Today, we will be talking about one of the most famous national parks in the United States. It is located high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the western state of California. It is one of the most beautiful places in the country. It is called Yosemite.
Yosemite National Park is a place of extremes. It has high mountains. It has valleys formed by ancient ice that cut deep into the earth millions of years ago. Water from high in the mountains falls to the green valley far below in many places. There are thirteen beautiful waterfalls in Yosemite Valley. One of these, Yosemite Falls, is the fifth highest in the world.
In the mountains, there are clear lakes, fast-flowing rivers and huge rock formations. One of these rocks is called Half Dome. It rises over two thousand seven hundred metres into the air.
Yosemite also has a beautiful, slow-moving river and large, grassy areas where you can see wild animals. More than sixty species of animal live in the park. Deer are particularly common. You can see them almost everywhere. They are not afraid of humans. You might even catch a glimpse of a large black bear. There are also two hundred different species of bird.
In a place called Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, visitors can see some of the largest, tallest and oldest living things on Earth. These are the giant sequoia trees. One of these trees is called the Grizzly Giant. It is over one thousand eight hundred years old. Another is almost 30 metres tall. Another has a girth of more than ten metres. These enormous trees can make you feel very small indeed.
The story of the Sierra Nevada mountains and Yosemite National Park begins around 500 million years ago. At that time, the area was at the bottom of an ancient sea.
Scientists believe that strong earthquakes forced the seabed to rise above the water. After millions of years, this land rose above the surface of the sea to form mountains. At the same time, hot liquid rock from deep within the Earth’s interior was pushed to the surface. This liquid rock slowly cooled. As it cooled, it formed a very hard rock known as granite.
Over many centuries, heavy rainfall caused huge rivers to flow violently through the area. Over time, these rivers cut deep channels into the new mountains. During the Great Ice Age, millions of tonnes of ice cut and shaped the cooled granite, forming giant rocks. Millions of years later, these rocks became known as Half Dome and El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
Humans have inhabited the Yosemite area for over four thousand years. The first people to live there were hunters. Most of them were members of a Native American tribe called the Miwok. They lived in Yosemite Valley, near the river.
During the extremely cold winters, these people would move to lower, warmer areas. They would return once the winter months had passed.
The first white Americans may have been hunters looking for animals to hunt for their fur. In the 1830s, a famous American hunter and explorer named Joseph Walker passed through the area. He wrote about the enormous rock formations and said that it was impossible to reach the valley below.
The first real modern explorers of the valley were citizens who had formed a military group. They were at war with the local Native Americans and entered the valley. The white soldiers called the Indians ‘Yosemites’. The valley was named after this tribe. Reports of its great natural beauty soon reached Washington, D.C.
In 1864, a United States senator called for legislation to grant Yosemite Valley to the state of California as a public park. The legislation stated that the valley should be preserved and protected. After Congress approved it, President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill.
This event was of great importance in the history of the United States. It marked the first time a government had approved a law to preserve land because of its beauty. The land was intended for public enjoyment. Yosemite became the world’s first state park. It was the world’s first real park. In 1890, it became a national park. Today, the National Park Service is responsible for the park. It is preserved and protected for everyone to enjoy.
There are no major roads leading to Yosemite National Park. Visitors must leave the main roads and drive on smaller roads instead. Yosemite is located approximately 320 kilometres east of San Francisco.
It lies deep within the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The roads leading to the park pass over the lower parts of these huge mountains. Then the road descends further into the area of the park known as Yosemite Valley.
Visitors can stay in a variety of accommodation options within the park. Several beautiful old hotels have been built on the site. Some are very expensive. Others cost less. Many people bring temporary cloth homes, or tents, with them. It only costs a few dollars a day to pitch a tent in an approved area.
Visitors can walk through many beautiful areas of the valley and the mountains. These walking paths are called trails. The National Park Service has improved over one thousand one hundred kilometres of trails. Exploring these trails is fun. Some take only a few minutes to walk. Others can take several days to complete.
People come from all over the world to climb one of Yosemite’s huge rock formations. The most famous of these is El Capitan. Those who climb it call it ‘El Cap’. Climbing El Capitan is only for experts. This activity is known as ‘hard rock climbing’. It is extremely difficult and can be very dangerous.
Climbers must be highly skilled and extremely strong. The ascent involves climbing straight up the face of a rock wall. Experts say it takes about three days to reach the summit of El Capitan. Progress is very slow.
Climbers must look for cracks in the rock to use as footholds and handholds. They place their hands and feet in these cracks and work their way up. They also use ropes and specialised equipment. The distance from the bottom of the valley to the top of El Cap is about 1,100 metres.
In the summer months, Yosemite National Park is filled with visitors. Large buses bring people from San Francisco to spend the day there.
They leave San Francisco very early in the morning and return late at night. They travel around to see the different parts of Yosemite. Other visitors come by car.
Some even come by bicycle. Some visitors stay for just a few hours. Others spend several days or weeks enjoying the park. Many visitors come to Yosemite time and again. Around four million people visit the park each year.
Heavy snowfall occurs in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Yosemite in the winter. Snow usually begins to fall in November. Heavy snowfall forces the closure of some of the roads into Yosemite during the winter months. However, the National Park Service works hard to keep most of the roads open.
Drivers must exercise extreme caution due to the ice and snow on the roads. Visitors can enjoy a unique beauty that summer visitors never see. Many winter visitors come to Yosemite to ski at Badger Pass, the oldest ski area in California. The Badger ski area is the oldest in California. It has a ski school for those who want to learn this exciting sport.
Many visitors come to enjoy the park blanketed in winter snow. In some areas, the snow is several metres deep. Some of the tallest mountains retain their snow until the hottest days of summer.
Visitors to Yosemite experience great natural beauty. A visit to the park creates lasting memories of nature’s wonders. Most people who visit Yosemite bring a camera. They take lots of pictures of the huge rocks, beautiful Yosemite Valley, waterfalls and giant trees.
However, you don’t need a photograph to remember its stunning natural beauty. Yosemite will be etched in your memory forever.
