Sentinel Rock in Yosemite
Sentinel Rock is a granite peak in Yosemite National Park. The above photo was taken in January. Later in the year, Sentinel Rock looks like this. Sentinel Rock towers over Yosemite Valley opposite Yosemite Falls.
One of my favorite lunch spots in Yosemite Valley lies across the road from Sentinel Rock, namely, Sentinel Beach. Sentinel Beach provides a good view of Upper Yosemite Fall, has a sandy beach or shaded picnic tables (YOU choose!), and during summer, you can watch all the excitement of folks rafting down the Merced River, landing on Sentinel Beach, and loading their rafts onto a truck to be hauled back to the upstream start point. I always meet interesting people in Yosemite Valley. At the Sentinel Beach picnic ground, I met a young man who was from the Mid-West and was touring the country by motorcycle. I gave him a few routes with both interesting sights and interesting curves for motorcycling in California. When you leave Sentinel Beach and prepare to merge onto the paved road, look skyward for an incredible view of Sentinel Rock “guarding” the Valley.
Sentinel Rock is visible from many points in Yosemite Valley, and is located 0.7 miles (1.1 km) northwest of Sentinel Dome, at coordinates 37 deg 43′ 43.73″ N, 119 deg 35′ 39.59″ W. USGS (United States Geological Survey) information about Sentinel Rock is here, and National Park Service information on rock formations in Yosemite Valley is here.
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
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