This has to be the most breathtaking place I have ever been to. Even now, I have a photograph pinned to my PC at work of the view as you get to the top of the point. It is truly awesome. You are left speechless by its sheer beauty and size. I could go on forever about the snow-capped mountains, the spectacular waterfalls cascading thousands of feet down the cliffs, the view of the Yosemite valley floor and the river winding its way around it. But to be honest, unless you have seen it for yourself, you will never appreciate it just from someone putting it into words. You cannot, in fact, put this into words. When I started writing this, I had in my head all the things I wanted to say, but it is just wasted. I am not a writer or a poet and so cannot find the right words that can describe Glacier Point.
I may sound melodramatic, but I’m sure anyone else who has had the pleasure of visiting the magnificent Yosemite can sympathise with me.
The cliff edge--and it is a cliff edge, with just some boulders to keep you from falling--sits 3,214 feet from the valley floor. You can see mountains called Half Dome and El Capitan. Half Dome is apparently 4,733 feet high and 87 million years old. People climb this for fun! As its name suggests, it is a giant half dome, looking as if some giant god has taken his hammer and chisel and chopped away half the dome, leaving what can be seen now. El Capitan is 4,000 feet high and is the largest single granite rock on earth. This is also a favourite with climbers--rather them than me.
Just to prove that Glacier Point is firmly in the 21st century, you will also find a restaurant, gift shop, and toilets at the top alongside the large car park.