#8 of 52 sights in Yosemite
Sight · Yosemite National Park
Granite cliffs and Bridalveil Fall framed across the Merced River.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
“Ahead is Valley View, where the Merced River fills the foreground beneath El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall.”
Yosemite Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yosemite National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yosemite audio tourRecorded for this place
Valley View“Ahead is Valley View, where the Merced River fills the foreground beneath El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall.”
Plays as you drive up to Valley View in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“We just drove through Yosemite and it made our trip listening to this app as we drove through. Like having a tour guide in the car with you.”
Guide
Valley View is a roadside viewpoint at Yosemite Valley’s west end, where the Merced River runs across the foreground below El Capitan, Sentinel Rock, Cathedral Rocks and Bridalveil Fall. Keep it for the drive out: Northside Drive is one-way, and the turnout sits just before Pohono Bridge. The main view is right by the parking area, so this is an easy stop when there’s space. Its river-level view gives you a different angle from Tunnel View’s high panorama.
The Merced is what makes this view feel different. Frame some of the river in front of the granite cliffs and waterfalls; it gives the valley depth and scale. You can see the main panorama without a hike from the parking area.
The glaciers that carved Yosemite Valley had melted by about 10,000 years ago, but the Merced River continues to shape it. In January 1997, floodwater reached six feet deep in this turnout’s parking lot. That history helps explain why the river is more than scenery here: it still changes the valley floor.
Parking is extremely limited, so plan for a quick turnout rather than a guaranteed space. A vault toilet is across Northside Drive, and accessible parking spaces are available. The river can be dangerously swift and cold, especially in spring; stay back when it’s flowing strongly.
Wildlife
732 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,747 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
332 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
11 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
276 sightingsPikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
677 sightingsYellow-bellied MarmotMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yosemite. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyBridalveil Fall Trail0.5 mi · 20 min · 0.6 mi awayA short paved walk to the base of Bridalveil Fall.
ModerateArtist Point Trail2.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.8 mi awayA quieter perch beyond Tunnel View, reached along the old stagecoach road.
ChallengingStanford Point Trail7.6 mi · 6 hr · 0.8 mi awayA steep south-rim climb ends at a granite valley overlook.
ModerateInspiration Point Trail2.6 mi · 2 hr · 0.8 mi awayA steep climb to a quieter Yosemite Valley viewpoint
EasyTurtleback Dome Trail1.2 mi · 1 hr · 2.6 mi awayA short climb ends on granite above Yosemite Valley.
ChallengingFour Mile and Panorama Loop16.7 mi · 10.5 hr · 3.5 mi awayA full-day Yosemite loop from Four Mile to Glacier Point and back.
ChallengingFour Mile Trail4.8 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.5 mi awayClimb Yosemite’s south wall for a broader view of the Valley.
ChallengingYosemite Point Trail8.8 mi · 8 hr · 3.7 mi awayClimb past Yosemite Falls for Half Dome and Lost Arrow Spire.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayBridalveil FallA 620-foot fall up close, with a short paved approach.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayTunnel ViewThe valley opens in one huge panorama beyond the tunnel.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayDewey PointEl Capitan anchors a far-reaching view from the granite rim.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayEl Capitan MeadowA 3,000-foot wall, dotted with tiny climbers.
Beach · 2.1 mi awayCathedral BeachA shaded picnic with El Capitan reflected in the Merced.
Picnic area · 2.4 mi awayEl Capitan Picnic AreaPicnic tables and February access to Horsetail Fall’s elusive glow.
Picnic area · 2.8 mi awayThe Cascades Picnic AreaA shady lunch stop with a waterfall just across the road.
Sight · 3.2 mi awayTaft PointThe short walk ends at a rim facing El Capitan.Parkwolf’s Yosemite ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
