This view, captured at 10:30 a.m. Monday, will become available to visitors at Yosemite National Park when Glacier Point Road opens.  This view, captured at 10:30 a.m. Monday, will become available to...  You park at Badger Pass, then venture 1.4 miles up Glacier Point Road. Photo by Tom Stienstra/The Chronicle  You park at Badger Pass, then venture 1.4 miles up Glacier Point...  A look at El Capitan from the Tunnel View scenic overlook on Glacier Point Road. Yosemite in the late fall after the 1st snowfall can be a great time to explore the park without the usual crowds. Event on 11/5/03 in Yosemite. MICHAEL MALONEY / The Chronicle  A look at El Capitan from the Tunnel View scenic overlook on...  As the 16th largest National Park in the United States, Yosemite covers 1,100 square miles of virgin nature. Yosemite occasionally provides moments of surreal, beautiful photography; in 2006, photographer Nolan Nitschke took this photo of a lightning crashing through a rainbow during a storm.  As the 16th largest National Park in the United States, Yosemite...  From left to right. Sheldon Neill, Colin Delehanty, and Kris Cheng look through recently recorded footage on the Red Scarlett film and still camera on Sunday, September 23, 2012. Neill and Delehanty has produced "Yosemite HD II' video.  From left to right. Sheldon Neill, Colin Delehanty, and Kris Cheng...  A family enjoys a picnic in view of Upper Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park. According to the National Park Services, approximately 3.7 million tourists visit Yosemite annually.  A family enjoys a picnic in view of Upper Yosemite Falls in...  In a photograph taken in 1903, Theodore Roosevelt stands atop Glacier Point in Yosemite Valley. According to the National Park Services, Roosevelt said that camping in Yosemite "was like lying in a great solemn cathedral, far vaster and more beautiful than any built by the hand of man."  In a photograph taken in 1903, Theodore Roosevelt stands atop...  Geologist Greg Stock of Yosemite National Park crosses the Lyell Glacier. The Lyell Glacier is one of two glaciers located in Yosemite National Park.  Geologist Greg Stock of Yosemite National Park crosses the Lyell...  Two tourists explore the iconic California Tunnel tree, cut in 1895 to allow horse-drawn stages to pass through, at the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park. Ancient sequoia trees live in three groves dotted around Yosemite.  Two tourists explore the iconic California Tunnel tree, cut in 1895...  The 7,385-foot Dewey Point on the south rim above Yosemite Valley can be a breezy 7-mile trek on a nice, sunny day, rewarded with an amazing view of the valley at the peak.  The 7,385-foot Dewey Point on the south rim above Yosemite Valley...  Bridalveil Falls, the fourth tallest waterfall in Yosemite at 620 feet, is generally the first waterfall tourists see when they are accessing the park through State Route 140.  Bridalveil Falls, the fourth tallest waterfall in Yosemite at 620...  A group walks along the Merced River near Swinging Bridge in wintertime. The river cuts through Yosemite Valley and flows into the San Joaquin River.  A group walks along the Merced River near Swinging Bridge in...  Youngsters try to play in patchy snow in the meadows at the foot of Half Dome. Arguably the most famous rock formation in Yosemite National Park, the Half Dome was imprinted in the California state quarter in 2005 along with famous conservationist John Muir.  Youngsters try to play in patchy snow in the meadows at the foot of...
(AP) — A road leading to spectacular views of California's Yosemite National Park opened to drivers on Saturday, marking the earliest date for the occasion in at least 20 years.  Glacier Point Road takes drivers to a lookout perched at 3, 214 feet above the valley floor, where visitors can view spectacles such as the Half Dome rock, Yosemite Falls and Yosemite's high country.