Yosemite in Spring

No other photo location in North America can generate as powerful an image of soaring granite monoliths and spectacular glacially-carved valleys than Yosemite National Park in California. More than any other landscape, Yosemite is the setting that defines the Sierra Nevada and, in a broader context, stands as a geographical icon for the American West. Within the park, the names of its prominent features—El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil—not only immediately evoke the legendary presence of John Muir and Ansel Adams, but also embody the quintessential symbols of the American wilderness. In 1864, Abraham Lincoln set aside the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias by a federal grant—the first time in history lands had been set aside and protected purely for their scenic value.

The world-renowned Yosemite Valley is the heart of this photogenic realm of canyons, domes and spires, and expansive meadows. Here we spend hours of pleasurable photography time capturing its many moods. From grand vistas to quiet reflections, and from colossal crags to diminutive dogwood and redbud blossoms, the valley is the acknowledged source of photographic inspiration for generations of photographers.

In springtime, a trip to Yosemite is about water! Our cameras focus on a drama that transforms the park—and the name Yosemite becomes synonymous with waterfalls. As winter snows melt, water pulses through countless steep canyons before making a freefall plunge over the towering granite cliffs into the valley’s wild core. Year-round, Bridalveil Fall and Yosemite Falls are legendary, but springtime yields additional meltwater to cascades that make a short seasonal appearance: Horsetail, Staircase and Ribbon (the park’s highest single fall), and numerous others.

The picturesque Merced River that collects the water from Yosemite’s cascades was designated a National Wild and Scenic River in 1987. Eighty-one miles of the river runs through Yosemite National Park, including a stretch in Yosemite Valley that marvelously reflects the surrounding rock formations.

Our trip coincides with the May full moon. Atmospheric conditions permitting, we have an opportunity to photograph a rare moonbow—a “rainbow” created by moonlight hitting the mist of Yosemite Falls. Yosemite is one of the few and best places to shoot this rare sight—an event that attracts photographers from around the world.

Join Jeff Foott—who, as a former park ranger in Yosemite, knows the park and its secrets well—in May, when the summer crowds are few and the waterfalls are many.