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Yosemite National Park (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell<ref>Template:MW</ref>) is a national park of the United States in California.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="VisitCal">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is bordered 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 Template:Convert<ref name="statistics" /> in four countiesTemplate:Sndcentered in Tuolumne and Mariposa, extending north and east to Mono and south to Madera. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, groves of giant sequoia, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity.<ref name = "naturehistory">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Almost 95 percent of the park is designated wilderness.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Yosemite is one of the largest and least fragmented habitat blocks in the Sierra Nevada.
Its geology is characterized by granite and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and tilted to form its unique slopes, which increased the steepness of stream and river beds, forming deep, narrow canyons. About one million years ago glaciers formed at higher elevations. They moved downslope, cutting and sculpting the U-shaped Yosemite Valley.<ref name="naturehistory" />
Humans may have first entered the area 10,000 to 8,000 years ago, with Native Americans having inhabited the region for nearly 4,000 years.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":1" /> European Americans entered the area by 1833 and settlers first entered the valley in 1851, with James D. Savage credited as discovering the area that became Yosemite National Park.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Yosemite was critical to the development of the concept of national parks. Galen Clark and others lobbied to protect Yosemite Valley from development, ultimately leading to President Abraham Lincoln's signing of the Yosemite Grant of 1864 that declared Yosemite as federally preserved land.<ref name="historyculture" /> In 1890, John Muir led a successful movement to motivate Congress to establish Yosemite Valley and its surrounding areas as a National Park. This helped pave the way for the National Park System.<ref name="historyculture" /> Yosemite draws about four million visitors annually.<ref name="visits">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Most visitors spend the majority of their time in the valley's Template:Convert.<ref name="naturehistory" /> The park set a visitation record in 2016, surpassing five million visitors for the first time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2023, the park saw nearly four million visitors.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ToponymEdit
The word Yosemite (derived from yohhe'meti, "they are killers" in Miwok) historically referred to the name that the Miwok gave to the Ahwahneechee, the resident indigenous tribe.<ref name="Anderson" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> Previously, the region had been called "Ahwahnee" ("big mouth") by its only indigenous inhabitants, the Ahwahneechee.<ref name=Anderson>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The term Yosemite in Miwok is easily confused with a similar term for "grizzly bear", and is still a common misconception.<ref name=Anderson/><ref name=Beeler>Template:Cite journal</ref>
HistoryEdit
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Ahwahneechee and the Mariposa WarsEdit
The indigenous natives of Yosemite called themselves the Ahwahneechee, meaning "dwellers" in Ahwahnee.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Ahwahneechee People were the only tribe that lived within the park boundaries, but other tribes lived in surrounding areas. Together they formed a larger Indigenous population in California, called the Southern Sierra Miwok.<ref name="Spence">Template:Cite journal</ref> They are related to the Northern Paiute and Mono tribes. Other tribes like the Central Sierra Miwoks and the Yokuts, who both lived in the San Joaquin Valley and central California, visited Yosemite to trade and intermarry.Template:Sfn This resulted in a blending of culture that helped preserve their presence in Yosemite after early American settlements and urban development threatened their survival.<ref name="Spence" /> Vegetation and game in the region were similar to modern times; acorns were a dietary staple, as well as other seeds and plants, salmon and deer.<ref name="Spence" />
The 1848–1855 California Gold Rush was a major event impacting the native population. It drew more than 90,000 European Americans to the area in 1849, causing competition for resources between gold miners and residents.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> About 70 years before the Gold Rush, the indigenous population was estimated to be 300,000, quickly dropping to 150,000, and just ten years later, only about 50,000 remained.<ref name=":1" /> The reasons for such a decline included disease, birth rate decreases, starvation, and conflict. The conflict in Yosemite, which is known as the Mariposa War, was part of the California genocide, which was the systemic killing of indigenous peoples throughout the State between the 1840s and 1870s.<ref name="Adhikari">Template:Cite book</ref> It started in December 1850 when California funded a state militia to drive Native people from contested territory to suppress Native American resistance to the European American influx.<ref name="miwuk">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Yosemite tribes often stole from settlers and miners, sometimes killing them, in retribution for the extermination/domestication of their people, and loss of their lands and resources.<ref name=":1" /> The War and formation of the Mariposa Battalion was partially the result of a single incident involving James Savage, a Fresno trader whose trading post was attacked in December, 1850. After the incident, Savage rallied other miners and gained the support of local officials to pursue a war against the Natives. He was appointed United States Army Major and leader of the Mariposa Battalion in the beginning of 1851.<ref name=":1" /> He and Captain John Boling were responsible for pursuing the Ahwahneechee people, led by Chief Tenaya and driving them west, and out of Yosemite.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":1" /> In March 1851 under Savage's command, the Mariposa Battalion captured about 70 Ahwahneechee and planned to take them to a reservation in Fresno, but they escaped. Later in May, under the command of Boling, the battalion captured 35 Ahwahneechee, including Chief Tenaya, and marched them to the reservation. Most were allowed to eventually leave and the rest escaped.<ref name=":1" /> Tenaya and others fled across the Sierra Nevada and settled with the Mono Lake Paiutes. Tenaya and some of his companions were ultimately killed in 1853 either over stealing horses or a gambling conflict. The survivors of Tenaya's group and other Ahwahneechee were absorbed into the Mono Lake Paiute tribe.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Accounts from this battalion were the first well-documented reports of European Americans entering Yosemite Valley. Attached to Savage's unit was Doctor Lafayette Bunnell, who later wrote about his awestruck impressions of the valley in The Discovery of the Yosemite. Bunnell is credited with naming Yosemite Valley, based on his interviews with Chief Tenaya. Bunnell wrote that Chief Tenaya was the founder of the Ahwahnee colony.<ref name="Bunnell17">Template:Cite book</ref> Bunnell falsely believed that the word "Yosemite" meant "full-grown grizzly bear".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Indigenous peoples' continuing presenceEdit
