Yosemite National Park

Yosemite Valley is a glacier-carved trench of sheer granite walls, El Capitan and Half Dome towering over meadows and the Merced River, laced with some of the highest waterfalls in North America. Add groves of giant sequoias and the high country of Tuolumne, and it is a landscape that helped launch the whole idea of national parks, honoured by UNESCO.

History

The first people of Yosemite called themselves the Ahwahneechee, the only tribe living within today's park, part of the Southern Sierra Miwok, with Central Sierra Miwok and Yokuts coming to trade and marry; they lived on acorns, seeds, salmon and deer. The California Gold Rush of 1848-1855 brought more than 90,000 newcomers in 1849 alone, and the Indigenous population of California, estimated at 300,000 some 70 years before the rush, fell to 150,000 and ten years later to about 50,000. The park covers 3,070 square kilometres of the Sierra Nevada, almost all of it wilderness, and became a World Heritage Site in 1984 (Wikipedia, Yosemite National Park).

What's there

• El Capitan and Half Dome - the great granite monoliths above the valley.
• Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil - the thundering waterfalls, highest in spring.
• The giant sequoias - the ancient big trees of the Mariposa Grove.
• Glacier Point and Tuolumne - the high viewpoints and alpine country above the valley.

When to go

Late spring for the waterfalls at full snowmelt; autumn for calm and colour. Summer is crowded and the falls dwindle; winter brings snow and quiet, with some roads closed. The high country opens only in summer.

Practical notes

The valley is small and hugely popular, so summer means heavy crowds, traffic and, increasingly, entry reservations, so check ahead. Waterfalls can be nearly dry by late summer. The high country and the sequoia groves spread the visitors and are worth the extra driving.

Nearby

The Sierra Nevada and Mono Lake lie to the east; Sequoia and Kings Canyon parks are to the south.

Key facts