Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( yoh-SEM-it-ee) is an American national park in Northern California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an area of 748,436 acres (1,169 sq mi; 3,029 km2) and sits in four counties: centered in Tuolumne and Mariposa, extending north and east to Mono and south to Madera County. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity. Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness.Yosemite is one of the largest and least fragmented habitat blocks in the Sierra Nevada, and the park supports a diversity of plants and animals. The park has an elevation range from 2,127 to 13,114 feet (648 to 3,997 m) and contains five major vegetation zones: chaparral and oak woodland, lower montane forest, upper montane forest, subalpine zone, and alpine. Of California's 7,000 plant species, approximately 50% occur in the Sierra Nevada and more than 20% are within Yosemite. The park contains suitable habitat for more than 160 rare plants, with rare local geologic formations and unique soils characterizing the restricted ranges many of these plants occupy.The geology of the Yosemite area is characterized by granitic rocks and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and then tilted to form its relatively gentle western slopes and the more dramatic eastern slopes. The uplift increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in the formation of deep, narrow canyons. About one million years ago, snow and ice accumulated, forming glaciers at the higher alpine meadows that moved down the river valleys. Ice thickness in Yosemite Valley may have reached 4,000 feet (1,200 m) during the early glacial episode. The downslope movement of the ice masses cut and sculpted the U-shaped valley that attracts so many visitors to its scenic vistas today.Yosemite was central to the development of the national park idea. Galen Clark and others lobbied to protect Yosemite Valley from development, ultimately leading to President Abraham Lincoln's signing the Yosemite Grant in 1864. John Muir led a successful movement to have Congress establish a larger national park by 1890, one which encompassed the valley and its surrounding mountains and forests, paving the way for the National Park System. Yosemite now draws about four million visitors each year, and most visitors spend the majority of their time in the seven square miles (18 km2) of Yosemite Valley. The park set a visitation record in 2016, surpassing five million visitors for the first time in its history.
- 1 Etymology
- 2 History
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3
Geography
- 3.1 Rocks and erosion
- 3.2 Popular features
- 3.3 Water and ice
- 3.4 Climate
- 4 Geology
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5
Ecology
- 5.1 Habitats
- 5.2 Management issues
- 5.3 Wildfires
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6
Activities
- 6.1 Hiking
- 6.2 Driving destinations
- 6.3 Climbing
- 6.4 Winter activities
- 6.5 Other
- 6.6 Horsetail Fall
- 7 In popular culture
- 8 See also
- 9 Citations
- 10 General references
- 11 External links
Links
Images Gallery
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The yellow star thistle competes with Yosemite's native plants.[citation needed]
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A view of the park and Vernal Falls, photographed by photographer Eadweard Muybridge in 1872.
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Bridalveil Fall and El Capitan, by Carleton Watkins (c. 1880)
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O'Shaughnessy Dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley
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Park map
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El Capitan, a granite monolith on Yosemite Valley's northern escarpment
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Cathedral Peak
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The Merced River flowing through Yosemite Valley, a U-shaped valley
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Bridalveil Fall flows from a U-shaped hanging valley that was created by a tributary glacier.
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Yosemite in autumn
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Exfoliation joints cause erosion in granitic rocks, creating many domes including Half Dome.
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Glacially polished granite cirque in upper Tenaya Canyon
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Mule deer in Yosemite Valley
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Marmot in Tuolumne Meadows
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A black bear with an ear tag in Yosemite Valley
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The Meadow Fire burns in Little Yosemite Valley, 2014
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Yosemite hybrid shuttle, a free bus service
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Hikers line the Half Dome cables on a busy summer day in 2008
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Climbing the Narrows in Sentinel Rock
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A ranger-guided snowshoe walk in the park
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Horsetail Fall flows over the eastern edge of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley.
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Comments
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Beautiful views everywhere you look. If you go early the crowds aren’t too bad. We didn’t have to wait in line going in early but saw some long lines on our last day when we left the park around noon.
a week ago -
Such a beautiful park and so much to see. Exited through the east and wish I would have spent some time that way! Some waterfalls and lakes are seasonal so mind that if you go there in the summer. Mirror lake was not there in mid August! So much to see and hike though!
a week ago -
Stunning 🤩 just amazing. Would love to stay there forever. Perfect park to spend time with friends and family.
3 days ago -
Gorgeous National Park! Yosemite Valley is stunning but make sure you go to Glazier Point. The view looking down at Yosemite Valley and seeing El Capitan and Half Dome is worth the trip. If you want to travel but are afraid of getting Covid hit up a National Park. Go during the week and there isn't much of a crowd. My wife and I went to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park's as well. A great trip!
a day ago -
Yosemite National Park is absolutely beautiful being so close to a major metropolitan center like San Francisco / Silicon Valley makes this park very accessible to a very large population. While it is an incredibly beautiful park it is not the best in terms of the amount of people who come to visit. I will say this is without a doubt one of America’s most beautiful spaces it should be visited during times when there are the least amount of people. I will give a more in-depth review but encouraging people to visit this park might be environmentally concerning when it’s already so popular.
a week ago -
Beautiful park. Made it into the valley this time and enjoyed the Yosemite Falls hike. Was impressed by the shop and restaurant facilities available in the valley. Enjoyed the drive from Lee Vining, so many beautiful places to stop along the way. You don't even need to go into the valley to enjoy beautiful hikes or clear water.
a month ago -
One of the best experiences I’ve had in my life. I travelled to California just to experience this moment. Words can not explain the beauty of this National Treasure. I encourage you to visit and experience the picturesque scenery of this place. My only wish is I could visit Yosemite again and spend days navigating through its marvels. This is one off my bucket list.
3 weeks ago -
The park is beautiful! It would be nice if there were signs indicating how far to your destination along the drive. But, we had an amazing time and the pictures look like a painting! Absolutely beautiful!
a month ago