After the Mariposa War, Native Americans continued to live in the Yosemite area in reduced numbers. The remaining Yosemite Ahwahneechee tribe members there were forced to relocate to a village constructed in 1851 by the state government.<ref name=":1" /> They learned to live within this camp and their limited rights, adapting to the changed environment by entering the tourism industry through employment and small businesses, manufacturing and selling goods and providing services.<ref name="Spence" /> In 1953, the National Park Service banned all non-employee Natives from residing in the Park and evicted the non-employees who had residence. In 1969, with only a few families left in the Park, the National Park Service evicted the remaining Native people living within the Park (all Park employees and their families) to a government housing area for park employees and destroyed the village as part of a fire-fighting exercise.<ref name="SpenceBookChapter8">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="miwuk" /> A reconstructed "Indian Village of Ahwahnee" sits behind the Yosemite Museum, located next to the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
By the late 19th century, the population of all native inhabitants in Yosemite was difficult to determine, estimates ranged from thirty to several hundred. The Ahwahneechee people and their descendants were hard to identify.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> The last full-blooded Ahwahneechee died in 1931. Her name was Totuya, or Maria Lebrado. She was the granddaughter of Chief Tenaya and one of many forced out of her ancestral homelands.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="miwuk" /> The Ahwahneechee live through the memory of their descendants, their fellow Yosemite Natives, and through the Yosemite exhibit in the Smithsonian and the Yosemite Museum.<ref name=":1" /> As a method of self-preservation and resilience, the Indigenous people of California proposed treaties in 1851 and 1852 that would have established land reservations for them, but Congress refused to ratify them.<ref name=":1" /> The Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation is seeking tribal sovereignty and federal recognition.<ref name="miwuk" /><ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The National Park Service created policies to protect sacred sites and allow Native People to return to their homelands and use National Park resources.<ref name=":4" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Early touristsEdit
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In 1855, entrepreneur James Mason Hutchings, artist Thomas Ayres and two others were the first tourists to visit.<ref name="GeologyNP326">Template:Harvnb</ref> Hutchings and Ayres were responsible for much of Yosemite's earliest publicity, writing articles and special issues about the valley.Template:Sfn Ayres' style was detailed with exaggerated angularity. His works and written accounts were distributed nationally, and an exhibition of his drawings was held in New York City. Hutchings' publicity efforts between 1855 and 1860 increased tourism to Yosemite.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Natives supported the growing tourism industry by working as laborers or maids. Later, they performed dances for tourists, acted as guides, and sold handcrafted goods, notably woven baskets.<ref name="Spence" /> The Indian village and its peoples fascinated visitors, especially James Hutchings who advocated for Yosemite tourism. He and others considered the indigenous presence to be one of Yosemite's greatest attractions.<ref name="Spence" />
Wawona was an early Indian encampment for Nuchu and Ahwahneechee people who were captured and relocated to a reservation on the Fresno River by Savage and the Mariposa Battalion in March 1851.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Galen Clark discovered the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoia in Wawona in 1857. He had simple lodgings and roads built. In 1879, the Wawona Hotel was built to serve tourists visiting Mariposa Grove.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> As tourism increased, so did the number of trails and hotels to build on it.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The Wawona Tree, also known as the Tunnel Tree, was a giant sequoia that grew in the Mariposa Grove. It was Template:Convert tall, and was Template:Convert in circumference. When a carriage-wide tunnel was cut through the tree in 1881, it became even more popular as a tourist photo attraction. Carriages and automobiles traversed the road that passed through the tree. The tree was permanently weakened by the tunnel, and it fell in 1969 under a heavy load of snow. It was estimated to have been 2,100 years old.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Yosemite's first concession was established in 1884 when John Degnan and his wife established a bakery and store.Template:Sfn In 1916, the National Park Service granted a 20-year concession to the Desmond Park Service Company. It bought out or built hotels, stores, camps, a dairy, a garage, and other park facilities.Template:Sfn The Hotel Del Portal was completed in 1908 by a subsidiary of the Yosemite Valley Railroad. It was located at El Portal, California just outside of Yosemite.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Sfn
The Curry Company started in 1899, led by David and Jennie Curry to provide concessions. They founded Camp Curry, now Curry Village.Template:Sfn
Park service administrators felt that limiting the number of concessionaires in the park would be more financially sound. The Curry Company and its rival, the Yosemite National Park Company, were forced to merge in 1925 to form the Yosemite Park & Curry Company (YP&CC).Template:Sfn The company built the Ahwahnee Hotel in 1926–27.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Yosemite GrantEdit
