Mountains / California, USA
Yosemite Valley
Granite walls, a forest floor, and a valley shaped by ice.
The view from Tunnel View brings El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall into one broad landscape. Yosemite's granite and glacial history help explain the valley's form.
Start with the large shapes, then look for the smaller ones: a dark line of trees, a change in cloud cover, a waterfall nearly lost against the stone.
Landscape background: NPS: Tunnel View NPS: Yosemite geology
A few things to notice
- The contrast between the granite walls and the forest below.
- How clouds separate the near cliffs from the distant peaks.
- The small scale of the waterfall beside the rock.
What changes when you look at a landscape as a process, rather than a finished picture?