This is a region known as Little Yosemite Valley, a river canyon formed by the wild upper portion of the Merced River just before it has Tenaya Creek and Yosemite Creek join it in the much flatter terrain of the main valley of Yosemite National Park in California. This image was captured by The Wild Images Team from arguably the best view in the entire park, Glacier Point. While most visitors are enraptured by the main Yosemite Valley floor that is dominated by El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Dome, and North Dome, few realize that the dramatic cliffs and waterfalls are also found in some of the surrounding canyons as well, such as in the northern Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River, and then in the Little Yosemite Valley. No roads lead into the upper portion of the Merced River and the Little Yosemite Valley, but there is Mist Trail, a hiking trail that will lead to each of the large waterfalls found in the canyon as well as connecting to other trails in the uplands network. The first waterfall encountered along the trail, found in the bottom center of the above image, is Vernal Fall. It drops in a single leap of 317 feet over the granite cliff wall, before landing in a jumble of fallen rocks below, kicking up enormous curtains of misty spray, after which the trail is named as it rains down on it in the area. Close inspection of the above photo will show the dark area just to the right of the base of Vernal Fall, right where the trail is located, that is continuously splashed with water spray. The Wild Images Team has hiked in the area, and you can end up soaked in this region. But the trail does continue into drier stretches beyond here, as it climbs out of the base of the falls and up into the portion of the Merced River just above the Vernal Fall. It is here that the Emerald Pool is located, and can be seen with its dark green color in the image as the pool partially obscured by trees just upriver from the cliff edge. Also located here is the Silver Apron, another waterfall that spreads out over a granite rock face that is gently sloped at about 20 degrees above horizontal, dropping down into Emerald Pool. It is more heavily obscured by trees, but is found just to the right of Emerald Pool. The trail continues onward from here, working its way toward Nevada Fall. While Vernal Fall was named for the heavy pour of water created by the runoff of snow melt in the spring (vernal) time, by contrast Nevada Fall was named for its similarity to a snow avalanche and its proximity to the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Nevada Fall drops for a total of 594 feet, the first of which is a single leap of 200 feet before it slams against the steep rock wall before continuing the remainder of the way down as a turbulent white flow in contact with the rock face. The cliff over which Nevada Fall drops is more or less level to the left until it rises dramatically above the riverbed to become the most prominent feature in the photo, an enormous granite face known as Liberty Cap, rising an impressive 1700 feet above the valley floor in a near vertical cliff! To the immediate left and slightly in front of Liberty Cap is Mount Broderick. The two together completely dominate the top center portion of the image, while to the right of these the Merced River headwaters originate from off the top of the photo. All of this can be viewed from Glacier Point, an often overlooked grand viewpoint that is accessed by 20 mile long nondescript road that turns off the main Wawona Road near Indian Creek, and is often bypassed by visitors in their hurry to reach the Yosemite Valley. But the view is absolutely phenomenal from here, and is highly recommended during a visit to Yosemite National Park. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos from California such as the scene of a blooming thunderstorm over Joshua Tree National Park, the lava flow created streaked ridge in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and the high altitudes where a giant sequoia is larger and redder than others, the steep Hyde Street view of Alcatraz Island and San Francisco Bay, the drastic slope of the abrupt drop off of Taylor Street, the Pine Street colorful terraced houses with background buildings, the historic looking beautiful terraced houses and a Classic VW Beetle, and the Asian inspired intricately ornate Chinatown scene, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from California have documented the long and winding road climb to the giants of Sequoia National Park, the size comparison of The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina and the giant tree, the massive view where giant sequoias maintain their diameters over hundreds of feet, an overlook into the Merced River Valley with Liberty Cap, the road heading towards the sheer monolith of El Capitan, the road heading towards desolate ridges of Joshua Tree National Park, the location where the road rises out of Bumpass Hell, a beach dune covered view of the secret underground World War II bunker, the reflective tower of the Marriott Marquis over the Yerba Buena Gardens, the distinctively ornate Asian architecture and decor of Chinatown, the musically inspired melting records with album covers mural, the long strange trip of the Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia mural, the places where steep sidewalks have stairs cut into them, the street where a tree gives a sense of the steepness, the expansive view of Nob Hill from Telegraph Hill and the oppositely directed view from Telegraph Hill to the northeast, the descent in the upper portion of the Filbert Steps, followed by the middle portion of the Filbert Steps with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator on the steps, followed by the lower portion of the Filbert Steps, and at the bottom a view up the Filbert Street steps again with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator below the steps. From our travels in the nearby Oregon and Washington, we have captured photos such as the deep blue hues of swirled clouds and rim peaks reflected in Crater Lake, the Hoh Rainforest green moss covers every possible branch, and the right place at the right time rainbow over the Mt. St. Helens remnants, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Oregon and Washington include the sharp looking view through the Lava Cast Forest, the optical illusion of blue waters and white streaks in Crater Lake, the starkly colorful rainbow rises over the devastation of Mt. St. Helens, the moment The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina is imprisoned by rainforest tree roots, the interesting story of the Port Angeles waterfront Rocktopus Sculpture, and its accompanying bronze plaque of charitable organizations.
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