Template:Multiple image Concerned by the impact of commercial interests, citizens including Galen Clark and Senator John Conness advocated protection for the area.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The 38th United States Congress passed legislation that was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on June 30, 1864, creating the Yosemite Grant.<ref name="Schaffer48">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> This is the first time land was set aside specifically for preservation and public use by the U.S. government, and set a precedent for the 1872 creation of Yellowstone national park, the nation's first.<ref name = "historyculture">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove were ceded to California as a state park, and a board of commissioners was established two years later.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Galen Clark was appointed by the commission as the Grant's first guardian, but neither Clark nor the commissioners had the authority to evict homesteaders (which included Hutchings).<ref name="Schaffer48"/> The issue was not settled until 1872 when the homesteader land holdings were invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court.<ref>Hutchings v. Low {{#ifeq:no|no |{{#if:
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}}</ref> The two Supreme Court decisions affecting management of the Yosemite Grant are considered precedents in land management law.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Hutchings became the new park guardian.<ref name="Schaffer49"/>
Tourist access to the park improved, and conditions in the Valley became more hospitable. Tourism significantly increased after the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, while the long horseback ride to reach the area was a deterrent.<ref name="Schaffer48"/> Three stagecoach roads were built in the mid-1870s to provide better access for the growing number of visitors.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist and explorer. Muir's leadership ensured that many National Parks were left untouched, including Yosemite.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Muir wrote articles popularizing the area and increasing scientific interest in it. Muir was one of the first to theorize that the major landforms in Yosemite Valley were created by alpine glaciers, bucking established scientists such as Josiah Whitney.<ref name="Schaffer49">Template:Harvnb</ref> Muir wrote scientific papers on the area's biology. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted emphasized the importance of conservation of Yosemite Valley.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Increased protection effortsEdit
Overgrazing of meadows (especially by sheep), logging of giant sequoia, and other damage led Muir to become an advocate for further protection. Muir convinced prominent guests of the importance of putting the area under federal protection. One such guest was Robert Underwood Johnson, editor of Century Magazine. Muir and Johnson lobbied Congress for the Act that created Yosemite National Park on October 1, 1890.<ref name="Schaffer50">Template:Harvnb</ref> The State of California, however, retained control of Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove. Muir's writings raised awareness about the damage caused by sheep grazing, and he actively campaigned to virtually eliminate grazing from the Yosemite's high-country.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The newly created national park came under the jurisdiction of the United States Army's Troop I of the 4th Cavalry on May 19, 1891, which set up camp in Wawona with Captain Abram Epperson Wood as acting superintendent.<ref name="Schaffer50"/> By the late 1890s, sheep grazing was no longer a problem, and the Army made other improvements. However, the cavalry could not intervene to ease the worsening conditions. From 1899 to 1913, cavalry regiments of the Western Department, including the all Black 9th Cavalry (known as the "Buffalo Soldiers") and the 1st Cavalry, stationed two troops at Yosemite.
Muir and his Sierra Club continued to lobby the government and influential people for the creation of a unified Yosemite National Park. In May 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt camped with Muir near Glacier Point for three days. On that trip, Muir convinced Roosevelt to take control of Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove away from California and return it to the federal government. In 1906, Roosevelt signed a bill that shifted control.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
National Park ServiceEdit
The National Park Service (NPS) was formed in 1916, and Yosemite was transferred to that agency's jurisdiction. Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, Tioga Pass Road, and campgrounds at Tenaya and Merced lakes were also completed in 1916.<ref name="Schaffer52">Template:Harvnb</ref> Automobiles started to enter the park in ever-increasing numbers following the opening of all-weather highways to the park. The Yosemite Museum was founded in 1926 through the efforts of Ansel Franklin Hall.Template:Sfn In the 1920s, the museum featured Native Americans practicing traditional crafts, and many Southern Sierra Miwok continued to live in Yosemite Valley until they were evicted from the park in the 1960s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Although the NPS helped create a museum that included Native American culture, its early actions and organizational values were dismissive of Yosemite Natives and the Ahwahneechee.<ref name=":1" /> NPS in the early 20th century criticized and restricted the expression of indigenous culture and behavior. For example, park officials penalized Natives for playing games and drinking during the Indian Field Days of 1924.<ref name="Spence" /> In 1929, Park Superintendent Charles G. Thomson concluded that the Indian village was aesthetically unpleasant and was limiting white settler development and ordered the camp to be burned down.<ref name=":1" /> In 1969, many Native residents left in search of work as a result of the decline in tourism. NPS demolished their empty houses, evicted the remaining residents, and destroyed the entire village.<ref name=":1" /> This was the last Indigenous settlement within the park.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="miwuk" />
In 1903, a dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley in the northwestern region of the park was proposed. Its purpose was to provide water and hydroelectric power to San Francisco. Muir and the Sierra Club opposed the project, while others, including Gifford Pinchot, supported it.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In 1913, the O'Shaughnessy Dam was approved via passage of the Raker Act.<ref name="Schaffer51">Template:Harvnb</ref>
