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A trip to Yosemite can be optimized in both time and money with some planning before your trip. This means that chances are you'll need to buy a book and/or map to complement all the free literature out there to aid in your trip planning and navigation to the National Park. Below are books and maps that we've used. We've also included other books in the literature that may help you find what you need. The list is by no means complete, but hopefully it is enough to get you going on your quest to inform yourself on your travels.
Books
The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite (Yosemite Association): This very popular book covers how to photograph various subjects in Yosemite National Park from their grand attractions to the subtle nature features set in stunning landscapes. I enjoyed using this book at it told me where I needed to be at what time of year and what time of day for optimal photographs of features such as Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Cathedral Rocks, El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall, etc. you name it! I have found that after using this book, my understanding of the park and capturing in photographs has increased. I'm sure it will do the same for you, too!
Yosemite Road Guide (Yosemite Association): This most useful of guidebooks to the incomparable National Park is a short but sweet tome keyed to all the roadside markers you'll find along all the roads within the park. In addition to just identifying the features at each post, it also delves into historical and geological tid-bits relevant to the spot of interest. The book has old-school photographs (including one of Hetch Hetchy Valley before it got flooded) as well as nice illustrations of landscapes you might expect to find on the interpretive signposts in the park. I highly, highly recommend this book if you want to learn about the park as you explore it by road.
The Complete Guidebook to Yosemite (Yosemite Association): This book by Steven P. Medley covers the usual stuff about visiting Yosemite, but what I enjoyed most about this book is the historical section in the back of the book. I learned quite a bit about the history of the park in this summarized section and it left me wanting to learn more. They also cover various things about wildlife as well as food and lodging. The index is a bit lacking, but all in all, I enjoyed this book.
Granite, Water, and Light: Waterfalls of Yosemite Valley (Yosemite Association): This short out-of-print large-format book covers the major and minor waterfalls of Yosemite Valley. It provides a treasure trove of historical facts relating to waterfalls in the park as well as the geological forces involved. Not all the information in here is correct (e.g. Silver Strand Falls' height), but it's an enjoyable work. I even wonder about some of the photos which were obviously taken from places you couldn't get to unless you did some serious off-trail scrambling so it also appealed to me from an armchair hiker standpoint! I had to do a bit of digging to get my hands on this book, and eventually I bought it used. If you do manage to get your hands on this book, I highly recommend it.
The Waterfalls of Yosemite (Yosemite Association): This work by Steven P. Medley is really more of a fold-out brochure covering most of the major waterfalls in the park. It's an interesting souvenir or collectors item, but can also be useful for providing basic information about these waterfalls. The brochure is a bit fragile though as mine already has tears and holes at the creases.
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Maps
Topo! California (National Geographic): The National Geographic Topo! series are no-nonsense raster-based topographic maps at an incredible 1:24k scale (i.e. you can see walking trails, campsites, bathrooms, and other specific buildings) for the entire state. The one we got for California has gotten extensive use as we've planned and trip logged our weekend outings to Yosemite, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Death Valley, Pt Reyes, Southern California, etc. Not to be too picky, but there are a few mistakes on the map such as those in Yosemite (e.g. Tueeulala Falls), but at the same time, it also helped me clear up wrong information (e.g. Waterwheel Falls).Unfortunately, the map info is really all the Topo! series has going for it as their interface sucks. You actually need to purchase supplemental patches to get added functionality including the ever-so-important live GPS navigation. In all honesty, I think Topo! maps are excellent for hiking and backpacking, but they're terrible for road navigation or even trip logging.
Topo! Yosemite National Park (National Geographic): If you don't want to lug a PDA or laptop around, you can always carry around these durable waterproof fold-out maps, which are useful when you're out hiking. At a 1:24k scale, you'll see all the pertinent trails and important landmarks to help you get oriented and where you want to go out in the wilderness. Very powerful if you combine this with a compass.
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