Yosemite National Park

Yosemite Table of Contents

• Map of the national park
• Photographs
• Videos
• Regions of Yosemite National Park; the Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, Glacier Point and Wawona
• Giant sequoia trees, and Hetch Hetchy
• Access
• Trails of Yosemite National Park
• Tours of Yosemite
• Overcrowding at Yosemite
• Yosemite wildflowers

Location

Map of Yosemite National Park.

Photographs

All Yosemite photographs.

Videos

Chilnualna Falls, Tuolumne River.

Regions of Yosemite National Park

Giant Sequoia, and Hetch Hetchy

There are three groves of giant sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park, two near Crane Flat (the Merced and Tuolumne groves) but the most famous is the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees in the southwest corner, near the private village of Wawona. More than 400 huge sequoias grow over the sheltered hillsides; the largest is the Grizzly Giant, estimated to be nearly 3,000 years old. The remote northern half of the park is served only by the Hetch Hetchy road, leading to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. This was formed in 1923 by construction of a dam to provide drinking water for the people of San Francisco. The dam caused flooding of the lower reaches of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River - said by John Muir and many others to be as magnificent as Yosemite Valley

Access

Yosemite National Park is 200 miles east of San Francisco; three state roads (CA 120, CA 140 and CA 41) approach from the west and converge on the lower end of the valley. CA 120 continues east across the Sierras via the Tioga Pass, a route that is often blocked by snow until June. No roads cross the mountains south of here for 140 miles. At the western end of the valley where the mountains at either side come close together, the roads become narrow, cut precariously into the cliffsides, and pass through several tunnels - these open to reveal an astonishing vista of vertical cliffs and green woodland, fading into the hazy distance; this is Yosemite Valley, central attraction of the park.

Hiking in Yosemite National Park

All trails: Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point, Tuolumne Meadows, Mariposa

Featured Yosemite Trails

Yosemite Tours

Explore the valley!

Overcrowding at Yosemite

As Yosemite is the preferred destination of three million visitors each year, many of whom do little more than drive around the roads of the main valley and stop to take photographs, this area has become quite congested, and some parts have become spoilt by badly-planned developments, overcrowding & commercialism. In January 1997 severe flooding destroyed half the campsites and one third of the buildings, so it was decided that many would not be rebuilt, and instead the land would be returned to nature. Other improvement measures include a reduction in the number of roads available to private cars and increased use of shuttle buses, as is the case, for example, with Zion Canyon in Utah and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Still, even in the heart of Yosemite Valley, perfect solitude is only a 30 minute walk away along one of the many trails leading into the wilderness, and despite the overcrowding, the scenic drive along the Merced River is a must for any visitor to California.

Yosemite Wildflowers