In 1918, Clare Marie Hodges was hired as the first female Park Ranger in Yosemite.<ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Following Hodges in 1921, Enid Michael was hired as a seasonal Park Ranger<ref name=":6" /> and continued to serve in that position for 20 years.<ref name=":6" />
In 1937, conservationist Rosalie Edge, head of the Emergency Conservation Committee (ECC), successfully lobbied Congress to purchase about Template:Convert of old-growth sugar pines on the perimeter of Yosemite National Park that were to be logged.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
By 1968, traffic congestion and parking in Yosemite Valley during the summer months has become a concern.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> NPS reduced artificial inducements to visit the park, such as the Firefall, in which red-hot embers were pushed off a cliff near Glacier Point at night.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1984, preservationists persuaded Congress to designate Template:Convert, or about 89 percent of the park, as the Yosemite Wilderness. As a wilderness area, it would be preserved in its natural state with humans being only temporary visitors.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2016, The Trust for Public Land (TPL) purchased Ackerson Meadow, a Template:Convert on the western edge of the park for $2.3 million. Ackerson Meadow was originally included in the proposed 1890 park boundary, but never acquired by the federal government. The purchase and donation of the meadow was made possible through a cooperative effort by TPL, NPS, and Yosemite Conservancy. On September 7, 2016, NPS accepted the donation of the land, making the meadow the largest addition to Yosemite since 1949.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With extensive erosion from years of cattle ranching , the land is being transformed back into a healthy meadow.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2025, laid off National Park Service workers displayed a giant upside down American flag as a "distress signal" at El Capitan to protest layoffs recently made by the Trump administration.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
GeographyEdit
Yosemite National Park is located in the central Sierra Nevada. Three wilderness areas are adjacent to Yosemite: the Ansel Adams Wilderness to the southeast, the Hoover Wilderness to the northeast, and the Emigrant Wilderness to the north.
The Template:Convert park contains thousands of lakes and ponds, Template:Convert of streams, Template:Convert of hiking trails, and Template:Convert of roads.<ref name="nature">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Two federally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers, the Merced and the Tuolumne, begin within Yosemite's borders and flow westward through the Sierra foothills into the Central Valley of California.
Rocks and erosionEdit
Almost all of the landforms are cut from the granitic rock of the Sierra Nevada Batholith (a batholith is a large mass of intrusive igneous rock that formed deep below the surface).<ref name="GeologyNP329">Template:Harvnb</ref> About five percent of the park's landforms (mostly in its eastern margin near Mount Dana) are metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rocks.<ref name="landforms">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> These roof pendants once formed the roof over the underlying granitic magma.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Erosion acting upon different types of uplift-generated joint and fracture systems is responsible for producing the valleys, canyons, domes, and other features. These joints and fracture systems do not move, and are therefore not faults.<ref name="GeologyNP331">Template:Harvnb</ref> Spacing between joints is controlled by the amount of silica in the granite and granodiorite rocks; more silica tends to form a more resistant rock, resulting in larger spaces between joints and fractures.<ref name="GeologyUSP220">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Pillars and columns, such as Washington Column and Lost Arrow, are generated by cross joints. Erosion acting on master joints is responsible for shaping valleys and later canyons.<ref name="GeologyUSP220"/> The single most erosive force over the last few million years has been large alpine glaciers, which turned the previously V-shaped river-cut valleys into U-shaped glacial-cut canyons (such as Yosemite Valley and Hetch Hetchy Valley). Exfoliation (caused by the tendency of crystals in plutonic rocks to expand at the surface) acting on granitic rock with widely spaced joints is responsible for producing domes such as Half Dome and North Dome and inset arches like Royal Arches.<ref name="GeologyNP332"/>
Popular featuresEdit
Yosemite Valley represents only one percent of the park area. The Tunnel View gives a view of the valley. El Capitan is a prominent granite cliff that looms over the valley, and is a rock climbing favorite because of its sheer size, diverse climbing routes, and year-round accessibility. Granite domes such as Sentinel Dome and Half Dome rise Template:Convert, respectively, above the valley floor. The park contains dozens of other granite domes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The high country of Yosemite contains other important features such as Tuolumne Meadows, Dana Meadows, the Clark Range, the Cathedral Range, and the Kuna Crest. The Sierra Crest and the Pacific Crest Trail run through Yosemite. Mount Dana and Mount Gibbs are peaks of red metamorphic rock. Granite peaks include Mount Conness, Cathedral Peak, and Matterhorn Peak. Mount Lyell is the highest point in the park, standing at Template:Convert. The Lyell Glacier is the largest glacier in the park and one of the few remaining in the Sierra.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The park has three groves of ancient giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) trees; the Mariposa Grove (200 trees), the Tuolumne Grove (25 trees), and the Merced Grove (20 trees).<ref name="GeologyNP340"/> This species grows larger in volume than any other and is one of the tallest and longest-lived.<ref name="Kiver227">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Water and iceEdit
