Daily Photo Tour - Grizzly River Sunset

Splashing down cool rapids beneath a lush forest canopy on a warm summer day is about as good as it gets. Talk about refreshing. It's a vacation within a vacation, getting lost in the mini pseudo-Sierra wilderness. If you find yourself needing a respite, make this the spot!

Daily Photo Tour - Pillars in the Mist

The way that the Grizzly River Rapids fill up with mist at night is incredible. Instantly you are transported to some remote mountain location where hot springs abound. The best part about it is the mystery. Shapes and figures can become whatever your imagination allows.

Daily Photo Tour - Adventure into the Unknown

An adventure into the wilderness is definitely a way to spend a summer vacation. When entering the area surrounding Grizzly River Run, I always am reminded of the amazing National Parks our country has to offer, and even closer to home here in California. I have never been to Yosemite, but plan on making the trip very soon. It's nights like these that keep me yearning for my own adventure into the unknown.

Daily Photo Tour - The Stars Over Grizzly River Run

It's amazing to even see a few stars in Anaheim. On a clear dark night you can see many. This night proved to be one of the few that offered a pleasant view of the heavens. It's sometimes overwhelming to think about how large the universe actually is. Our galaxy alone contains over one-hundred billion stars. And how many galaxies are there exactly? Well, NASA estimates that there are more than a billion. If this doesn't blow your mind then you probably didn't enjoy World of Color either. The Universe is an amazing awe-inspiring place. Seriously. Just look up.

Daily Photo Tour - Looking Towards New Territories

Grizzly River Run always reminds me how much of California I haven't explored. I have never seen the Sequoia's, never witnessed Yosemite, and have barely touched the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. I can't wait for the day to be able to take a camera into new territories! Well, new for me anyways!

Daily Photo Tour - Entering the River

Sometimes certain scenes just pop out to me, and for some reason the other night this little area of California Adventure really caught my eye. The large sweeping trees and glow from the lights looked so quaint in the crisp spring air, I had to stop. And for me, that is one of the most important parts of the photography process. If you see something you like, stop, get out your camera, and take that picture!

Almost after a few minutes of rigging up my tripod, a Disney security guard stopped me and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was shooting the entrance of Grizzly River Run. He immediately got very excited and asked if I was shooting HDR. Then I got excited. A Disney cast member who knows what HDR photography is? So cool! I showed him a few shots from the day, and he wished me luck in my endeavors. A very short, but meaningful conversation with a super nice cast member always leaves a lasting memory. This is what Disney is all about.

Daily Photo Tour - Morning at the Mill

Grizzly Peak is kind of like the Sleeping Beauty Castle of California Adventure for me. It's that iconic piece of the magic puzzle that you always find yourself drawn to and that you can immediately identify and associate with Disney. It doesn't matter what time of day or night it is either. There is always something majestic about it. When we first started taking pictures around the Disneyland Resort for this crazy idea we had for a web site dedicated to Disney pictures, Grizzly Peak is what I tried to capture the most. I have probably racked up well over a thousand images of this man made mountain since. This was one of the first.

Daily Photo Tour - Details of Disney California Adventure

The richest rewards of the Disneyland Resort are certainly in the details. There is so much thoughtfulness and planning in each and every one of them. It's an adventure just finding them. We're really excited for all the details that are coming to Disney California Adventure and wanted to share some that are currently there.

Dot on the Lookout

Employment Office

Twilight Around the Bend

Daily Photo Tour - The Hidden Mill

While walking through the Disneyland Resort with my camera I'm always looking for two things, light and unique angles. It just makes me very happy to find a unique perspective on the parks. On an evening a little over a year ago we stopped near The Grizzly River Mill, on the trail that sneaks through the back side of the ride. I had never looked at the Mill from this angle and thought it was really cool to actually see the structure through the tree's and the grass. I'm a sucker for foliage. I don't get to see it much while living in the lush vegetated terrain of the desert. So when it finds its way around an awesome Disney attraction, I gotta make it work!

Daily Photo Tour - The Great Outdoors

Sometimes it's hard to decide what you want to do on vacation with such limited time to get away. Do you go to the beach? Do you go camping? Do you go to an amusement park? Do you travel somewhere exotic? You really don't have to decide if you go to the Disneyland Resort. It has a bit of everything from the beach feel of Paradise Pier to the exotic mystery of Adventureland to the great outdoors of the Golden State. It makes all that vacation planning a little easier and the experience makes for a magical, relaxing adventure.

