Best Place For Sunrise Photos In Yosemite?
 

I'll be flying to California this coming Saturday (Sep. 22) and will be spending Saturday and Sunday nights in El Portal. Since I'll be fresh from the East Coast, getting up early will not be a problem.

So I thought it would be nice to get up and drive into Yosemite for a hopefully spectacular sunrise view. My husband is into photography so I'm sure he'll want to take some pictures.

Where would be the best place(s) in Yosemite to go for this? I'm assuming the park will be open that early, of course.

Thanks!

Unlike the various spots in the canyons, not familiar with any in yosemite, altho we've stayed in the park and also el portal. One morning while staying in the park, we walked to the falls which were especially pretty as the sun peeked through the trees.

However, wanted to mention that if you're staying at Yosemite View Lodge in el portal, request a riverview room with balcony; its peaceful in the early morning before you head into the park.

No, we're staying at Cedar Lodge because I just wasn't in the mood to spend the extra money for Yosemite View Lodge. I'm going out there for a training class in San Jose on Tuesday and Wednesday, and for some reason I asked my husband if he wanted to come along and said we could fly out early and head over to Yosemite for a couple of days. I didn't really expect him to say yes and was a little surprised by how much it is going to cost us. Oh well, it'll be quality time with the hubby! :-)

cslasor:
Sunrise or Sunset @ El Capitan. Enjoy
Gina

Since the valley is deep and pretty narrow, you don't actually see the sun rise in most of the valley. By the time it clears the cliffs and you get sun in the valley, the sun is well up.

From the valley floor, you can generally see some pretty neat light on the face El Capitan, as mentioned, and on the face of Half Dome as the sun comes up though. The valley is still in shadow, but the light is hitting those granite rock faces. In this case, you are not seeing the sun rise, but rather the light on the cliffs.

To see the sun itself, you might want to drive up to Glacier Point - I have not been at sunrise, but since it is above the valley, you can actually see the sun come up and could probably get some pretty neat shots.

Those are the only two I can think of that wouldn't require long hikes. Maybe someone else has some other ideas.

My impression is that you should plan on photo opportunities at sunset. The valley faces west. The pictures not taken during the day were all taken around sunset:

http://tinyurl.com/2pfzw2

Thanks for the advice! It sounds like maybe getting there before the actual sunrise isn't all that important, but early morning sun on the cliffs would be good. And it sounds like late afternoon would be better, but we'll have to wait and see how awake I am by then. It takes me a few days to get over jet lag, and sometimes I don't even try if it's a short trip.

I just thought I'd let everybody know we ended up going into the park in the morning, but after sunrise. It had rained all of the previous day and evening, so when we went in (from El Portal) there was some overcast and fog, with the sun peeking through here and there. We stopped at Tunnel View and got some of the most incredibly beautiful pictures of the cliffs with the sun and clouds and fog. Some of the locals who were there said they had never seen it like that and mentioned we were really lucky. They might have just been saying that, but I really felt like it was the kind of day that professional photographers would sit around for weeks waiting for.

During our day-and-a-half at the park we got some stunning pictures and I've chosen the best to be made into calendars to give the family for Christmas.

Thanks to everybody for their advice, and I'm already looking forward to going back for a longer visit.

Nice report.

I can picture that view in my mind, with bits of fog and shafts of sunlight.

If I do this right, here's a link to my favorite picture from that trip. This is from Tunnel View.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...iteMorning.jpg

WOW! Thanks for posting the photo. We're going in May and can't wait!!!

cslasor:
thank you for sharing your picture it is breath taking
Gina

"...... to Yosemite for a couple of days. I didn't really expect him to say yes and was a little surprised by how much it is going to cost us."
LOL...yeah, it's JUST Yosemite....why would one expect a spouse to say yes? Yuppies crack me up! :) Seriously, glad you guys, and especially your husband, ended up having a good time.

Did you notice this thread is nearly seven years old?

Curious - What sort of google search brought up this one instead of any of the hundreds of more recent YNP threads?

oops -- nearly five years old . . . same question though . . .