Yosemite National Park occupies 747,956 acres across the central Sierra Nevada in California. The park recorded 3.9 million visitors in 2023 according to National Park Service data. Congress designated Yosemite as a national park in 1890, though the Yosemite Valley itself received federal protection under the 1864 Yosemite Grant signed by Abraham Lincoln. The granite formations visible throughout the park began forming approximately 100 million years ago as molten rock cooled beneath the surface, with glacial activity within the last 2 to 3 million years carving the valley to its current depth of roughly 3,000 feet from rim to floor.
El Capitan rises 3,000 feet from base to summit as a single granite monolith. The formation is approximately 3 miles across at its base. Climbers established the first rope-assisted ascent route in 1958 over 47 days. As of 2023, the fastest known ascent of the Nose route stands at 1 hour 58 minutes, set in 2018. Half Dome reaches 8,842 feet in elevation. The summit requires ascending 400 feet of granite via steel cables installed each May and removed each October. The National Park Service limits Half Dome cable access to 300 hikers per day through an advance lottery and day-before lottery. The round-trip hike from the valley floor covers between 14 and 16 miles depending on the trailhead, with 4,800 feet of elevation gain.
Yosemite Falls drops 2,425 feet in three sections, making it the tallest waterfall in North America measured by total vertical drop. Peak flow occurs in May when snowmelt reaches maximum volume. The falls typically run dry from late July through October in most years, though this varies with winter snowpack. Vernal Fall drops 317 feet and Nevada Fall drops 594 feet along the Merced River. Bridalveil Fall drops 620 feet year-round due to a separate drainage system. Ribbon Fall, at 1,612 feet, holds the title of tallest single-drop waterfall in the park but flows only during snowmelt season.
The valley floor sits at approximately 4,000 feet elevation. Summer daytime temperatures regularly exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit from June through August. Nights cool to the 50s. Tuolumne Meadows, at 8,600 feet, remains snowbound until late May or early June most years. Tioga Road, the only vehicle route crossing the park east to west, closes each winter when snow accumulation makes plowing impractical. The typical closure period runs from November through late May. In 2023, Tioga Road opened June 24, the latest opening date since records began. Heavy snow years have pushed the opening into July.
Reservation requirements changed substantially in 2020. From May through September, vehicles entering the park between 6 AM and 4 PM require both a park entrance pass and a separate day-use reservation. The reservation system releases blocks of permits on recreation.gov at two intervals: a large batch becomes available starting on the 8th of each month for the following month, and a smaller batch releases two days in advance of each date. Day-use reservations cost 2 dollars plus the standard 35-dollar vehicle entrance fee or 30-dollar motorcycle fee. The reservation requirement does not apply to visitors with overnight lodging or camping reservations inside the park, visitors entering before 6 AM or after 4 PM, or visitors holding a wilderness permit.
Campground reservations operate on a separate system. The park maintains 13 campgrounds with a total of approximately 1,400 campsites. Upper Pines, Lower Pines, and North Pines campgrounds in Yosemite Valley accept reservations up to five months in advance on the 15th of each month at 7 AM Pacific time. These sites typically fill within minutes of availability. Campsites cost between 26 and 36 dollars per night depending on the campground. Camp 4, a walk-in campground popular with climbers, operates on a first-come basis and fills daily during peak season. Each of its 35 sites accommodates up to six people for 10 dollars per person per night.
Lodging inside the park ranges from the 1927 Ahwahnee Hotel, renamed the Majestic Yosemite Hotel in 2016 during a trademark dispute, to tent cabins at Curry Village. The Ahwahnee charges between 500 and 800 dollars per night for standard rooms during summer. Curry Village canvas tent cabins with shared bath facilities cost approximately 160 dollars per night. Housekeeping Camp offers concrete-walled tent structures along the Merced River for roughly 120 dollars per night. Yosemite Valley Lodge and Wawona Hotel provide mid-range options. All lodging reservations must be made through the park concessionaire. Weekend availability from June through August typically requires booking four to six months ahead.
The valley contains approximately 12 miles of paved road accessible by private vehicle. The park operates a free shuttle bus system within Yosemite Valley year-round, running every 10 to 20 minutes depending on season. The shuttle serves 21 numbered stops including trailheads, campgrounds, and lodging areas. In summer, additional shuttle routes serve Tuolumne Meadows, Wawona, and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Private vehicles can no longer drive to Mariposa Grove; visitors must use the shuttle or walk 2 miles from the parking area.
