Head to Swinging Bridge in early morning for beautiful reflections in the Merced River/Jean Bjerke

Spring in Yosemite National Park following a wet winter is spectacular. Waterfalls roaring, thundering, pouring over granite cliffs, cascading down boulder-strewn canyons. Rainbows in waterfalls. Merced River at flood stage. Lush green meadows. Trees bursting with new spring growth. Lovely white blossoms on graceful branches of dogwood trees reaching out over the Merced River. Snow-capped peaks in the backcountry.

Yosemite Valley must be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. John Muir said, “It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter.”

Get to the bridge at the base of Lower Yosemite Falls in early morning for a rainbow/Jean Bjerke

We visited Yosemite the second week in May. A ranger told us snowpack in the backcountry this year is 200 percent of average. This is such welcome news after the long drought that's parched the High Sierra. Warm weather has been melting the winter’s snow. The waterfalls are absolutely spectacular. We could hear the booming and thundering of the water everywhere we went in Yosemite Valley.

During our visit, the Tioga Road leading to the beautiful alpine country of Tuolumne Meadows at nearly 10,000 feet elevation was still closed due to snow -- it opened this year on May 18, but could close again a few times due to new snow storms. The impressive Mariposa Grove of sequoias is closed this season for restoration of its human-constructed facilities. So we spent most of our time in magnificent Yosemite Valley. 

Bridalveil Fall and Cathedral Rocks are spectacular as seen from the Tunnel View turnout/Jean Bjerke

Throughout our visit we marveled at the majesty of the soaring granite faces of El Capitan, Half Dome, Cathedral Rocks, and the entire valley - where climbers hang off sheer granite walls in their attempts to scale some of the most famous climbing routes in the world. We were constantly in the presence of waterfalls, rivers, streams, cascades, and still pools. Only a few of Yosemite’s famous dogwoods were still in bloom. Their flowers peaked in April.

We drove to Glacier Point, high above the floor of Yosemite Valley, which offers awe-inspiring views of Half Dome and the backcountry, its many high peaks still cloaked in snow. Even Half Dome was still topped with a small snowdrift. Glacier Point is also accessed by the Four Mile Trail from the valley floor for those willing to tackle a trail that climbs 3,200 feet in four miles.

Cascade Creek overflows its regular channel this spring to surround this ancient oak/Jean Bjerke

Walks to the base of Lower Yosemite Fall and Bridalveil Fall, and hikes up the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls, and beyond it to Nevada Fall, are highlights for many visitors. For the extra energetic and ambitious, more strenuous trails out of the valley beckon: from the valley floor to the top of Yosemite Fall at 2,700 feet above; to the top of Half Dome via a cable up the back of the dome; or into Little Yosemite Valley beyond Nevada Fall for wilderness camping.

Some of the photographs appearing with this column were processed as HDR (High Dynamic Range) images in which three bracketed exposures were combined using special software on the computer. This technique enables you to handle images with an especially high level of contrast between the dark and light areas of your composition. Internet research reveals many articles on how to do this either on your computer or your smartphone.

Enjoy a magnificent back country panorama, dominated by the famous Half Dome, from Glacier Point/Jean Bjerke

To photograph the most iconic Yosemite views in the best light, visit these locations at these times of day:

* Tunnel View turnout in afternoon or at sunset - especially if there are clouds in the sky or dramatic weather conditions - for a magnificent Yosemite Valley vista and a wonderful view of Bridalveil Fall. The sun lights the falls during most of the afternoon.

* Valley View turnout in afternoon or at sunset - especially with clouds or dramatic weather conditions - for a majestic Yosemite vista encompassing El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall across the Merced River.

* Glacier Point during the afternoon or at sunset - especially with clouds or dramatic weather - for a sweeping panorama of Half Dome and the Yosemite backcountry.

* Swinging Bridge in early morning for a view of the valley and Yosemite Fall across the Merced River.

* Sentinel Bridge just before sunset for a gorgeous view of Half Dome over the Merced River.

* Vernal Fall from the Mist Trail, in the afternoon when the sun is hitting the falls.

* Lower Yosemite Fall bridge between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. in spring, for the rainbow emerging from the mist when the sunlight first hits the base of the waterfall.