Yosemite National Park is located in the Sierra Nevada Range in east-central California. Open year-round, the park attracts close to 4 million visitors annually from every corner of the globe. Its unparalleled natural beauty includes the famous waterfalls and granite peaks of the Yosemite Valley and some of the world’s tallest sequoias in the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees. The park covers 1,170 square miles, with elevations ranging from 4,000 feet at Yosemite Valley to 13,114 feet at Mt Lyell. With 80 species of mammals, 247 of birds, 24 of reptiles and amphibians, 37 of native trees, and 1,400 of flowers, the park is a nature-lover’s paradise.

The Sierra Nevada Range was lifted out of the Earth’s crust millions of years ago. The Merced River cut and defined the narrow, V-shaped Yosemite Valley. Later, ice-age glaciers widened the valley and formed its current shape of flat floors and sheer walls. Native American Miwok people first inhabited the area, and their culture is relatively well preserved in park exhibits. In 1849, however, the discovery of gold in the streams, rivers, and foothills of the Sierras led to the arrival of miners who fought the Miwok, eventually displacing them. Word began to spread about the area’s spectacular scenery, and tourists followed. After preservationists voiced concerns about use of the area, President Abraham Lincoln granted much of the current park to the state of California in 1864 to ensure protection from development. Later, naturalist John Muir greatly influenced the decision of the US Congress in 1890 to establish Yosemite, the country’s first national land preserve, as a national park. In 1984 Yosemite was designated a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Many of the park’s attractions are centrally located and easily accessible within the 1- by 7-milewide Yosemite Valley. El Capitan, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, the visitor center, Ahwahnee Indian Village, the Indian Cultural Museum, the Yosemite Fine Arts Museum, and the historic Ahwahnee Hotel are located here. The spectacular valley is sharply defined along its length by sheer granite cliffs, with towering sequoias and waterfalls softening the powerful impact of the mountain faces. Most imposing is El Capitan, the largest exposed granite monolith in the world—at 3,593 feet high, it is twice the height of the Rock of Gibraltar. Rock climbers are drawn especially to the vertical front, thrust out from the valley rim. El Capitan is located on the valley’s west side and is easily reached on foot, by shuttle, or by car. Half Dome, its west side fractured vertically, cut in two by natural erosion, is 4,733 feet high. Rock climbers take the 17-mile round-trip up the back face, which the local park service has fitted with steel cables.

Merced River tributaries and creeks spill over the cliffs surrounding the valley, creating dramatic waterfalls. Yosemite Falls is North America’s highest waterfall and the fifth highest in the world. The upper falls (1,430 feet), the middle cascades (675 feet), and the lower falls (320 feet) combine for a total of 2,425 feet. These falls are accessible by car with an easy 1⁄4-mile walk to the base. A strenuous 31⁄2-mile climb starting from Sunnyside Campground will take visitors above the upper falls. Nearby Bridalveil Falls, also a very short walk from the parking area, is 620 feet high. It is known as “Pohono,” or “Puffing Wind,” by the Native American people because of the way the winds spread the mist up to 20 feet in all directions. Those less athletically inclined may choose to spend a day walking around the Yosemite Valley Village, stopping at the visitor center for orientation slide programs and exhibits of geology and ecology, the Ahwahnee Indian Village, a reconstructed Miwok-Paiute village, the Indian Cultural Museum, or the Yosemite Fine Arts Museum. Inside the Ahwahnee Lodge, the dining room with the high ceiling is awe-inspiring, and the towering windows offer views of the powerful presence of the surrounding sheer mountain faces. Strolling the scenic hiking paths behind the property could fill a day.

