Discover Northern California
Yosemite National Park Taft Point

Special Guest Article:
Yosemite National Park Taft Point and Beyond

We've heard from author Kristopher Corey on the subject of Yosemite National Park before. He's contributed several great stories to this website via our Yosemite Adventures pages; stories like Don't Feed the Bears!, Hiking with Yosemite Bears; and Yosemite's Secrets - Off the Beaten Path Adventures!.

This time - having tremendously enjoyed his previous stories - we prevailed upon Kris to submit a full-on guest article. I know you'll enjoy it as much as we have!

Do you have a favorite NorCal story?
From a family visit from years ago to something
you discovered last weekend,
Share it with the rest of us - we'd love to learn about it!

To find Yosemite area hotels, compare prices, and book your room(s) - all in one place - go to HotelsCombined.com (includes prices from Hotels.com:

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Yosemite National Park: Taft Point and Beyond

By: Kris Corey
Creator of Yosemite Audio Adventures,
Yosemite Tours for the Independent Traveler.

The hike to Taft Point is only 1.1 miles and fairly level. You lose some elevation as you exit the forest and approach the granite shelf that is Taft Point and WOW! What a view!

Need a hotel in the Yosemite area? Try HotelsCombined.com to see what's available and to get the best pricing - compare prices from over 100 booking sites, including Hotels.com!

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Yosemite National Park Taft Point Views

Looking down on Yosemite Valley from this 7508 foot elevation will make you dizzy if you're prone to vertigo, so stay away from the edges. There are parts of the cliff that extend out so far that you can't see the bottom!

The view across the one mile plus distance of space at the magnificence of El Capitan and Yosemite Falls is truly awesome!

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Beyond Yosemite National Park Taft Point

The mosses and lichen that live on these huge, exposed rock fissures paint the earth with colors. Shades of brown, green, and orange set against the gray granite are highlighted with clumps of wildflowers growing on the small ledges. Bright Pink Penstemon and flaming orange Paintbrush surrounded by small yellow flowers are simply gorgeous.

If you continue to follow the trail past Taft Point you enter a mixed forest and perhaps notice some diamond shapes cut into some of the older growth trees about 5 feet up the trunk. These scars are trail markers made by the U.S. Calvary over 100 years ago.

The forest is open in some areas and a little fire deprived in others. The trail leads downhill through mini meadows with kelly green Brachen Fern and orange/yellow Columbine.

This is primarily a Red Fir forest, small boulders add texture and contrast to the scene and blue forget-me-knots blooming in clumps are only part of this classic Yosemite beauty.

The trees change to Lodgepole pines as you near Bridalveil Creek where 3 inch tall purple Lupine carpets the forest floor.

A sturdy bridge crosses this beautiful creek and on the far side there is a very cute campsite with benches around a fire pit that makes a great picnic spot.

Purple Bush Lupine line the trail as it continues up the hillside a short distance before intersecting with another trail to the Glacier Point Road via McGurk Meadow.

Total trail distance to Bridalveil creek is 3 miles. (6 round trip)

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We would like to thank Kris for sharing his knowledge and expertise about Yosemite with us! Be sure to follow him at Yosemite Audio Adventures for more exciting articles and pictures about Yosemite National Park, and to learn more about his fantastic narrated audio tours!

Would you like to contribute a guest article to share with our readers? Just go to Discover Northern California's Guest Articles and fill out the super easy form. You, too, can have a story published!

If you'd like to compare prices before booking your own adventure
in the Yosemite area, take a look at HotelsCombined!

In the meantime, here are some more guest articles for you to enjoy:

• Mono County: Mysterious Mono Lake
  Laura Twining's article about her trip to Mono Lake and what she learned!
• RV Destinations in Northern California
  Here's an article by Creztor Tessel with some great places in NorCal for parking your Recreational Vehicle!
• Sonoma County: Enchanting Healdsburg
  Meghan Malloy's article about her favorite way to visit Northern California's Wine Country!
• Tahoe City: Discovery Trail
  Michele Whiteaker's article about her family's trip to build a Discovery Trail at Lake Tahoe, with video!
• Yosemite: Things To See And Do
  David H.'s article enumerating the many fascinating opportunities offered by Yosemite - a true National Treasure!

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