Yosemite National Park is located in the central Sierra Nevada
of California and lies 150 miles east of San Francisco and only
a six hour drive from Los Angeles. Designated a World Heritage
Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its
spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant
sequoia groves, and biological diversity. The 750,000-acre,
1,200 square-mile park contains thousands of lakes and ponds,
1600 miles of streams, 800 miles of hiking trails, and 350 miles
of roads. Two federally designated wild and scenic rivers, the
Merced and Tuolumne, begin within Yosemite’s borders and flow
west into California's Central Valley. Annual park visitation
exceeds 3.5 million, with most visitor use concentrated in the
seven square mile area of Yosemite Valley.
Highlights of the park include Yosemite Valley, and its high
cliffs and waterfalls; Wawona's history center and historic
hotel; the Mariposa Grove, which contains hundreds of ancient
giant sequoias; Glacier Point's (summer-fall) spectacular view
of Yosemite Valley and the high country; Tuolumne Meadows
(summer-fall), a large subalpine meadow surrounded by mountain
peaks; and Hetch Hetchy, a reservoir in a valley considered a
twin of Yosemite Valley.
The geology of Yosemite is characterized by granitic rocks and
remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra
Nevada was uplifted and then tilted to form its relatively
gentle western slopes and the more dramatic eastern slopes. The
uplift increased the steepness of stream and river beds,
resulting in formation of deep, narrow canyons. About 1 million
years ago, snow and ice accumulated, forming glaciers at the
higher alpine meadows that moved down the river valleys. Ice
thickness in Yosemite Valley may have reached 4,000 feet during
the early glacial episode. The downslope movement of the ice
masses cut and sculpted the U-shaped valley that attracts so
many visitors to its scenic vistas today.
(This information was obtained from the National Park Service
and is in the public domain.)
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