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Ganesh Raam
WorkWild
Park · California · California and the Sierra

Yosemite

What makes it unique

A valley whose headline subject is water, so the season follows the snowpack: waterfalls peak with melt in May and are often dry by August, and the high country opens two months after the valley.

Acreage761,748
National park since1890
Best lightMay, Oct
Visits2021 · 2026
Terrain profile · W→E through Yosemite Valley toward Half Dome · 37.74°N · 3,957–7,953 ftElevation data · Open-Meteo

The photographs

16 selects
Tunnel View, YosemiteTunnel View35mm · f/9 · 1/80s · ISO 100Half Dome and Clouds Rest, YosemiteHalf Dome and Clouds Rest200mm · f/11 · 1/100s · ISO 100El Capitan, YosemiteEl Capitan70mm · f/11 · 1/100s · ISO 100Bridalveil Fall, YosemiteBridalveil Fall187mm · f/5.6 · 1/250s · ISO 100Valley Meadow, YosemiteValley Meadow29mm · f/6.3 · 1/60s · ISO 100Into the Canopy, YosemiteInto the Canopy16mm · f/4 · 1/60s · ISO 125Rust and Blue, YosemiteRust and Blue70mm · f/5.6 · 1/250s · ISO 100Merced River, YosemiteMerced River17mm · f/4 · 1/160s · ISO 500Along the Merced, YosemiteAlong the Merced16mm · f/4 · 1/160s · ISO 200After the Fire, YosemiteAfter the Fire16mm · f/9 · 1/80s · ISO 100Half Dome from the Valley, YosemiteHalf Dome from the Valley35mm · f/10 · 1/80s · ISO 100Half Dome Reflection, YosemiteHalf Dome Reflection23mm · f/11 · 1/20s · ISO 100Below Yosemite Falls, YosemiteBelow Yosemite Falls33mm · f/11 · 1/13s · ISO 200Glacier Point Sunset, YosemiteGlacier Point Sunset16mm · f/6.3 · 1/40s · ISO 400Nevada and Vernal Falls, YosemiteNevada and Vernal Falls117mm · f/11 · 1/40s · ISO 400Half Dome from Glacier Point, YosemiteHalf Dome from Glacier Point70mm · f/11 · 1/40s · ISO 400
Field notes

If you go

From Parks by Month →
A · When to go

Best for photography in May, Oct.

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B · Before you go
Access

No timed entry for the 2026 season. Tioga Road opened 15 May in 2026, but the typical range is late May into June and it closes in November. Nonresident fee park.

Avoid

August: the falls are often reduced to stains, the valley is hot and hazy, and the crowds are at maximum.

C · How I shot it

10 of 16 frames on the FE 16–35mm.

FE 16–35mm F4 ZA OSS10 of 16
FE 70–200mm F2.8 GM OSS6 of 16
Most used16mm · 4 frames
Typical aperturef/5.6 – f/11
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