Cliffs
Anyone seeking overseas adventure travel in the Yosemite National Park needs only to head for El Capitan. This 3,000 foot high wall of granite is a favourite with rock climbers as there are dozens of climbing routes to the top, none of them easy.
Half Dome is the park's best known rock sight. It looks like a hemisphere with a sheer cliff on one side. But from another vantage point, the rounded part also has sheer walls. Climbers can pull themselves along the Dome by means of metal cables attached to the rock.
Mount Lyell, near the southeast boundary of the park, is Yosemite's highest mountain. It is also home to the Lyell Glacier, the park's largest glacier. Both phenomena are named after the 19th century British geologist, Charles Lyell.
Granite mountains surround the Yosemite Valley, which is over a mile deep and has been carved out by the Merced river. The Glacier Point viewing platform, which stands at over 7,000 feet at the southern edge of the park, gives the best view over the valley.
Waterfalls
Waterfalls in Yosemite vary in strength and location throughout the year as most are fed by snowmelt. Aside from the most famous sights, numerous falls appear during the spring run-off season or after a heavy rainstorm.
The Yosemite Falls are the highest waterfalls in North America, dropping 2,400 feet and the fifth largest in the world. A seven-mile round trip along the Yosemite Falls Trail takes five hours and lets you capture the most