The Tuolumne and Merced River systems originate along the crest of the Sierra in the park and have carved river canyons Template:Convert deep. The Tuolumne River drains the entire northern portion of the park, an area of approximately Template:Convert. The Merced River begins in the park's southern peaks, primarily the Cathedral and Clark Ranges, and drains an area of approximately Template:Convert.<ref name = "water overview">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Hydrologic processes, including glaciation, flooding, and fluvial geomorphic response, have been fundamental in creating park landforms.<ref name = "water overview"/> The park contains approximately 3,200 lakes (greater than 100 m2), two reservoirs, and Template:Convert of streams.<ref name = "hydrology">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Wetlands flourish in valley bottoms throughout the park, and are often hydrologically linked to nearby lakes and rivers through seasonal flooding and groundwater. Meadow habitats, distributed at elevations from Template:Convert in the park, are generally wetlands, as are the riparian habitats found on the banks of Yosemite's watercourses.<ref name = "wetland vegetation">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Yosemite is famous for its high concentration of waterfalls in a small area. Numerous sheer drops, glacial steps and hanging valleys in the park feature spectacular cascades, especially during April, May, and June (as the snow melts). Located in Yosemite Valley, Yosemite Falls is the fourth tallest waterfall in North America at Template:Convert according to the World Waterfall Database.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Also in the valley is the much lower volume Ribbon Falls, which has the highest single vertical drop, Template:Convert.<ref name="Kiver227"/> Perhaps the most prominent of the valley waterfalls is Bridalveil Fall. Wapama Falls in Hetch Hetchy Valley is another notable waterfall. Hundreds of ephemeral waterfalls become active in the park after heavy rains or melting snowpack.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Park glaciers are relatively small and occupy areas that are in almost permanent shade, such as north- and northeast-facing cirques. Lyell Glacier is the largest glacier in Yosemite (the Palisades Glaciers are the largest in the Sierra Nevada) and covers Template:Convert.<ref name="GeologyUSP228">Template:Harvnb</ref> None of the Yosemite glaciers are a remnant of the Ice Age alpine glaciers responsible for sculpting the Yosemite landscape. Instead, they were formed during one of the neoglacial episodes that have occurred since the thawing of the Ice Age (such as the Little Ice Age).<ref name="GeologyNP340">Template:Harvnb</ref> Many Yosemite glaciers have disappeared, such as the Black Mountain Glacier that was marked in 1871 and had gone by the mid-1980s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yosemite's final two glaciers – the Lyell and Maclure glaciers – have receded over the last 100 years and are expected to disappear as a result of climate change.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
ClimateEdit
Yosemite has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa), meaning most precipitation falls during the mild winter, and the other seasons are nearly dry (less than three percent of precipitation falls during the long, hot summers). Because of orographic lift, precipitation increases with elevation up to Template:Convert where it slowly decreases to the crest. Precipitation amounts vary from Template:Convert at Template:Convert elevation to Template:Convert at Template:Convert. Snow does not typically accumulate until November in the high country. It deepens into March or early April.<ref name="climate">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Mean daily temperatures range from Template:Convert to Template:Convert at Tuolumne Meadows at Template:Convert. At the Wawona Entrance (elevation Template:Convert), mean daily temperature ranges from Template:Convert. At the lower elevations below Template:Convert, temperatures are hotter; the mean daily high temperature at Yosemite Valley (elevation Template:Convert) varies from Template:Convert. At elevations above Template:Convert, the hot, dry summer temperatures are moderated by frequent summer thunderstorms, along with snow that can persist into July. The combination of dry vegetation, low relative humidity, and thunderstorms results in frequent lightning-caused fires as well.<ref name="climate"/>
At park headquarters (elevation Template:Convert), January averages Template:Convert, while July averages Template:Convert. In summer the nights are much cooler than the days. An average of 45.5 days have highs of Template:Convert or higher and an average of 105.6 nights with freezing temperatures. Freezing temperatures have been recorded in every month of the year. The record high temperature was Template:Convert on July 22 and July 24, 1915, while the record low temperature was Template:Convert on January 1, 2009. Average annual precipitation is nearly Template:Convert, falling on 67 days. The wettest year was 1983 with Template:Convert and the driest year was 1976 with Template:Convert. The most precipitation in one month was Template:Convert in December 1955 and the most in one day was Template:Convert on December 23, 1955. Average annual snowfall is Template:Convert. The snowiest winter was 1948–1949 with Template:Convert. The most snow in one month was Template:Convert in January 1993.
In addition to the typical weather patterns, Yosemite is also impacted by the Mono winds, which are strong, dry winds that blow down the Sierra Nevada slopes, especially during the late fall through spring.<ref name="nps-jan21">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
GeologyEdit
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Tectonic and volcanic activityEdit
Template:See also The location of the park was a passive continental margin during the Precambrian and early Paleozoic.<ref name="GeologyNP328"/> Sediment was derived from continental sources and was deposited in shallow water. These rocks became deformed and metamorphosed.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite conference</ref>
Heat generated from the Farallon Plate subducting below the North American Plate led to the creation of an island arc of volcanoes on the west coast of proto-North America between the late Devonian and Permian periods.<ref name="GeologyNP328">Template:Harvnb</ref> Material accreted onto the western edge of North America, and mountains were raised to the east in Nevada.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The first phase of regional plutonism started 210 million years ago in the late Triassic and continued throughout the Jurassic to about 150 million years before present (BP), which led to the creation of the Sierra Nevada Batholith.<ref name="GeologyNP329"/> The resulting rocks were mostly granitic in composition and lay about Template:Convert below the surface.<ref name="GeologyNP337">Template:Harvnb</ref> Around the same time, the Nevadan orogeny built the Nevadan mountain range (also called the Ancestral Sierra Nevada) to a height of Template:Convert.
