nall

As early as you can. One my way out last week end at about 3:00 pm there was more than a few miles of vehicles waiting to get in.

sands Loc: Jacksonville, FL

Good advice. Thanks!

philz Loc: Rockaway Township NJ

I of course meant Half Dome. Great shots from a must place, Glacier Point. As you are coming from Lee Vining along Tioga Road, an awesome hike with views along the way and at the top is Lempert Dome near Tuolome Meadows. A lot easier than Half Dome (which takes an overnight). Totally open hiking after leaving some woods. Wear sticky shoes.

bcanepa

Check out Michael Frye's book or app. Many locations are those I shot for the past 25 years.

gmb3 Loc: Coastal CenCal

Tioga Road may very well be closed until mid summer. Lots of snow this year. The road to Glacier Point has been closed for a while. Getting into the valley before sunrise and staying to after sunset will yield some wonderful lighting. Look for shots in unexpected places. Park and ride the free shuttle buses. Parking a private vehicle is a bear, no pun attended. Don't speed, the rangers love to ticket.

This site will give updates to road conditions.
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

CaliforniaJim Loc: San Jose, CA

Try to get a copy of Photographing Yosemite - Digital Field Guide, by Lewis Kemper. It is available on Amazon for aout $20. Kemper identifys all of the great shooting locations in Yosemite with detailed maps, commentary and many excellent photos. I spent about a day planning our recent visit to Yosemite with this book. It enabled me to use my limited time there to best advantage and I was able to get some really great photos (if I do say so myself). Enjoy your visit -- there is no other place in the world quite like Yosemite.

For tBragg Guy Loc: Fort Bragg Ca

When I was last there, I remember seeing some guided tours for the best photo spots that were free or cheap. Check into that. I went on a moonlit hike for photo ops.

gmb3 Loc: Coastal CenCal

I agree, Yosemite is a VERY special place like no other in the world.

I think the Ansel Adams gallery offers tours and the Ahwahnee Hotel does so occasionally. Oh, now called The Majestic Yosemite Hotel. =!8^{

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

Be there for sunrise and be there for sunset. In between, choose your sites carefully to avoid the crowded spots where the familiar views are taken. You will go home with a better experience than getting frustrated at the iconic spots. You may get a few "where's a picture of ........" questions but you will have a better overall experience and perhaps teach yourself something about envisioning and capturing images.

mikiSJ

My first visit to Yosemite was in 1951, and wow, has it changed over the years. There was a huge rock fall that changed the Happy Isles are leading up to Vernal Falls so some of the buildings are no longer there.

Personally, I would head up to Tuolumne Meadows for some really great back country views. Also, if you want to see what San Francisco destroyed in order for water and power, visit Hetchy Hetchy valley. Although it is full of water, it is easy to image what it could have been. Ansel Adams remarked it was one of nature's best creations.

The Ahwahnee Hotel (now the Majestic Yosemite Hotel) has a great restaurant and you don't have to stay in the hotel to eat there. You need reservations to stay in the hotel, but it is one of the better places to spend a couple of nights that I have enjoyed. My father was actually stationed in this hotel right after the start of WWII as it was used as a Navy recovery hospital.

If you are staying in the valley floor area, you might try taking the morning bus to Glacier Point. Fabulous panoramic views up the Merced River (Yosemite, Vernal and Nevada falls), Half Dome, El Capitan, etc,. Four Mile (actually 4.7) Mile trail takes you back to the valley floor and is a good, if not very tiring downhill, hike (you need really good fitting boots and make sure your toenails are cut short).

On the way out of Yosemite you'll be taking Hwy 41 through Wawona. This is the home of some of the largest trees anywhere, the Sequoia. There is a hotel with a decent restaurant at this location.

The Sierras have received record snow falls this year (they just received a 2 foot 'dusting' this last week) and there may be some road closures (in June??, yes, June). Pay attention to weather reports just prior to your trip. If there were heavy May/June rains, the snowpack may melt quickly and the valley has flooded. 1997 was a terrible flood and there was even flooding earlier this year.

Good luck, make sure you have charged batteries and take a million images.

Szalajj Loc: Salem, NH

From a practical side, don't forget to pack enough warm clothes, because the higher elevations and the snow pack from this past winter and the ongoing snow storms will drastically reduce the ambient temperatures, and they will drop sharply as sunset approaches!

I found out the hard way many years ago, when we attended a horse show in the mountains of NH in August. We hadn't planned on staying for the evening session so out summer clothes were no match for the evening mountain temperatures, but fortunately I had extra coats, jackets and blankets in my van to keep everyone warm that night.

But on a trip to Yellowstone one year the week after Labor Day, I didn't fare as well because I was advised to leave my winter jacket at home. I absolutely froze the whole week we camped out!

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

Just thought of something! While at Yosemite try to visit Mono Lake and shoot the tufas -- yes, it's a real word. Mono Lake is down the road from Lee Vining.

Many of the images have had clouds edited in but they let you know what tufas are!
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=mono+lake+tufa&t=ffnt&iax=1&ia=images

d2b2 Loc: Catonsville, Maryland, USA

My wife and I visited Yosemite last June. We decided on the trip to late to make reservations in the park. To try to get a jump on the crowds, we entered the park each day before or at dawn, at the latest. We had no trouble with that, and obviously got the best light, by doing that. A couple of times, we saw entrance areas to the park during our various rounds throughout the day, and the lines were monumental. In those lines do not move quickly, because you have only one traffic lane in the entrances we saw. So particularly if you are not staying in the park, I would counsel getting in as early as possible.

sands Loc: Jacksonville, FL

Will do. Thanks!

sands Loc: Jacksonville, FL

Thanks for the useful info!