Arch Rock Entrance Photos – Yosemite’s Scenic “Cave Entry”
If you’re coming into the park from Mariposa on Highway 140, you’re in a for a real treat. This is definitely the most scenic way to enter the park, in my humble opinion. Here are some Arch Rock entrance photos I took.
What makes this area truly unique are the large granite boulders that you drive through on the way. They create a sort of drive-thru “rock cave”, but of course the lush, shady forest that surrounds them adds to the whole experience.
Perhaps to prevent having to dynamite the boulders to widen the route, the park service wisely chose to split the road into 2 one-way sections. This also has the added benefit of giving the road a more quaint, intimate feel.
I can imagine how excited I would have been to see this as a kid entering the park for the first time…and to wonder about what else lay ahead! This is truly the Sierra at its most wondrous and magical.
Poison Oak
This is definitely worth mentioning. This beauty has its price. When I first came across the the arch rock entrance, I was shocked to find leafy, green poison oak plants growing all over the sides of the road. Up until then, I was under the impression that Yosemite didn’t have any poison oak!
For somebody quite sensitive to the plant like me, this was always one of my favorite things about Yosemite & the high Sierra. Anyhow, that’s life.
Read my poison oak in Yosemite article for more info, and at the very least, be sure to not touch any plants along the side of the road if you stop to take pictures here.
As you progress to the higher elevations up the road, the poison oak will gradually disappear. In fact, I’ve never seen any past the crossing at Pohono Bridge.
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About My Photos
The images on this website are available for licensing and/or sale as framed prints. If you’d like to purchase them for a blog, news article, or gift, feel free to contact me with the specifics. This way you’re supporting photographers such as me directly (as opposed to buying from a faceless stock photo corporation).
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– Nathan Allen
About Me
I’m Nathan Allen, photographer / creator of YosemiteParkPhotos.com (Yosemite Photos) and international travel site I Dreamed Of This. In truth, I lived in San Francisco, New York, & Singapore…but nothing compares to life in the mountains. I share my experiences HERE.