Confluence of two swollen creeks, Yosemite, last Thursday afternoon. 1/2 second at f/11, 50 ISO.
California got doused by another series of storms last week. From Sunday (February 5th) through Friday (February 10th) Yosemite Valley received over ten inches of rain, pushing water levels near flood stage again.
My brother Peter came down to visit us from Washington state, and early on Thursday morning we drove up to Yosemite Valley, hoping for the sun to break through. We never saw the sun, but we found innumerable small waterfalls, including many I don’t remember seeing before in over 30 years here. And the big waterfalls were ripping. The overcast light was actually the perfect complement to many of these scenes, and I didn’t know when I’d get another opportunity to photograph the waterfalls like this, so we ended up staying in the valley for most of the day photographing the surging cascades.
Friday afternoon Peter and I drove up to the valley again, as satellite images showed a chance of clearing. The intervening 24 hours had brought another three inches of rain, and all the creeks around Mariposa had jumped their banks and turned into brown torrents. As we drove down the Briceburg grade we stopped at Bear Creek, which was roaring and throwing off plumes of spray. Here’s an iPhone video:
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Skies didn’t clear that afternoon, but we photographed some nice misty scenes from Tunnel View. On our way home we reached Cedar Lodge in El Portal and found a Caltrans truck blocking the road. The driver told us that the road ahead was closed due to a rockslide. This meant it would take us at least two-and-a-half hours to get home via Highway 41, and another two hours to get back to Yosemite Valley in the morning. Or we could spend the night in the park. Luckily a friend let us stay at her house in Yosemite Valley (thanks Laurie!), which saved us a ton of driving.
The sun finally appeared in the morning, and we photographed a rainbow on Upper Yosemite Fall. You can see rainbows in the morning on the upper fall every winter, but rarely with this much water. Later we found oaks steaming in the sun in both Cook’s and El Capitan meadows. The rockslide on Highway 140 got cleared late Saturday morning, so we were able to take the short route home. We never did get an opportunity to photograph a clearing storm, but it was wonderful to see all that water.
There’s more rain on the way. Forecasters are predicting three or four more storms, starting tomorrow and continuing through Tuesday. Although these storms aren’t expected to dump as much rain as the last series, water levels are bound to go up again. This should create more opportunities to photograph exceptionally-full waterfalls and cascades, so if your Horsetail Fall plans get washed out there should be many other interesting subjects to focus on. But please be careful! You don’t want to get too close to these turbulent creeks and rivers, as a slip could be disastrous to you, your camera, or both.
— Michael Frye
Cascade Fall, Yosemite, Thursday morning. 1/125th of a second at f/8, 1000 ISO.
Budding alder in Cascade Creek, Yosemite, Thursday afternoon. 1/4 second at f/11, 80 ISO.
Cascade Creek, Yosemite, Thursday afternoon. 1/2 second at f/11, ISO 80.
Misty afternoon, Tunnel View, Yosemite, Friday afternoon. 1/8 second at f/8, 100 ISO.
Rainbow on Upper Yosemite Fall, Yosemite, Saturday morning. 1/125th of a second at f/8, 250 ISO.
Black oaks and mist, Yosemite, Saturday morning. 1/90th of a second at f/11, 100 ISO.
Sun, corona, and black oaks, Yosemite, Saturday morning. 1/750th of a second at f/16, 100 ISO.
Related Posts: A Wild Week in Yosemite; The Big Snow
Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
Love your waterfall image!
Thanks Jeff!
Black oaks and mist , that’s a beauty Michael! So much fun to have photograph while we stay dry. Though photographing weather is the best.
Thanks Janet, and yes, photographing weather is the best. 🙂
Hi Michael,
We were caught on the other side of that rockfall heading into the valley and had to drive the extra 2+ hours Friday evening in the pouring rain to get to El Portal where we were staying.
There were so many ephemeral waterfalls, it was crazy. I took pictures of some just to prove they actually existed :-).
The opportunities for water shots were everywhere as were rainbows at different times of the day during the weekend.
Well I feel your pain. There have been many rockslides lately, and any road can close at any time. But I’m glad you liked the water!
that’s a lot of water in a drought-stricken state for as long as I can remember!
I love the budding alder shot, Michael! Black Oaks & Mist is not far behind…. Looks like I’ll be skipping the Valley this year & stopping in central Utah instead (having been stymied in Bishop a month ago after 2 1/2 days of driving from Colorado & prevented from going on up to Lee Vining since 395 was closed about 15 miles north of Bishop last month — my butt just can’t take that much driving!) I’ll just have to live vicariously trough your always inspiring shots 😉
Thanks Monika! Sorry you won’t be able to make it to the valley, but Utah is certainly a great alternative.
Love the Misty afternoon… It has a nostalgic atmosphere to it. Yosemite in winter is great, especially this winter!
Thank you Mick!
Amazing images, Michael, and your video of roaring Bear Creek certainly displays the power of nature. California needs the water, but the situation at the Oroville Dam has been frightening. I love your black oaks and mist image—just beautiful. Thanks.
Thanks Bob. The situation at the Oroville Dam seems to be under control at the moment, but I read this morning that they’re expecting 10 to 15 inches of rain in the watershed above the dam over the next week, so they’re not out of the woods.
I think your black and whites of the cascade and the confluence are spectacular, unique images that offer new takes on Yosemite! Ed
Thanks Ed!
The Cascade Creek image is a definite wall hanger.
Thank you Steve!
I particularly enjoyed the black oaks in mist. You really have control of your medium with a well defined eye. I wish I could see like that. Also thank you for the print viewing at the AA Gallery. Seeing the school group shot really got to me. There goes the truth about what it takes to be a great artist. I hope that I didn’t make it too hard on the others. I had been camping for a while and my smoke smell was very heavy. Thanks for doing what you do.
Thanks Craig. I think you have me confused with someone else, as I don’t conduct print viewings at The Ansel Adams Gallery. That was probably Evan Russel or Michael Wise.
Dear Michael,
Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures, I especially like #3.
BTW, do you know how to find out the most current 140 road conditions outside of the Yosemite park? Last week, I had to turn back due to rock slide.
Best,
George
Thanks George! The park’s road information number (209-372-0200) usually includes information about closures on the roads leading to Yosemite Valley, even if the closure is outside the park. But you can also call Caltrans or visits their website.
Dear Michael,
Thanks again for your reply. I felt the information from that number is not always updated, so I called 2093792317 from Yosemite Conservancy to get the latest 140 road conditions near Yosemite entrance.
BTW, yesterday horsetail was on fire with so many red clouds all swirling around the water fall when the sun suddenly burst through the thick could at 5:36 for 5 minutes. It was one of the most beautiful scenes of Yosemite that I have ever witnessed. I hope that you also had got some images.
Best,
George
The park’s road and weather information number (209-372-0200) is updated promptly when road conditions change. If the recording hasn’t changed that just means that the road conditions haven’t changed.
Hi Michael,
Great photos, as always!
Cheers,
Alyn
Thanks Alyn!
Beautiful work Mr. Tyre
I have spent many years wondering about the Yosemites; where is the place where the 2 streams converged?
Thank you
Thanks Don. The spot with the two creeks is difficult and potentially dangerous to reach, so I’m sorry, but I won’t be disclosing that location here.
Great work !!