Yosemite Valley in Winter

The Most Beautiful Places on Earth

Whether it was primitive man ten thousand years ago, an Ahwahneechee family 300 years ago, a European tourist 100 years ago or a Californian like me today, we are all witnesses to this same view of majestic grandeur.  Nearly 3.5 million people visit Yosemite Park every year and they all stop for that first breathtaking glimpse of the valley at Tunnel Road.  "It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter," said the late great John Muir.  My own sister who visited the park for the first time last year told me, "I had always wanted to come here, but I had no idea how beautiful it was!"

My traveling buddy and I have visited the park in all seasons, but winter is, by far, my favorite.  The valley floor is covered in snow and you can actually get a reservation at a cabin without booking two years in advance!  These pictures were taken with Kodachrome color slide film, but they came out looking like a photographic study in black and white.   White sky.  White snow.  Black silhouettes.  Absolutely enchanting!

Yosemite is located in the central Sierra Nevadas in California.  It is an easy four-hour drive from San Francisco.  It is open all year, although the roads on the upper elevations may be closed in the winter.  Take chains or you may not be allowed in.  Yosemite Falls are the highest falls in North America at 2,425 ft, but the most famous is Bridalveil Falls, the waterfall you see from the Tunnel Road View.  Half Dome and El Capitan are climbed every summer by avid rock climbers and hikers return year after year to trek the 800 miles of trails that traverse the park.  Yosemite Valley is one of America's treasures and I urge everyone to make the effort to visit this "Most Beautiful Place on Earth" site at least once!

Other places on this list:

• Blue Mountains in Australia
• Na Pali Coast