Things to do nearYosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park was set aside for public use and enjoyment by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864, making it one of the earliest examples of government-protected land in the United States, and it became a formal national park in 1890 largely through the advocacy of naturalist John Muir. The park spans roughly 1,200 square miles of the Sierra Nevada, encompassing everything from the oak woodlands at the valley's western entrance to the subalpine terrain near Tuolumne Meadows at elevation. Visitors to Yosemite Valley encounter an extraordinary concentration of landmarks within a relatively compact area: the sheer northwest face of El Capitan, the rounded silhouette of Half Dome, and the dramatic drop of Yosemite Falls, which at around 2,400 feet total is among the tallest waterfalls in North America.

Beyond the valley, the Mariposa Grove shelters hundreds of mature giant sequoias, including the Grizzly Giant, one of the oldest and largest trees on earth. Hikers can choose from trails suited to an easy afternoon stroll along the valley floor or multi-day routes into the backcountry. Climbers from around the world come specifically for the granite walls, which have defined the sport's modern era.

Dining options within the park range from casual cafeteria-style meals to the more refined setting of the historic Ahwahnee Hotel, a national historic landmark that has hosted guests since 1927. The atmosphere across the park shifts with the seasons, from the waterfall-rich energy of spring to the quieter, frost-edged mornings of late autumn. Few landscapes in the American West carry the same combination of geological drama, ecological richness, and documented human history that makes Yosemite National Park a destination worth returning to across a lifetime.