Glacier Point, a 3,214-foot-high cliff 30 miles south of Yosemite Valley, offers panoramic views of the valley and the High Sierra mountains, plus Nevada, Vernal, and Yosemite Falls, and Half Dome and other peaks. The view here is accessible by a short walk from the parking lot, except during snow season when the access road is closed. Snow season is when the nearby ski area Badger Pass opens. A complimentary shuttle bus visits the various hotels and lodges in season—the ride is just short of 1 hour and is enjoyable in itself for the great wide-open vistas. Skiing and snowboarding here are geared for beginner and intermediate levels. The park offers nine short to medium-length runs and is not crowded, even in high season.

Thirty-six miles from the valley, near Wawona and the south gate, is the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, the largest of three giant sequoia groves in the park. Visitors can take the Big Trees Tram Tour or visit on foot. Out of 500 trees, the 2,700-year-old Grizzly Giant, 209 feet tall, 32 feet wide, and with single limbs 10 feet thick, is a favorite. In the late 1800s, holes were cut through several mammoth trees and roads were built through them. Although it’s no longer possible to drive through them, they are good sites for photographs.

Tioga Pass, on the eastern border of the park, is the gateway to Yosemite’s high country, which is popular during summer for hiking, rock climbing, water sports, and camping. No other place rivals this part of the High Sierra, with the crystal-clear Tenaya Lake and the expansive sub-alpine Tuolumne Meadows. The highest point in the park, Mt Lyell at 13,114 feet, is here as well. Unlike the valley, cars are a necessity here.

The most spectacular places on the planet are usually the hardest to reach, and Yosemite National Park is no different. Steep winding grades, snow and ice in winter, and crowds in summer add to travel time. Park gates—there are four—are reached by car in 4 hours from San Francisco or 6 hours from Los Angeles, with another 30 minutes or so to reach a destination within the park. Most visitors enter through Arch Rock on Hwy 140. The National Park Service requires that automobile drivers carry chains throughout the snow season. The park is accessible by motor coach from gateway areas, connecting with the park’s complimentary shuttles, so it is possible to navigate much of the park easily without a vehicle. Entrance fees are valid for seven days, and annual passes are available.

Summer months are the busiest, specifically between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Park superintendents turn away thousands of cars annually. Summer activities include backpacking and camping. There are 800 miles of hiking trails, with the option of going with guides specializing in nature or photography. The Yosemite Mountaineering School offers rock climbing and backpacking classes. Water sports include fishing (a California license is required but can be purchased in the park), boating (no motors allowed), windsurfing, swimming, and river rafting on the Merced River. Bicycling, horseback riding, and a nine-hole golf course are also available.

Winter activities include skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice skating, and the annual Vintners’ Holidays and Chefs’ Holidays at the Ahwahnee Hotel each year from November to February. The Ahwahnee Hotel also hosts one of Yosemite’s grandest traditions, the Bracebridge Dinner, which “transports diners to the splendor of a seventeenth-century English manor house celebration”—according to the Yosemite Concession Services literature. Tickets to this dinner, served at Christmas each year, are in such demand they are available only by lottery.

Year-round, the park hosts meetings and weddings, and holds spiritual ceremonies. Artists find inspiration and city-dwellers find solace in this magnificent, isolated setting. Lodging ranges from upscale country inns to nature tents, cabins, and campgrounds, with family-style lodges in between. Motels and hotels are plentiful in gateway towns and cities, but the drive into the park is long. Yosemite National Park has a high number of fatalities and serious injuries each year. The park service advises visitors to stay on trails when hiking, and warns that many routes are often more difficult than they appear. They recommend that visitors approach rivers, streams, and waterfalls cautiously, and be aware of potential undercut banks and slippery rocks. The waters here are cold and fast currents are common.

Wild animals, including mountain lions and bears, live in the park, and it is not unusual for visitors to encounter them. Attacks are rare, but the park advises against hiking or running alone, and advises parents to keep children within sight at all times. Bears have grown fond of human food, and thorough precautions must be taken at all times. All edibles, plus sunscreen and anything else aromatic, should be removed from cars when parking. Following food storage regulations when camping is essential. It is illegal to feed or closely approach any of the wildlife, including birds, coyotes, deer, or squirrels.