Seven Top Tips For Visiting Yosemite National Park

“No temple made with human hands can compete with Yosemite” - John Muir, American naturalist and author

While there might be national parks all over the world, it's hard to argue with the sentiments of famed naturalist John Muir. Quite simply, California's Yosemite National Park is one of the best national parks in the United States, capable of inspiring a sense of divine awe.

The park itself is massive, covering slightly more than 3,000 square meters, and it's part of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains which ensure it provides incredible views, as well as stunning colors in all seasons and amazing wildlife.

Here are seven things to bear in mind before your first visit.

Obviously, most people go to national parks for their views, but the scenes Yosemite has to offer are something else. Picture stunning waterfalls, huge rock formations, giant trees and towering mountains. There is something to marvel at every time you turn around. The two most famous, and most spectacular, views are El Capitan and Half Dome. These two are seriously not to be missed - El Capitan may be familiar as a screensaver/desktop background for Macbooks. That’s how impressive it is.

Yosemite's waterfalls are some of the highest in America so they're spectacular all year round. However, they reach peak flow during late spring, specifically May and June when most of the snowmelt occurs, so this can be a great time to visit.

Or, come in February when Horsetail Fall, commonly known as Yosemite Firefall, glows as if it's on fire due to the reflection of the sunset. The beautiful amber glow is really to be seen to be believed.