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Daily Photo Tour - Grizzly River Nights

Imagine that you just woke from a peaceful dream. You are left awake with an emotion you've never felt before. Contentment and calm. No schedule, no deadlines, no screaming kids, and importantly, no stress. You sit up slowly in your squishy comfy bed. A blue glow from your balcony window illuminates the entire room. You ask yourself, "Am I still dreaming?" You somehow relinquish yourself from the amazing slumber and head to the window. A soft glow now vibrant on your face. You peek through the curtain like a child in wonderment. To your surprise a dream world is revealed. You are curious. You're up anyway, and your childlike inquisitiveness is in full control. Without shame, you slap on your Mickey Slippers and head out the door. You make it down the long bright hall, the light piercing your eyes. To your left you notice an enormous atrium. You take a step towards the railing and look down. You are immediately filled with a warmth and radiance that is only comparable to that of Christmas Magic. But this isn't Christmas. This is the Grand Californian Lobby. You're finally starting to wake up. You find an elevator and eagerly ride it down to the lobby floor. A serene and majestic atmosphere fills the place. The lobby ambassador greets you in a laughable manner. You quickly remember the wonderful attire you have chosen to wear on this excursion. You swiftly dodge that conversation and head around the corner, and finally outside. Reality is setting in. The moon radiates down light through the forest, while the quiet peacefulness of the moment surrounds you. You slowly walk up to the scene below. A hushed, constant sound of falling water is all you hear. Nothing else. And then, you begin to start dreaming again. This is what vacation is all about. This is a Grizzly River Night.

Where Have All the Settings Gone?

If you've noticed the photo settings missing from under our pictures, that's because we've stopped including them. It's not to hide anything or be mysterious though. It's simply a matter of web design and search engine optimization. So if you've been wondering, we're just trying to make it a little easier for Google to find our content.

Daily Photo Tour - The Grizzly Trail

I always enjoy meandering back here at the Grizzly Trail, especially on hot days. There are plenty of trees to provide adequate shade and if you take a few steps further, you can watch the roaring waterfall as the cool mist kisses your face. It's such a relaxing, peaceful spot. Except for the occasional scream or two from passengers plummeting down the Grizzly Rapids.

Daily Photo Tour - Life at its Best

We were wandering around Grizzly River Run when I noticed this rugged looking desk situated in the queue for this ride. I had seen this a number of times before, but never took the time to get a shot of it. Since we were mulling about anyway, I decided to take a moment to take the picture. At first glance, you may not even realize this was taken at the Disneyland Resort. It really does make you feel as though you've just stumbled upon the work station of a Northern California park ranger.

Daily Photo Tour - Eureka Gold & Timber Co.

It seems to be a rare occasion at Disneyland to have clouds like these. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen them at the Disneyland Resort and more than half of those times I was without my camera. This day I came prepared and it was a particularly exciting day for me. I saw things from a different perspective and found myself inspired to be a little more creative. I've seen the Grizzly River Mill a hundred times, but this time the clouds persuaded me to see it a bit differently.

Daily Photo Tour - A Night at the Grizzly River Mill

This is one of my absolute favorite settings in all of the Disneyland Resort. I have probably taken hundreds of pictures of this spot, never quite capturing what I wanted. Strangely enough, it had never occurred to me to take a picture of this area at night. I think that doing so afforded me the fresh perspective I needed to tap into that right brain creativity and convey the feeling this area brings me. We often lose our understanding and appreciation of things when they've become too familiar. It takes breaking out of our habits sometimes to return to a state actually living instead of simply being alive.

Daily Photo Tour - Grizzly Hot Tubs

As a kid, I used to take trips to Mammoth with one of my very good friends. We'd stay at his cabin in Bishop, and travel along Route 395 to snowboard, hike, bike ride, and bathe in the hot tubs in the surrounding area. It was the only time I had the chance to explore California's forests, and wilderness areas. Thanks to Disney, I will never forget these awesome memories due to the amazing theming and elaborate details put forth by the imagineering team. They have done a tremedous job in recreating the wilderness areas in Disney California Adventure. So much so that I think of them every time I enter The Golden State area of the park.

Daily Photo Tour - Grizzly River Fun

This is a great spot in the Golden State area at California Adventure. It's so dynamic with the textures of stone, wood, grass, and the way water carries rafts of soaked passengers through, beneath the trees and a grizzly peak. They even have those binocular stands set up to take in the view. I prefer looking through the viewfinder of my camera.

Daily Photo Tour - Grizzly River Rafting Co.

I love all the rustic charm of this ride and of the Golden State area at Disney California Adventure. It truly epitomizes the beauty and feeling of California mountain climates. But Grizzly River Run is one of those rides that finds itself rather lonely with the coming of cold weather. I took this picture back when the days were long, the sun was hot and getting wet seemed a good idea to cool off. With Fall making its way towards Winter, the idea of getting wet is far less appealing and the touches of snow on the looming Grizzly Peak are all the more convincing.

Daily Photo Tour - Life is But a Stream

I love Disney's attention to detail. Not only do they give us large scale theming like the grand Grizzly Peak, with it's waterfalls and rapids, they give us weathered off-road vehicles with bumper stickers!

Daily Photo Tour - Water Off a Grizzly's Back

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for waterfalls. Whenever I visit California Adventure, I consistently find myself driven to Grizzly Peak. The only tough part is deciding which side of the peak to take in. You can't go wrong with either!

A lot of waterfall shots use a slower shutter speed to get the silky smooth look of flowing water. I love those types of shots, but I thought it would also be cool to freeze that motion for this shot. The texture from freezing the water's motion has a more rugged feel, which seems to suit the Golden State area of California Adventure.