Scenic Values
Throughout its length, the Merced River flows through a scenic landscape that has few parallels. The river provides a natural complement to Sierra Nevada vistas, Yosemite’s world-renowned and iconic scenery, and foothill canyons. Depending on the stretch of river, the Merced manifests itself as the foreground for a flat valley, a rushing and boulder-strewn river, towering waterfalls, or serene lakes.
Yosemite National Park
Visitors to this wilderness segment experience scenic views of serene montane lakes, pristine meadows, slickrock cascades, and high Sierra peaks.
Starting at the headwaters, the Merced River passes through chains of “paternoster” lakes29, enters the upper montane forest, and becomes walled in by a classic U-shaped glacial valley. Scenic landmarks visible from the river or its banks include Washburn and Merced Lakes, Echo Valley, Bunnell Point, and Little Yosemite Valley. The long river segment of great visual variety and its uncompromised natural setting provide diverse, exceptional scenery—all with the river in the foreground.
Photo: Base of Bunnell Peak - David Bunnell
Visitors to Yosemite Valley experience scenic views of some of the world’s most iconic scenery, with the river and meadows forming a placid foreground to towering cliffs and waterfalls
The river enters Yosemite Valley at Nevada Fall, flowing through Emerald Pool and then over Vernal Fall. Once in the flat valley, the Merced provides the foreground to many of Yosemite’s most famous landmarks. From the river or its banks, views consist of Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan, Half Dome, and other named and unnamed parts of the cliffs and hanging valleys rimming the valley. Meandering through a sequence of compound oxbows, wetlands, and meadows, the river and its related features provide broadened panoramas. Throughout the valley, views from the river or its banks encompass the lower montane forest as it rises up to sheer rock faces of granite cliffs and talus slopes with a flat valley bottom serving as a contrasting foreground. The juxtaposition of granite domes and waterfalls is unique, as is the concentration of river-related views found in Yosemite Valley
The Merced River drops 2,000 feet over 14 miles—a continuous cascade under spectacular Sierra granite outcrops and domes.
Descending from Yosemite Valley, the river becomes a continuous cascade in a narrow gorge littered by massive boulders. Arch and Elephant Rocks and other landmarks rise above, all visible from the river or its banks. Dropping 2,000 feet in 14 miles, canyon walls rise steeply from the river and have many seasonal waterfalls cascading down to the river. Spring and fall bring special parades of colors, from redbuds and other plants warmly flowering in spring to bigleaf maples and other trees turning bright colors in fall.
Photo: Merced River - Cowboy Jules
The South Fork Merced River passes through a vast area of natural scenic beauty.
The South Fork Merced River in these stretches is largely inaccessible, with just a few trail crossings above Wawona and none below it. The scenery from the river or its banks is that of an undeveloped Sierra Nevada river valley, with views dominated by forest-cloaked hills, distant peaks, and an untamed river. These are some of the wildest views possible in the Sierra Nevada.
Photo: South Fork Merced River - Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management
