There’s a great article over at the Tehachapi News that paints a great picture why Yosemiteis a “winter wonderland”. Couldn’t have said it any better myself.
Tehachapi News: “There are numerous waterfalls throughout the Sierra Nevada Range that blast over the rim of the canyon and descend in an eerie, slow-motion roar to feed the crystal waters of the Merced River. Waterfalls in winter are outlined in snow and ice with a rainbow glowing in front of them during a particular time every day %u2014 when the weather is right.
Lush meadows are covered in snow and crackling ice as you walk through them. Ancient groves of giant sequoias; with trees reaching 300 feet high and 40 feet in diameter are covered in a blanket of snow. The dramatic weather that comes through the valley gives Yosemite a different feeling every time.
El Capitan, the immense wall of gray granite looming like a skyscraper into the blue sky, topping off at 3,500 feet, is said to be the largest single block of exposed granite in the world.
Winter brings a special natural phenomenon that can only be seen during the last three weeks of February; a waterfall called Horsetail Falls flows over El Capitan as if it were on fire. As the sun sets for the night, the sunlight closes in on the falls making the falls light up with a blazing orange color. The experience is powerful and intense; making it one that you will never forget. ”