Yosemite Valley El Capitan Merced River Sunset, Yosemite National Park, California
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A famous valley view
The first humans to settle Yosemite wandered in as many as 10,000 years ago, following receding glaciers to discover a gash in the world guarded by stone giants. And after all these millennia, these mighty mounts still make many a mere human tremble. Nowadays this view up the Yosemite Valley is one of the most sought after in America's national parks, drawing more than 4 million visitors in a typical year.True to its name, El Capitan (The Captain, seen at left) leads the pack here in Yosemite as both a sight to see and a site to conquer. Keen-eyed photographers like Ansel Adams and daring climbers like Alex Honnold have made it one of the most famous chunks of rock on the planet. Not that it needed the help—where else can you see a 3,000-foot sheer cliff tumble straight into a pastoral ravine?
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