The second major pluton emplacement phase lasted from about 120 million to 80 million years ago during the Cretaceous.<ref name="GeologyNP329"/> This was part of the Sevier orogeny.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Starting 20 million years ago (in the Cenozoic) and lasting until 5 million years ago, a now-extinct extension of Cascade Range volcanoes erupted, bringing large amounts of igneous material in the area. These igneous deposits blanketed the region north of the Yosemite region. Volcanic activity persisted past 5 million years BP east of the current park borders in the Mono Lake and Long Valley areas.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Uplift and erosionEdit
Starting 10 million years ago, vertical movement along the Sierra fault started to uplift the Sierra Nevada. Subsequent tilting of the Sierra block and the resulting accelerated uplift of the Sierra Nevada increased the gradient of western-flowing streams.<ref name="GeologyNP339">Template:Harvnb</ref> The streams consequently ran faster and thus cut their valleys more quickly. Additional uplift occurred when major faults developed to the east, forming Owens Valley from Basin and Range-associated extensional forces. Sierra uplift accelerated again about two million years ago during the Pleistocene.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The uplifting and increased erosion exposed granitic rocks to surface pressures, resulting in exfoliation (responsible for the rounded shape of the many domes in the park) and mass wasting following the numerous fracture joint planes (cracks; especially vertical ones) in the now solidified plutons.<ref name="GeologyNP332">Template:Harvnb</ref> Pleistocene glaciers further accelerated this process, while glacial meltwater transported the resulting talus and till from valley floors.<ref name=Huber>Template:Cite book</ref>
Numerous vertical joint planes controlled where and how fast erosion took place. Most of these long, linear and very deep cracks trend northeast or northwest and form parallel, often regularly spaced sets.<ref name=Huber/>
Glacial sculptingEdit
A series of glaciations further modified the region starting about 2 to 3 million years ago and ending sometime around 10,000 BP. At least four major glaciations occurred in the Sierra, locally called the Sherwin (also called the pre-Tahoe), Tahoe, Tenaya, and Tioga.<ref name="GeologyNP339"/> The Sherwin glaciers were the largest, filling Yosemite and other valleys, while later stages produced much smaller glaciers. A Sherwin-age glacier was almost surely responsible for the major excavation and shaping of Yosemite Valley and other canyons in the area.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Glacial systems reached depths of up to Template:Convert and left their marks. The longest glacier ran down the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River for Template:Convert, passing well beyond Hetch Hetchy Valley. Merced Glacier flowed out of Yosemite Valley and into the Merced River Gorge. Lee Vining Glacier carved Lee Vining Canyon and emptied into Lake Russel (the much-enlarged ice age version of Mono Lake). Only the highest peaks, such as Mount Dana and Mount Conness, were not covered by glaciers. Retreating glaciers often left recessional moraines that impounded lakes such as the Template:Convert long Lake Yosemite (a shallow lake that periodically covered much of the floor of Yosemite Valley).<ref name="GeologyNP333">Template:Harvnb</ref>
EcologyEdit
HabitatsEdit
The park has an elevation range from Template:Convert 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 percent occur in the Sierra Nevada and more than 20 percent within the park. 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.<ref name="naturehistory" />
With its scrubby sun-baked chaparral, stately groves of pine, fir, and sequoia, and expanses of alpine woodlands and meadows, Yosemite National Park preserves a Sierra landscape as it prevailed before Euro-American settlement.<ref name="snepLateSuccessional">Template:Cite book</ref> In contrast to surrounding lands, which have been significantly altered by logging, the park contains some Template:Convert of old-growth forest.<ref name="1993OldGrowthEstimates">Template:Cite journal</ref> Taken together, the park's varied habitats support over 250 species of vertebrates, which include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.<ref name="wildlife">Template:NPS</ref>
Yosemite's western boundary has habitats dominated by mixed coniferous forests of ponderosa pine, sugar pine, incense cedar, white fir, Douglas fir, and a few stands of giant sequoia, interspersed by areas of black oak and canyon live oak. These habitats support relatively high wildlife diversity. Wildlife include black bear, coyote, raccoon, mountain kingsnake, Gilbert's skink, white-headed woodpecker, bobcat, river otter, gray fox, red fox, brown creeper, two species of skunk, cougar, spotted owl, and bats.<ref name="wildlife"/>
At higher elevation, the coniferous forests become purer stands of red fir, western white pine, Jeffrey pine, lodgepole pine, and the occasional foxtail pine. Fewer wildlife species tend to be found in these habitats, because of their higher elevation and lower complexity. Animals include golden-mantled ground squirrel, chickaree, fisher, Steller's jay, hermit thrush, and American goshawk. Reptiles are not common, but include rubber boa, western fence lizard, and northern alligator lizard.<ref name = "wildlife"/>
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As the landscape rises, trees become smaller and more sparse, with stands broken by areas of exposed granite. These include lodgepole pine, whitebark pine, and mountain hemlock that, at highest elevations, give way to vast expanses of granite as treeline is reached. The climate in these habitats is harsh and the growing season is short, but species such as pika, yellow-bellied marmot, white-tailed jackrabbit, Clark's nutcracker, and black rosy finch are adapted to these conditions. Treeless alpine habitats are favored by Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. This species is found in the Yosemite area only around Tioga Pass, where a small, reintroduced population exists.<ref name = "wildlife"/>
At a variety of elevations, meadows provide important habitat. Animals come to feed on the green grasses and use the flowing and standing water found in many meadows. Predators follow these animals. The interface between meadow and forest is favored by many animal species because of the proximity of open areas for foraging and cover for protection. Species that are highly dependent upon meadow habitat include great grey owl, willow flycatcher, Yosemite toad, and mountain beaver.<ref name = "wildlife"/>
Management issuesEdit
