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Place Name
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Yosemite National Park
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Place Status (Type)
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national park
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Location
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California, United States, North America
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Latitude
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unknown
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Longitude
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unknown
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Yosemite National Park
(
1,189 sq mi/3,080 sq km),
Tuolumne, Mariposa, and Madera cos., E central Calif. Located in the
Sierra Nevada, it is a glacier-scoured area of great beauty; Mt. Lyell
(13,114 ft/3,997 m) is the highest peak.
Enclosed within the park is the famed Yosemite Valley (elev.
c.4,000 ft/1,200 m), surrounded by
cliffs and pinnacles; Half Dome, which reaches an elev. of
c.4,800 ft/1,463 m above the valley, and El
Capitan, which rises perpendicularly
c.3,600 ft/1,097 m above the valley, are the
highest of the surrounding peaks. The world's 3 largest monoliths of
exposed granite are found in the park. There are also many beautiful
lakes, rivers, streams, and waterfalls, the most noted of which is
Yosemite Falls, the highest in N. Amer., with a drop of
2,425 ft/739 m in 2 segments; Ribbon Falls has
a 1,612 ft/491 m drop. Three groves of
sequoias are within the park's limits, which also include other types
of trees and more than 1,000 varieties of flowering plants. In the
scenic Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, in NW
center, Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct delivers from reservoir water to San
Francisco. Pacific Crest Natl. Scenic Trail, including John Muir Trail,
crosses NE sect. of park; Merced Grove and Tuolumne Grove giant
sequoias in W, Mariposa giant sequoias (Mariposa Grove) in S; Badger
Pass Ski Area in SW; Nevada Falls, Bridalveil Falls, Illilovette Falls,
Yosemite Falls are all in center of park. During 1980s and 1990s
Yosemite became an example of park overcrowding, with park rangers
serving the same function as city police controlling traffic
and crime. Est. 1890 as a result of the efforts of
conservationist John Muir.
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