Wilderness permits allow overnight backpacking trips. The park issues permits for 58 different trailheads, each with a daily quota. Half of all permits can be reserved in advance starting 24 weeks before the trip date, with the remaining half available as walk-up permits the day before or day of the trip. The most popular trailhead, Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley, has a quota of 50 people per day and advance reservations typically claim all 25 reservable spots within hours of availability. Wilderness permits cost 5 dollars plus 5 dollars per person. All overnight trips require a permit regardless of distance.
Black bears number approximately 300 to 500 individuals within park boundaries according to park wildlife data. These are American black bears; California has no grizzly bear population. Black bears in Yosemite weigh between 200 and 400 pounds. The park requires all food storage in bear-resistant containers when camping in the wilderness. Bear canisters can be rented at wilderness centers for 5 dollars or purchased for approximately 80 dollars. Between 2017 and 2022, the park averaged fewer than 25 bear incidents per year, down from over 1,000 per year in the late 1990s when food storage rules were less stringent. Bears damage vehicles by breaking windows and tearing open doors when food or scented items are visible inside.
Giant sequoias grow in three groves within park boundaries. The Mariposa Grove contains approximately 500 mature trees. The Grizzly Giant, one of the largest trees in the grove, measures 209 feet tall with a base diameter of 29.5 feet and an estimated age of 1,900 to 2,400 years. The Tuolumne Grove and Merced Grove contain smaller populations. Giant sequoias grow naturally only in California, in approximately 75 scattered groves along the western Sierra Nevada between 5,000 and 7,000 feet elevation. Yosemite's giant sequoias represent the species Sequoiadendron giganteum, distinct from coast redwoods which are Sequoia sempervirens.
The Miwok people occupied the Yosemite Valley and surrounding areas for at least 3,000 years before European contact. The Ahwahneechee, a Miwok band, established permanent and seasonal villages throughout the valley. Spanish explorers first reached the Sierra Nevada foothills in the early 1800s, but no documented European expedition entered Yosemite Valley until the Mariposa Battalion in March 1851. The battalion, a state-sanctioned militia, entered the valley pursuing Ahwahneechee people during conflicts following the Gold Rush. Lafayette Bunnell, a member of the battalion, gave the valley its name, deriving it from a Miwok word he recorded as "Yohemite" and understood to mean "grizzly bear."
The 1864 Yosemite Grant transferred Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to California state control for preservation and public use, marking the first time the federal government set aside land specifically for preservation and public recreation. Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York's Central Park, managed the grant initially. The state ran the valley as a park until 1906, when California ceded both tracts back to federal control for incorporation into the national park that had been established in 1890 covering the surrounding high country.
John Muir first visited Yosemite in 1868 and spent the majority of his subsequent years advocating for the protection of the Sierra Nevada. Muir published numerous articles and books describing Yosemite's geology and ecology. His 1894 book "The Mountains of California" presented detailed observations of glacial activity. Muir's advocacy directly influenced the 1890 legislation creating Yosemite National Park. He founded the Sierra Club in 1892 in San Francisco, serving as its president until his death in 1914. Muir's writings popularized the term "Range of Light" for the Sierra Nevada.
Ansel Adams photographed Yosemite extensively from 1916 until his death in 1984. Adams maintained a studio in Yosemite Valley from 1920 to 1971. His 1927 photograph "Monolith, the Face of Half Dome" showed the formation using a red filter to darken the sky. Adams developed the Zone System of exposure and development while photographing in Yosemite, publishing the technique in 1940. His photographs established visual documentation standards for the national park system. The Ansel Adams Gallery operates in Yosemite Village, run by his family since 1902 when his father-in-law established the studio.
Rockfalls occur regularly. A 1996 rockfall from Glacier Point sent approximately 30,000 tons of granite onto the valley floor, generating winds that toppled over 1,000 trees. One person died in the debris field. A 2017 rockfall from El Capitan killed one climber and injured another. The National Park Service maintains a rockfall hazard rating system but does not close areas based on predictions, as the timing of individual rockfalls cannot be forecast. Historical records document over 1,000 rockfalls and rockslides in Yosemite Valley since record-keeping began in the mid-1800s. Spring months see increased rockfall activity due to freeze-thaw cycles in rock cracks.
The Merced River runs 145 miles from its headwaters in the Clark Range to its confluence with the San Joaquin River. Approximately 81 miles flow through Yosemite. Congress designated 122 miles of the Merced as a Wild and Scenic River in 1987. Typical flows through Yosemite Valley range from 200 cubic feet per second in late summer to over 10,000 cubic feet per second during peak snowmelt. The 1997 flood reached 25,000 cubic feet per second, destroying or damaging over 300 housing units, campgrounds, and infrastructure. The flood washed out sections of Highway 140, the primary western approach road. The park remained closed for over two months.
