfalls will not be at their peak. Sierra Nevada river and streams generally peak during the runoff from winter snowfall, and this typically comes in May or June. After that the water levels drop, and falls may completely dry up in some places by the end of summer. This affects falls draining low elevation basins (like Yosemite Falls) more than those located along the Merced River (like Vernal and Nevada falls).
• Consider visiting the high country. Most people think that Yosemite Valley is Yosemite, but it comprises a tiny fraction of the park. There is easy access to the high country along Tioga Pass Road and to a lesser extent along Glacier Point Road. For many of us, this is the true Yosemite, and it is beautiful at this time of year.
• As a typical first-time visitor to the Valley and the rest of the park, don’t hesitate to see and photograph some of the iconic sites and sights. They are iconic with good reason, and seeing them can be part of your process of orienting yourself to the place. But also save some time to just head off on a whim to places that happen to catch your fancy. And if you get to the high country — and do! — hike or two away from the highway-accessible places and begin to see the true high Sierra that you won’t find in the Valley.

Trees grow in the shadow of a water-stained granite cliff, Yosemite National Park

Finally, while you are in the Valley take some time to see some great photography that is hung in various places. If you visit the Ahwahnee (yeah, they want to call it the “Majestic” right now, but it is still the Ahwahnee!) you can wander in and look around. The main restaurants and the nearby lounge at Yosemite Village have some wonderful stuff, too. And do drop in at the Ansel Adams Gallery. You never know what or who you’ll find there. In fact, during your visit the Gallery is hosting an exhibit: “The Great Certainty: Photographs Commemorating 100 Years of National Park Stewardship”. This show includes work by a number of Yosemite and Sierra and national park photographers and runs from August 6 through September 10, 2016. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if some of Michael’s photographs are in the show. (Right before this show, his work is featured at the Gallery during July.)

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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