HALF DOME, that hunka ginormous granite goodness dominating Yosemite Valley, which is no small feat, as several other wonders also go for the look-at-me factor, is not, shall we say... shy. It's a natural landmark that can be seen from miles and miles (and miles) away, and, as thousands of photographs can further support, people really, really like taking Half Dome's portrait. But when it comes to a certain side angle, one that starkly conveys the dome's famous "flat" front (though, you know, it isn't exactly that, at all), there is just one spot, above all others, literally, that shutterbugs like to go: Glacier Point. The high-above-the-valley vantage point gives admirers, with or without a camera in hand, a different look at the much-looked-at Half Dome, and making the trip up Glacier Point Road to snap the perfect H.D. pic is a rite of summertime for many. Emphasis there is on summer, as Glacier Point Road can get notably snowy. But the passage has been cleared, and...
GLACIER POINT ROAD IS OPEN... for another season. Take note, everyone headed up in the days and/or weeks following its May 11 debut: It's pretty wintry, still, along the route. Is it Tioga Pass snowy? Well, no, but then few things are. Still, a note on the Yosemite National Park Facebook page advises that visitors taking the now-open road up, up, up "...should be prepared for winter hiking conditions; most trails are still covered in snow." For all the trail info, and other to-knows about this popular warm-weather route, visit Yosemite's Facebook page or main online ranger station. Keep in mind that, as of opening day, services at Glacier Point "are limited."
