With a position as picturesque as Yosemite , it ’s hard tonotfind a aspect anywhere you go . I ’ve seen Yosemite Valley from above ( mellow above — 7,200 feet — atop Glacier Point ) as well as below ( from the valley floor on the main route that loops through the park ) .
But one of the most spectacular way to see the valley is not on granite at all — but on the crystal clear waters of the Merced River .
The three - mile float on the Merced is only open in the summertime and while the paddling wo n’t work out your shoulders , your neck may be a different narration from search up at all the landmark ! I call it the “ Best of ” booze sail , since you’re able to sightsee with beer in hired man and without tourists hog your viewframe .
We put in just before Stoneman Bridge and a few strokes out , Half Dome came into prospect behind us . I actually floated rearwards for a few hundred animal foot just to take it all in .
Despite being a summer weekend ( and Memorial Day weekend at that , which was all the more grounds to avoid the route ) , the river was relatively quiet . There were a few bit of solitude where we stray through tall pine and the only sound heard was the occasional plash under our kayak .
We paddle under bridge where holidaymaker snapped our word picture and past beaches where other paddlers had pulled ashore to picnic on the sand .
Nearly every recess we turn over , there was Half Dome again , towering over the valley .
We floated past granite domes and Yosemite Falls and wished we ’d brought more beer .
The air bladder ended ( much too soon ) at Sentinel Beach , a popular picnicking area where buses also shuttle citizenry back to the put - in point . If you do n’t have your own vessel , you canrent a raftin Curry Village and the outfitter will bring the stack back for you . All you postulate are some snack and a television camera . ( And a wetsuit , if you plan to take a dip in the water supply … it ’s cooooold ! )
Next summer , I ’m take my innertube down the river . And tow a ice chest behind me !
