Yosemite National Park, CA

Crown jewels of the American Landscape

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, is about 170 miles away from San Francisco and about a 4-hour drive. It’s famed for its giant, ancient sequoia trees, and for Tunnel View, the iconic vista of towering Bridalveil Fall and the granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome.

Twenty-six years before it was a national park, President Lincoln signed the Yosemite Land Grant on June 30, 1864, protecting the Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley. It was the first time the government protected land because of its natural beauty so that people could enjoy it, and we’re still benefiting from their foresight today. Thanks to John Muir’s passionate writing to further protect the delicate ecosystem of the High Sierra, Yosemite later became a national park on October 1, 1890.

John Muir declared, "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike."

El Capitán

The formation was named “El Capitan” by the Mariposa Battalion when they explored the valley in 1851. This prominent granite cliff that looms over Yosemite Valley, is one of the most popular rock climbing destinations in the world because of its diverse range of climbing routes in addition to its year-round accessibility.

The top of El Capitan can be reached by hiking out of Yosemite Valley on the trail next to Yosemite Falls, then proceeding west. For climbers, the challenge is to climb up the sheer granite face. There are many named climbing routes, all of them arduous, including Iron Hawk and Sea of Dreams.

Over 800 miles (1,300 km) of trails are available to hikers, everything from an easy stroll to a challenging mountain hike, or an overnight backpack trip.

Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Falls, is the highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park and the highest waterfall in North America (2,450 feet) and 5th highest in the world dropping a total of 2,425 feet from the top of the upper fall to the base of the lower fall.

While at Yosemite, look all around and you might spy one of the park’s many amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals looking back.

Lower Yosemite Fall Trail

Delight in stunning views of Yosemite Falls in its entirety, with the opportunity to walk to the base of the lower fall; it roars in spring but falls silent by late summer. The trail to Lower Yosemite Fall is open year-round. When the water is at its peak in spring and early summer, you can expect to get a little wet. This waterfall is often dry from late July or August through October. Expect icy conditions in some areas during the winter, especially on the short climb leading to the footbridge on the western trail.