Surprisingly, Tenaya Canyon is not one of the best hikes in Yosemite. The chief problem is lack of water; no stream courses the canyon; thus very few hikers walk the canyon, especially during the hot California summers. This means that the trails are prone to coverage by scree, the random rock cover that makes walking unpleasant at best, and dangerous at worst. From the top of the canyon, which may be glimpsed from the Tioga road to Tuolumne Meadows, the signature Half Dome of Yosemite dominates the canyon. From the bottom, of the canyon, which leads into Yosemite Valley, Mirror Lake and a short trail around it are quite well used. Yosemite National Park (pron. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles [[List of Governors of California|Governor]] Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... Summer is a season, defined by convention in meteorology as the whole months of June, July and August in the Northern hemisphere and the whole months of December, January and February in the Southern hemisphere. ... Scree slopes in Corrie Laggan, part of the Cuillin range on Skye Scree is a term given to broken rock that appears at the bottom of mountain cliffs. ... Tuolumne Meadows, as viewed from Lembert Dome Tuolumne Meadows is a gentle, dome-studded meadowy section of the Tuolumne River, in the eastern section of Yosemite National Park. ... Half Dome is a granite dome formation at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley, possibly the Valleys most familiar sight. ... Yosemite Valley with Half Dome in the distance. ...