Climbing regulations prohibit bolts on any route established before 1980 unless the route originally included bolts. New route development requires approval from the park superintendent. Power drills are prohibited for all climbing purposes. Climbers must pack out all solid human waste above the treeline using provided wag bags. Sleeping on ledges during multi-day climbs is permitted without a bivouac permit as long as climbers carry all waste off the wall. The park prohibits BASE jumping, slacklining between rock features without prior approval, and drone operation.
Winter activities include cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Badger Pass Ski Area, 45 minutes from the valley, operates five lifts on 90 acres of skiable terrain. The ski area opened in 1935 as California's first alpine ski resort. Ticket prices run approximately 60 dollars for adults. Snowfall at Badger Pass elevation, 7,200 feet, averages around 300 inches per season. The valley floor receives an average of 36 inches of snow annually, though accumulation rarely persists beyond a few days at that elevation.
Cellular service exists only in Yosemite Valley and is limited to specific carriers. No cell service is available in Tuolumne Meadows, along Tioga Road, or in wilderness areas. The park operates a limited public WiFi network at Yosemite Valley Lodge and Curry Village for guests only. Gasoline is sold at Crane Flat year-round and at Tuolumne Meadows during summer. Prices typically run 1 to 2 dollars per gallon above California averages. No electric vehicle charging stations currently operate within the park.
Medical services consist of a clinic in Yosemite Valley open year-round with limited hours and services. The clinic handles minor injuries and illnesses. Serious medical emergencies require helicopter evacuation to hospitals in Fresno or Modesto, located approximately 90 and 95 miles away respectively. Yosemite Search and Rescue, staffed by park rangers, responds to an average of 240 incidents per year. Between 2014 and 2021, the park recorded 45 deaths, with falls accounting for the largest single category. The Half Dome cables have been the site of multiple fatal falls, particularly when wet.
Air quality in the valley frequently degrades during summer due to wildfire smoke from fires burning elsewhere in California or from prescribed burns within the park. The park conducts prescribed burns on approximately 4,000 to 5,000 acres annually to reduce fuel loads. Smoke from prescribed burns typically clears within 24 hours. Wildfires burning outside the park can create persistent haze lasting weeks. In 2020, the Creek Fire burning in Sierra National Forest south of the park produced smoke that reduced visibility in Yosemite Valley to less than a quarter mile for several days. The park does not close due to smoke except when conditions pose immediate health risks.
The 2013 Rim Fire burned 257,314 acres, making it the third-largest fire in California history at that time. Approximately 77,000 acres burned within Yosemite's borders, primarily in the park's northwestern wilderness. The fire reached Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which supplies water to San Francisco, but did not damage the water supply infrastructure. The park's Hetch Hetchy entrance remained closed for several weeks. Most of Yosemite remained open during the fire. Smoke impacts varied daily based on wind direction.
Parking in Yosemite Valley fills completely by mid-morning from May through September. Day-use parking areas near Yosemite Village, Curry Village, and major trailheads reach capacity between 9 and 10 AM. No overflow parking exists. When lots fill, rangers direct vehicles to turn around and exit the park. The shuttle system provides transportation throughout the valley once parked. Visitors parking at Curry Village for Half Dome hikes typically arrive before dawn to secure spots. Parking regulations prohibit leaving vehicles overnight in day-use lots; violators receive citations and possible towing.
The Five Open Fires, a term used for the five areas where campfires are permitted within Yosemite Valley, operate under strict regulations. Fires are allowed only in provided fire rings at developed campgrounds. Gathering wood from the valley floor is prohibited; firewood must be purchased from approved vendors or brought from outside the park within 50 miles to prevent the spread of invasive insects. A ban on wood gathering has been in effect since the 1970s due to depletion of dead wood. During periods of high fire danger, typically late summer and fall, the park closes all campfires even in designated rings.
Fishing requires a California fishing license. The Merced River and tributaries within the park contain rainbow trout and brown trout. Native California golden trout exist in some high-elevation lakes. Fishing regulations limit catch to five trout per day, with specific size restrictions varying by location. The park prohibits the use or possession of live bait. High-elevation lakes become accessible for fishing only after snowmelt, typically July through September. The park stocks no fish; all populations are naturally reproducing or remnant from historical stocking programs discontinued in the 1990s.
Tuolumne Meadows, the largest subalpine meadow in the Sierra Nevada, extends along the Tuolumne River at elevations between 8,500 and 8,800 feet. The meadow system covers approximately 2.5 square miles. Lembert Dome rises 800 feet above the meadow floor, composed of the same granitic rock as formations in the valley but shaped by glacial action into a roche moutonnée with a steep face and gentle slope. Tuolumne Meadows serves as a base for wilderness trips into the Cathedral Range and access point for the John Muir Trail, which runs 211 miles from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney.