Glacier Point located on the south wall of Yosemite Valley at an elevation of 7214 feet offers stunning views ranging from Yosemite Falls in the west to the Sierra crest in the east. It is one of the world’s most dramatic vistas. You can get a commanding view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and Yosemite’s high country from the Glacier Point overlook.
Both sunrise and sunset at Glacier Point can be spectacular. Sunsets can be particularly spectacular if there are clouds to add drama to the scene.
Glacier Point Road closes due to snow, usually from sometime in November through May or early June. This year Glacier Point Road opened on April 30th, and I was fortunate enough to be in Yosemite that weekend with my son and my wife to photograph the dogwood spring blooms.
I saw that there were clouds in the forecast during the afternoon that Sunday so I decided to drive up to Glacier Point late afternoon on Sunday to photograph the sunset. We got there 2 hours before sunset so I could get the best possible spot to set up and photograph Half Dome at sunset.
Here are some of my photographs from that evening in addition to the one above.
This photograph was from from earlier in the evening and didn’t have much color so I decided to convert it to B&W to emphasize the light and the cloud formation in this tighter view.
This is a tighter view of the last light on Half Dome as the clouds above got some color from the setting sun.
This is another wide view just before the sun set behind me.
I hope to go back to Glacier point at some point to photograph some thunder clouds. It of course requires luck as the road is closed for half the year when the real drama is happening with clearing rainstorms and snowstorms. It is tricky and requires good timing and some luck but I am sure if I am patient, I will get my chance just like I did with the sunrise clearing storm this spring!