Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is certainly a superlative and possibly surpassed by the Grand Canyon. The sight of the thundering waterfalls, the magnificent towering granite walls almost perpendicular to raise some polished rocks Dome and the giant sequoias even the most exhausted travelers again. This stunning and unique landscape makes the Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful places in California.

Yosemite as a testimony to the immense forces of nature

Yosemite National Park is one of the world's best-known example of a milled through U-shaped glacial valley (formed by rivers, valleys have a V-shape). Some millions of years was in the valley of a river that eroded over time an up to 650 m deep canyon. During an ice age filled up the canyon to its edge with water and possibly one or more glaciers. They extended the canyon at its weakest points and deepened the Yosemite Valley. After the ice age of the bottom of the valley from a lake was covered. The muddy lake during the ice age and became today's lush meadows, which is equipped with pine trees and huge granite peaks.

On 25 March 1851 White first came to the Yosemite Valley, which was inhabited until that time by Indians. The reports of these first visitors quickly aroused the interest of the population. In 1864 was signed by President Lincoln the Yosemite transfer, the state of California undertook to preserve the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove in its natural beauty. 1890 Yosemite National Park and was named to the second national park in the U.S. - after Yellowstone National Park.

Yosemite National Park has an area of ​​3,000 km2. It covers one of the richest forests and aquatic portions of the Sierra Nevada. The significant differences in height of Yosemite National Park (from 400 to 4,000 m) offer many different plant and animal species, excellent living conditions. Thus deer, black bears, coyotes and numerous rodents in the lower regions of their home. Several groves of massive giant sequoia trees, especially in the Mariposa Grove, are among the special attractions of Yosemite National Park.

Getting to Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is easily accessible from Highway 120 that runs through the entire National Park in east-west direction to reach from the east of Lee Vining. However, the Highway 120 is usually closed from October to May From the West can be reached by highway 41 (about Fresno and Oakhurst), 120 and 140 of Monteco easily over Merced in Yosemite National Park.

The inputs of Yosemite National Park, Big Oak Flat (Highway 120), Arch Rock (Highway 140) and the South Entrance (Highway 41), the visitor will receive after payment of the entry ($ 20 and is valid for 7 days) a very good card of Yosemite National Park, with which you can easily plan your stay in the park. In July and August, the probability is quite high that the Yosemite National Park is full to overflowing. If you're unlucky, then even the Yosemite National Park closed. This can occur on summer weekends means.

In the Visitor Center in Yosemite Valley or Tuolumne Meadows, is also very informative, and free "Yosemite Guide"is available. Yosemite National Park has a total of a network of 1,100 km of hiking trails, but there are also 325 km paved roads, so you can explore the Yosemite National Park is also a convenient way. Before you drive into the Yosemite National Park, make sure that you fill up in advance, as it is in Yosemite National Park are no gas stations and the distances within the Yosemite National Parks are great.