Summer Pictures and Park Conditions for September 2004
In this section you will find several pages with more pictures of park features. These photos were taken at Washburn Point located on Glacier Point Road, at Sentinel Dome, along the trail to Upper Yosemite Falls, from the top of Eagle Peak and various spots in the Valley. There is also a link to other sections on summer photos. Please be patient as some of these pictures contain a lot of detail which will take them from 10 to 20 seconds to load on a dial-up connection.
September began with cool and windy weather, followed by a quick summer-like warming over the Labor Day weekend. However, mid-September brought below freezing temperatures to the park and a dusting of snow is possible above 7000 feet. Bring clothes that you can wear in layers as weather conditions change quickly this time of year and there are generally wide temperature swings on a daily basis.
The waterfalls are dwindling rapidly and all of the seasonal falls from Spring are gone. Creeks are drying up quickly and lake levels are lower than normal due the to below average snowpack from the Winter of 2003-2004. Wildflowers are fading quickly in the dry summer heat. The trails are drier and dustier than normal at this time of year. Take lots of water with you when hiking as you cannot depend on many creeks that are normally flowing in the mid to late summer. Enjoy the beauty of Tuolomne Meadows and the High Country during September as this is a great time of year to see the higher elevations of the park. If you go backpacking, the highest passes are free of snow and will reward you with spectacular views, especially from Donahue Pass and Koip Peak Pass. This is a great time of year to hike to the different lakes in the park and kick back and relax.