Winter in Yosemite (pt. 2) — April 2025

April Fools Day brought more snow to the Sierra Nevada, including Yosemite Valley. This wasn’t a particularly intense storm, but I had checked the valley webcams that night and, combined with the favorable weather forecast calling for cold temps and clear skies in the morning, realized this could be my last chance to photograph the snow this year. On Tuesday night, I pulled the trigger and decided to take a half day off work to photograph sunrise in the Valley.

Yosemite Valley photography

I woke up at 2 AM so I could drive back from Sacramento to the Bay and pick up my photography gear. I had been cat-sitting for my friend Paulina and had neglected to bring any of it along with me to Sac. Shortly after 3 AM, I was back on the roads and at the Yosemite entrance gate before 6 AM. There wasn’t any snow at the El Portal entrance but as the road gradually rose towards the valley, I realized this was actually going to work out! Fresh snow covered the trees and peaks. Even the face of El Cap has some snow on it.

Despite being a weekday, Tunnel View was relatively crowded with photographers. I waited until the sun peaked over Leaning Tower and Bridalveil Fall well after everyone had dispersed and it was a surreal scene. I was one of maybe 6 people total in the Tunnel View parking area when I left it at 8 AM.

Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View after a fresh snowfall.

I very slowly made a loop around the valley, stopping in front of El Cap, Three Brothers, Sentinel Bridge, and Valley View. I was completely giddy and couldn’t believe how well this trip worked out. My only regret is that I couldn’t be everywhere at once for sunrise…I’m already planning to revisit next winter to take a some key sunrise shots I missed this time.

At Three Brothers, an animal that looked like a beaver swam around in the Merced River while I snapped away. Only afterwards did I learn that this was actually a river otter and seeing one is a rare occurrence! What a perfect sendoff for a perfect day. By 10 AM, the snow was quickly melting off the trees and I had to rush to finish up my ogling at the snow since I was due on a work call at 2 PM.

Eagle Peak

Not even a week after my previous trip to the valley, I found myself in Yosemite again, this time purely for a conditioning hike. My goal was Eagle Peak, the tallest of the Three Brothers and situated between Yosemite Falls and El Capitan. Shortly before 7 AM, I left the trailhead armed with snowshoes and lots of snacks. The first part of the trail involves going up the Upper Yosemite Falls switchbacks which are south-facing and typically snow-free a few days after a storm, but the upper portion of the trail to Eagle Peak is at much higher elevation and shaded by trees. I didn’t see any recent trip reports online but figures soft and deep snow was a sure bet.

After turning off from the Yosemite Point junction, the trail was broken in until the junction for Eagle Peak and El Cap. At this point, I made a major navigational error. Apparently, Eagle Tower is a popular winter destination and several people had ascended it in the previous days. The bootpath through the snow started at the Yosemite Creek-Eagle Peak junction and was in fact the only path that had been beaten through the snow at this point in time. I ascended a couple of hundred feet before realizing I was looping back towards the falls and encountered a pair of guys behind me headed towards El Cap who made the same mistake.

After much deliberation, they decided to backtrack and find the correct way while I figured I would just go up Eagle Tower and call it a day. But after a few minutes, I changed my mind. After all, I had packed way more than enough food and water to make it all the way and I had snowshoes even if the trail hadn’t been broken in yet. I ran into the guys again and hopped in front of them to break trail since they didn’t have snowshoes. It was an exhausting 2.2 miles and 1000 ft of elevation gain to summit of Eagle Peak.

From the summit of Eagle Peak.

I only wore hiking shoes and not boots so my feet were thoroughly soaked. I aired them out and took a very long lunch break on the summit before heading back down. One of the straps on my snowshoes broke off on the descent and slowed me down considerably, not to mention I was pretty exhausted from walking through the deep snow. I encountered a couple headed towards El Cap who had snowshoes and then a solo hiker going up Eagle Cap who didn’t but had just followed my track.

When I was finally back on dry trail, I had to slow down due to exhaustion and some nausea. My knee also began to act up (a persistent problem I’ve had since 2021 due to tight hamstrings) and I slowed to a hobble on the final set of switchbacks. But all in all, I finished the hike in one piece without any major issues. I think 4500 ft of gain is the most elevation gain in one day I’ve done in Yosemite so far and I feel pretty good about my physical conditioning right now.

—Justin