Winter

Yosemite Valley in Winter

Photograph by Jesse Estes, My Shot

Yosemite Valley’s iconic landmarks take on an entirely new appearance when blanketed by a foot of fresh snow. Such scenes invite skiers, skaters, and other winter sports enthusiasts to explore the park in a less-crowded season.
Yosemite boasts 350 miles (560 kilometers) of cross-country ski trails and California’s oldest alpine ski resort—Badger Pass. Winter visitors also enjoy tubing, snowshoeing, and, in the legendary Ahwahnee Hotel, some of America’s most inviting firesides.

After the Ice Storm

Photograph by Brian Haynes, My Shot

A horse warily surveys a once-familiar landscape of fields and hills transformed into a winter wonderland in the aftermath of an intense ice storm, which has coated the trees with a coat of glistening rime.

Young Emperor Penguins

Photograph by Steven Pressman, My Shot

Winter finds emperor penguins breeding on the open ice, producing young who must try to keep warm while waiting for a parent to return with food. Such scenes are familiar at the Snow Hill Island rookery in Antarctica. Emperors group together for warmth in wind chills that can fall to -76ºF (-60ºC), and take turns moving from the chilly perimeter to the relative warmth found in the middle of their huddles.