Park at a Glance

Yosemite National Park protects California’s Sierra Nevada scenery, from oak woodlands and waterfalls to high meadows, granite peaks and ancient sequoia groves.

What This Park Preserves

Its famous views belong to a larger living landscape. Caring for rivers, forests and cultural places connects the protection of spectacular scenery with the survival of less conspicuous resources.

Becoming a National Park

Congress granted Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Tree Grove to California for protection on June 30, 1864. The surrounding Yosemite National Park followed on October 1, 1890. Boundary reductions in 1905 transferred land to Sierra Forest Reserve. California offered its grant back on March 3, 1905; Congress accepted and incorporated it on June 11, 1906. Additions followed on April 14, 1930 and August 13, 1932. September 28, 1984 brought Yosemite Wilderness and Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River designation; Merced Wild and Scenic River followed on November 2, 1987. Ackerson Meadow joined through a September 7, 2016 donation.

Story of the Land

Granite cooled deep underground before uplift and erosion exposed it. Glaciers widened river-cut valleys into broad, steep-sided troughs, leaving tributary streams to spill from hanging valleys as waterfalls.

People & Culture

Local American Indian communities maintain living connections here. Behind the museum, the reconstructed Indian Village of Ahwahnee remains a place for ceremonies and gatherings, rather than solely a display of the past.

Wildlife & Nature

Giant sequoias have thick bark that helps them survive repeated fires. Their shallow, spreading roots depend on water, while seedlings need sunny openings and exposed soil.

What to Look For

At Tunnel View, compare the valley’s broad floor with its steep walls. Follow Mariposa Grove’s Big Trees Loop to study bark and fallen wood without leaving the path or trampling roots.

A little farther down the path

Explore Yosemite on foot.

Three routes from Journey’s trail catalog. Distances and elevation gains are approximate; check each route’s NPS information before you set out.

Easy · Loop

Lower Yosemite Fall Trail

≈ 1.2 miles≈ 50 ft gain30-55 minutes
Moderate · Loop

Mirror Lake/Meadow Loop (Tenaya Creek)

≈ 4.1 miles≈ 150 ft gain1.5-3 hours
Strenuous · Out-and-back

Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point

≈ 9.6 miles≈ 3,268 ft gain5.5-10 hours
A different park in every season

When will you go?

Spring

Snowmelt feeds waterfalls while higher roads remain closed.

Summer

Broad access comes with heat, crowds and possible smoke.

Fall

Fewer visitors accompany low waterfalls and changeable weather.

Winter

Valley visits continue despite snow and high-road closures.

These are general seasonal patterns. Check the official park website for current road access, closures, and visitor requirements.

Look a little closer

Four things to remember.

In 1918, Yosemite National Park ranger Clare Marie Hodges carried gate receipts from Tuolumne Meadows to headquarters on an overnight horseback ride.
In Yosemite National Park, a small longhorn beetle’s larvae help release giant sequoia seeds by cutting off a cone’s water supply.
Yosemite National Park’s Wawona Tree, tunneled in 1881, fell in early 1969 after snow, wet soil and the tunnel weakened it.
Peregrine falcons were rediscovered breeding on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in 1978, after decades of missing records.

Bring home a memory.

Make room in your passport for Yosemite. Find the park’s stamp guide, then keep your stamp photos and visit memories together in Journey.

Yosemite passport stamp guide