Yosemite National Park beautiful mountain range located in east-central California, U.S. San Francisco is about 140 miles 225 km away and Sacramento is about 100 miles 160 kilometers away. Devils Postpile National Monument is situated around 15 miles 25 kilometers towards the east.
In addition, Kings Canyon of National Park is located about 40 miles 65 kilometers to the south. The park, which is surround with National Forest land, encompasses 1,189 square miles 3,080 square kilometers. It made as a UNESCO World Heritage site in the year 1984. The park headquarters are located in Yosemite Village in Yosemite Valley located in the west-central region of the park.
Natural Background Of Yosemite National Park
The park is located in the middle of the Sierra Nevada range. It is located in the basins of the Merced and Tuolumne rivers. The area rises from west east, with the eastern boundary creating a drainage divide. Most of the highest mountains are located in the southeastern region of the park.
Some surpass 10,000 feet 3,050 meters Mount Lyell 13114 feet 3,997 meters has the distinction of being the tallest highest point. Glaciation has created a number of large U-shaped deep valleys. Among them is the Yosemite Valley on the Merced River.
This curved valley measures seven miles and 11 kilometers long, and measures between 0.5 to one mile 0.8 to 1.6 kilometers wide – it is home to many famous landmarks, including the massive rocks that rise 3,000 to 4000 feet 900 to 1,200 meters above the valley floor, and Yosemite Falls.
The most impressive of the domes is El Capitan. Which is a rock buttress at the western edge of the valley. It is 7,569 feet 2,307 meters over the sea and rises to 3600 feet 1,100 meters over the valley. From Half Dome, which reaches an elevation of 8,836 feet 2,693 meters, one can enjoy a stunning view of the valley.
Yosemite Falls consists of Upper Yosemite Fall, Lower Yosemite Fall, and the cascades in between. With a combined fall of two and a half miles and 740 meters, it is one of the largest cataracts in the world. Other noteworthy waterfalls in the valley are Bridalveil, Nevada, Ribbon along with Vernal falls
The variety of animals is varied in the park. Mule deer, black bears, mountain lions, coyotes and pumas are the largest mammals. A variety of squirrels, chipmunks and bats make up the majority of the smaller mammals.
The Development And Use Of The National Parks
Trappers might have been in Yosemite Valley in the 1830s. A miner named William Penn Abrams was believed to have been at Inspiration Point near the valley entry point around 1849. In 1851, a California military unit chased the marauding Native Americans into the valley, earning it fame around the world.
Settlers soon followed, with businessmen who set up lodges for visitors arriving by horseback or walking through rough trails. Interest in Yosemite stimulated through the distribution of lithographs of paintings and drawings. By artists like Thomas Hill and of photographs by Carleton E Watkins.
The concern over the destruction of nature’s ecosystem caused by this influx of people led to demands on the Federal government to safeguard Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove. This done by approving the creation of a state park in 1864.
The majority of tourists to Yosemite are now able to access the park through two entrances to the park located on the west or one to the south. These entrances are located in the Mariposa Grove. In winter, an east-west road divides the park and connects to an entry point on the east end at Tioga The Pass.
Which crosses the Sierra Nevada’s ridgeline. Yosemite is among the most visited parks in the nation. It had an annual attendance of more than three million by the end of the 1980s and continued to rise at or above that level. And Yosemite Valley in particular is extremely crowded during the summer months.
Popular Activity On
Due to the high volume of traffic and the absence of parking, a shuttle bus system developed to move tourists around the valley. A plan enacted by the government in 1999 to ameliorate the condition in Yosemite.
This plan involved cleaning up disturbed natural areas, decreasing congestion through expanded buses, and upgrading accommodation facilities. There are a variety of privately-owned accommodation establishments within the park. The majority of them in the valley, and there are more than 1,500 campsites within twelve campgrounds managed by the national park service.
Each year, thousands of people hike along Yosemite’s numerous trails and climb its peaks and domes. Its Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail traverses the northern part of the park. Before it leaves in the east, it connects with the John Muir Trail, whose northern end is in Yosemite Valley. Rafting is permitted in certain areas in the Merced River.
The Badger Pass Ski Area, located south of the valley, also permits skiing. A visitors’ center is located in Yosemite Valley as well as another one that is open year-round. Accessible during the season in the eastern portion of the park, near close to the Tioga Pass entrance. There is also the Yosemite Museum, in Yosemite Village located in the valley. Exhibits are available about the region’s indigenous peoples, the Miwok and the Paiute.