The black bears of Yosemite were once famous for breaking into parked cars to steal food. They were an encouraged tourist sight for many years at the park's garbage dumps, where they congregated to eat garbage, and tourists gathered to photograph them. Increasing bear/human encounters and increasing property damage led to an aggressive campaign to discourage bears from interacting with people and their stuff. The open-air dumps were closed; trash receptacles were replaced with bear-proof receptacles; campgrounds were equipped with bear-proof food lockers so that people would not leave food in their vehicles. Because bears who show aggression towards people usually are destroyed, park personnel have come up with innovative ways to lead bears to associate humans and their property with experiences such as getting hit with a rubber bullet. Template:As of, about 30 bears a year were captured and ear-tagged and their DNA sampled so that, when bear damage occurs, rangers can ascertain which bear was causing the problem.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Update inline
Despite the richness of high-quality habitats in Yosemite, the brown bear, California condor, and least Bell's vireo have become extinct in the park within historical time,<ref name = "snepTerrestrialVertebrates">Template:Cite book</ref> and another 37 species currently have special status under either California or federal endangered species legislation. The most serious current threats include loss of a natural fire regime, exotic species, air pollution, habitat fragmentation, and climate change. On a more local basis, factors such as road kills and the availability of human food have affected some wildlife species.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Yosemite National Park has documented the presence of more than 130 non-native plant species within park boundaries. They were introduced into Yosemite following the migration of early Euro-American settlers in the late 1850s. Natural and human-caused disturbances, such as wildland fires and construction activities, have contributed to a rapid increase in the spread of non-native plants. Some of these species invade and displace the native plant communities, impacting park resources. Non-native plants can bring about significant ecosystem changes by altering native plant communities and the processes that support them. Some non-native species may cause an increase in fire frequency or increase the available soil nitrogen that allow other non-native plants to establish. Many non-native species, such as yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis), are able to produce a long tap root that allows them to out-compete the native plants for available water.<ref name = "exotic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare), common mullein (Verbascum thapsus), and Klamath weed (Hypericum perforatum) have been identified as noxious pests in Yosemite since the 1940s. More recently recognized species are yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis), sweet clover (Melilot spp.), Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus), cut-leaved blackberry (Rubus laciniatus) and large periwinkle (Vinca major).<ref name = "exotic"/>
Increasing ozone pollution causes tissue damage to sequoia trees, making them more vulnerable to insect infestation and disease. Since the cones of these trees require fire-touched soil to germinate, historic fire suppression has reduced their ability to reproduce. Planned prescribed fires may help the germination issue.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
WildfiresEdit
Indigenous residents intentionally set small fires in the early 1860s and before to clear the ground of brush as part as their farming practices.<ref name="Spence" /> These fires are comparable to contemporary practices such as controlled burns that are done by the U.S. Forest Service and others. Although it was not their primary reason, Yosemite Natives helped preserve biodiversity and resilience by lighting these small fires. Native Americans used fire as an early wildlife management tool to keep certain lands clear, resulting in more food for large animals and decreasing the chance of large forest fires which that now devastate forest ecosystems.<ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some early uncontrolled forest fires were set accidentally by the militia group led by Major John Savage when the group burned down the Ahwahneechee camp in an attempt to expel them. The house fires eventually spread to a large section of the forest and the militia group ended up having to abandon their raid to save their own camp from the conflagration.<ref name=":5" />
Forest fires clear the park of dead vegetation, making way for new growth.<ref name="Evergreen Magazine">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Small fires damage the income generated by tourism. During late July and early August, 2018, the Valley and other sections of the park, temporarily closed due to the Ferguson Fire at its western boundary.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The closing was the largest in almost thirty years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
ActivitiesEdit
Public accessEdit
Yosemite National Park is open year-round, though certain roads close during snowy months, usually from November through May or June.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Certain trails also close during winter, including The 4-Mile Trail and part of The Mist Trail.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Traffic congestion in the valley is heavy during peak summer season (June to August) and a free shuttle bus system operates in the valley. Parking in the valley during the summer is often full.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Amtrak and the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) provide public transit into Yosemite from four gateway communities: Merced, Fresno, Sonora, and Mammoth Lakes/Lee Vining. The Merced route provides service year-round.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The natural and cultural history of Yosemite Valley is presented at the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, the adjoining Yosemite Museum, and the Nature Center at Happy Isles. The parks' two National Historic Landmarks are the Sierra Club's LeConte Memorial Lodge (Yosemite's first public visitor center), and the Ahwahnee Hotel. Camp 4 is on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HikingEdit
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Over Template:Convert of trails are available to hikers<ref name="naturehistory"/>—everything from an easy stroll to a challenging mountain hike, or backpacking trips. The popular Half Dome hike to the summit of Half Dome requires a permit whenever the cables are up (usually from Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A maximum of 300 hikers, selected by lottery, are permitted to advance beyond the base of the subdome each day, including 225 day hikers and 75 backpackers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The park can be divided into five sections—Yosemite Valley, Wawona/Mariposa Grove/Glacier Point, Tuolumne Meadows, Hetch Hetchy, and Crane Flat/White Wolf.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Numerous books describe park trails, while the National Park Service provides free information.
