I just spent a week in Yosemite National Park. I can certainly understand why it is so popular. The scenery is incredible. The park service has done a wonderful job at trying to accommodate all who come to visit. And do they come. It is the most popular park in the country with most of the people visiting in the valley area. I went to the visitor's center and a few other places in the valley and every time I could hardly wait to get out of there. It was so crowded. Little English was spoken. With our weak economy right now, we are a popular tourist destination for other countries, especially Germany. Usually when hiking I will greet people that pass by. I stopped after a while here because most of the times, those I passed didn't speak English. The parks closeness to LA, San Francisco, and all the cities in between also makes for a busy place.
My campground is on the NW corner of the park. During the week it was pretty empty so I thought there might be a chance to stay in the valley. Those campgrounds are reservation only. When I asked the answer was “not a change, no way”. They are booked at least 5 months in advance. Everything changed on Friday night. There wasn't a campsite anywhere.
On the way between my campground and the Valley I passed by this area that recently burned. It reminded me of Stan each time. The fire was a perscribed burn that got away from the fire fighters. Much of the west side of the park burned. I was amazed at how large it must have been. Some areas were still smoldering.
El Capitan. You can't tell from this picture, but there are lots of climbers on it. I took another picture at night which has some climber's headlamps showing.
This is a view looking down the valley.
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