;
Yosemite National Park
During the peak of the last ice age (15,000 to 25,000 years ago) Glaciers carved Yosemite Valley out of the Sierra Nevada's solid granite core. This carving process created hanging waterfalls and sheer granite walls rising thousands of feet from the valley floor. This classic glacial valley rivals anything you might find in the European Alps, Iceland or New Zealand (see Europe and Other Exotic Locales galleries). Yosemite's stark but magnificent stone cliffs embrace a pastoral valley floor where the Merced River winds through conifer forests and lush meadows. Yosemite's extensive trail system provides a seemingly limitless variety of breath-taking views of the valley below or the ridges above--ready made compositions for the aspiring amateur or established professional photographer. Yosemite never disappoints!
