Yosemite National Park

Yosemite's unique natural heritage  

Located in the Sierra Nevada mountains, almost four hours drive due east of San Francisco, Yosemite National Park is loved and renowned for its forests and rocks.  It is home to some of the mightiest  giant sequoia trees in the USA, to some of the highest waterfalls in the USA, and to spectacular sheer granite cliffs, most notably El Capitan and the Half Dome.

Reaching Yosemite

There are five accesses to Yosemite National Park, four on the western side, and one on the east. The busiest entrance and the one most easily accessible from San Francisco is the Big Oak Flat entrance, on Highway 120.
  Highway 120 runs through the park area, exiting at Tioga Pass, near Mt. Dana, which is the eastern entrance to the park, close to Mono Lake.
  The least busy entrance is at the Hetch Hetchy entrance, giving access to the wilderness area around Mather in the north of the National Park.
  The most interesting entrance to Yosemite is the Arch Rock Entrance on Highway 140, from Mariposa and Incline, that brings visitors in under Arch Rock, a natural tunnel, and past El Portal.

Recreation in Yosemite

  Yosemite is above all a recreation area. While it is quite possible to come for the day, drive round, see the sights and drive out again before nightfall, visitors who do this will miss out on a big part of the Yosemite experience. The best way to appreciate Yosemite is to spend at least a couple of days in the park, and experience it to the full. Yosemite is a paradise for camping, hiking, cycling, enjoying nature, photography, backpacking, and mountaineering. In addition, there are opportunities for fishing, horseback riding and golf, as well as winter sports, including downhill and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

  Yosemite Falls, at 739 metres (2,425 ft), constitute the twentieth highest waterfall in the world, and the third highest in the continental USA. However the falls are off the main Yosemite valley, and to get a good view of them means hiking up into the hills. Consequently, Yosemite's best known waterfall is the the Bridalveil Fall, a "mere" 189 metres (620 ft) in height, but conveniently situated beside the Yosemite valley road opposite the cliffs of El Capitan.

There are a number of places to stay within the National Park, including guest lodges and campgrounds.

Close by

Not to be missed, just beyond the eastern exit from the Park via Highway 120, is the amazing Mono Lake. The water in this lake is so saline that it cannot support normal aquatic life. it is home however to remarkable little shrimps that have learned to adapt to the very harsh conditions.

More information

Official National Parks Service Yosemite website

For more background to the USA.....

► Book / ebook     A Background to modern America -  people, places and events  that have played a significant role in the shaping of modern America. A C1-level Advanced English reader for speakers of other languages, and anyone wanting to  learn some of the background to today's USA.  Twenty-two texts, with vocabulary guides and exercises.