Between late spring and early fall, much of the park can be accessed for backpacking trips. All overnight trips into the back country require a wilderness permit<ref name = "permits"/> and most require approved bear-resistant food storage.<ref name = "food storage">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
DrivingEdit
Template:Further While some locations in Yosemite are accessible only on foot, other locations can be reached via road. The most famous road is Tioga Road.<ref name = "auto touring">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Bicycles are allowed on the roads, but only Template:Convert of paved off-road trails are available in Yosemite Valley itself; mountain biking is not allowed.<ref name="bike">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ClimbingEdit
Rock climbing is an important part of Yosemite.<ref name="climbing">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In particular the valley is surrounded by summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan. Camp 4 is a walk-in campground in the Valley that was instrumental in the development of rock climbing as a sport, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name = "camp4">Template:Cite press release</ref> Climbers can generally be spotted in the snow-free months on anything from ten-foot-high (3 m) boulders to the Template:Convert face of El Capitan. Classes on rock climbing are offered there.
Tuolumne Meadows is well known for rock and mountain climbing.
Winter activitiesEdit
Away from the Valley, the park is snowed in during the winter months, with many roads closed. Downhill skiing is available at the Badger Pass Ski Area—the oldest downhill skiing area in California, operating from mid-December through early April.<ref name="skiing">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Much of the park is open to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, and backcountry ski huts are available.<ref name = "TuolumneWinter">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="winter">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Wilderness permits are required for backcountry overnight ski trips.<ref name = "permits">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Bracebridge dinner is an annual holiday event, held since 1927 at the Ahwahnee Hotel, inspired by Washington Irving's descriptions of Squire Bracebridge and English Christmas traditions of the 18th century in his Sketch Book. Between 1929 and 1973, the show was organized by Ansel Adams.<ref name="Bracebridge">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
OtherEdit
Yosemite has 13 official campgrounds.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Bicycle rentals are available from spring through fall. Over Template:Convert of paved bike paths are available in Yosemite Valley. In addition, bicyclists can ride on roads. Helmets are required for children under 18 years of age. Off-trail riding and mountain biking are not permitted in the park.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Water activities are plentiful during warmer months. Rafting can be done through the valley on the Merced River from late May to July.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Swimming pools are available at Yosemite Lodge and Curry Village.
Horsetail FallEdit
Horsetail Fall flows over the eastern edge of El Capitan. This small waterfall usually flows only during winter and is easy to miss. On rare occasions during mid- to late February, it can glow orange when backlit by sunset. This unique lighting effect happens only on evenings with a clear sky. Minor haze or cloudiness can spoil the effect. Although entirely natural, the phenomenon is reminiscent of the human-caused Firefall that historically occurred from Glacier Point.
In popular cultureEdit
The opening scenes of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) were filmed in Yosemite National Park. Films such as The Last of the Mohicans (1920) and Maverick (1994) have also been shot there.<ref>Maddrey, Joseph (2016). The Quick, the Dead and the Revived: The Many Lives of the Western Film. McFarland. p. 175. Template:ISBN.</ref> The 2014 documentary Valley Uprising is centered around Yosemite Valley and its history with an emphasis on climbing culture.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> The Academy Award-winning 2018 documentary Free Solo was filmed in Yosemite.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Dawn Wall, a 2017 documentary, was filmed there.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> The park is a playable map in the park management simulation game, Jurassic World Evolution 2.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
See alsoEdit
CitationsEdit
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General referencesEdit
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- Diamant, Rolf and Carr, Ethan (2022). Olmsted and Yosemite: Civil War, Abolition, and The National Park Idea. Amherst, Massachusetts: Library of American Landscape History Template:ISBN Online review of this book.
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- Muir, John. "Features of the Proposed Yosemite National Park Template:Webarchive" The Century; a popular quarterly (Sept. 1890) 40#5
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External linksEdit
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- Project Yosemite | Yosemite HD | Motion Timelapse Video
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