The September issue of our ‘Find Your Adventure‘ series in MotorHome magazine focuses on the adventures to be had in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. But as long as you’re in the area, you really owe it to yourself to check out Yosemite National Park.
Located just four hours to the north of Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yosemite is rightly famous for being one of the most beautiful valleys you’ll ever lay eyes on. Soaring rock formations like El Capitan and Half Dome, the dramatic cascade known as Bridalveil Fall and the rushing Merced River make for scenery that inspired the likes of John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt and Ansel Adams.
Look more closely at the antlike dots scattered up and down the sheer faces of El Capitan (rising over 3,000 feet above the Valley floor) and Half Dome (rising nearly 5,000 above the Valley floor), however, and you’ll see the other thing that Yosemite is known for: rock climbing. Then stop to ponder the fact that climbers have been known to summit the latter rock face in as little as 80 minutes.
Which brings us to our point: If you’ve ever wanted to learn the art of rock climbing – or take it beyond the confines of your local climbing gym – there’s no better place than Yosemite. You’ll need solid instruction, of course, and you’ll find it in the folks from Yosemite Mountaineering School & Guide Service. They’ll have you on the rocks your first day of their eight-hour Beginner class as you learn to climb up and rappel down faces up to 60 feet in height. You can stop there, or go on to their Intermediate and Advanced classes where you’ll learn the finer points of being able to tackle similar climbs on your own.
