TRAVEL DESTINATIONS - YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

Yosemite National Park is only a four to five hour drive from San Francisco and, if time permits, should definitely be included as a must see destination. In stark contrast to the Bay area and the rolling hills of the Wine Country, the steep, majestic mountains of the Sierra Nevadas - and Yosemite - are wondrous.

The park ranges in altitude from 2,000 feet above sea level to more than 13,000 feet. Sites to visit include waterfalls, meadows, alpine forests including groves of giant sequoias and the magnificent Ahwahnee Lodge nestled in the valley at the base of the mountains.

The park's features are greatly influenced by the seasons ranging from pleasant bathing temperatures in the Merced River during the summer months to snow-blocked passes and roads during the winter months. Raging waterfalls developed from the Spring runoff become trickles or totally dry by the end of summer.