Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park
Spring is the time to visit Vernal Falls and the famous Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park. Vernal Falls is at peak flow in late May and June, the weather is usually pleasant and the dogwoods are in bloom on the valley floor. We try to make a springtime visit to Yosemite each year to hike the Mist Trail with our daughters. We get soaked by the falls on the way up, soak in the sun and dry off at the top, enjoy a lunch of trail mix and Clif bars alongside other hikers, and leisurely make our way back down the trail later in the afternoon. If one times his visit to Vernal Falls at midday, a rainbow is often visible in front of the falls when viewed from the trail just 100 yards away.
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| Vernal Falls at peak flow in late spring, with a rainbow appearing in the spray of the falls, viewed from the Mist Trail. Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park, California, USA. Image: 12634 Location: Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park, California, USA |
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| Fern Springs, a small natural spring in Yosemite Valley near the Pohono Bridge, trickles quietly over rocks as it flows into the Merced River. Fern Springs, Yosemite National Park, California, USA. Image: 12650 Location: Fern Springs, Yosemite National Park, California, USA |
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| Vernal Falls at peak flow in late spring. Hikers are seen at the precipice to Vernal Falls, having hiked up the Mist Trail to get there. Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park, California, USA. Image: 12635 Location: Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park, California, USA |
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| Mountain dogwood, or Pacific dogwood, Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California, USA. Image: 12686 Species: Cornus nuttallii Location: Yosemite National Park, California, USA |
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