Yosemite National Park has endless viewpoints for you to gaze out in awe of what lay before you. You have to pinch yourself and make sure that you're not actually stuck in a dream, because the whole place feels like a green screen!

One of the most popular of such viewpoints is Glacier Point. Last week we wrote about an amazing sunset that we got to experience there, which you can check out here.

Just up the road from Glacier Point, is another incredible spot called Washburn Point. It has a smaller car park and a slightly different view of Half Dome. The iconic view of the Valley that you have on your desktop background is from Glacier Point, so that's where everyone goes for the sunset! If you want to have a bit more room to yourself and also get a glimpse of both Vernal and Nevada Falls (you can only see Nevada Falls from Glacier Point), then Washburn Point is the place.

We arrived early to secure a parking spot, but it wasn't necessary. It seemed like everybody that stopped at Washburn Point just jumped out for a photo and carried on down the road to Glacier Point. By the time the sun started to set, we almost had the whole place to ourselves.

As the minutes pass by and the sun lowers, the light creeps across the landscape. Shadow begins to overtake the Valley, first reaching Vernal Falls, shortly before overtaking Nevada Falls.

It's not long before the last spot of light reaches the top of Half Dome, turning it bright pink for a brief moment before the sun escapes further beyond the horizon.

Washburn Point is definitely worth your time.

With a clear sky, we decided to wait out after dark to see the stars above Half Dome. It was worth the wait in the cold to witness this beautiful view just a couple of hours later.

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Yosemite National Park was the ninth stop on The Big Trip. Follow us to see the rest of our journey as we spend 3 months exploring America’s most beautiful National Parks.