Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park was established as a National Park in 1890. It was then designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. The park covers an area of 761,266 acres or 1,189 square miles (3,081 km²) and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
While Yosemite Valley makes up only one percent of the actual park, this is where most visitors frequent and stay. A must see is El Capitan, a magnificent granite cliff that that looms over the valley. It is one of the most popular rock climbing destinations in the world because of its diverse range of climbing routes in addition to its year-round accessibility. Granite domes such as Sentinel Rock and Half Dome rise 3,000 feet and 4,800 feet, respectively, above the valley floor. These are definite places that visitors must see while visiting the park.
The high country of Yosemite National Park also boasts breathtaking areas such as Tuolumne Meadows, Dana Meadows, the Clark Range, the Cathedral Range, and the Kuna Crest.
The park has three groves of ancient Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) trees; the Mariposa Grove (200 trees), the Tuolumne Grove (25 trees), and the Merced Grove (20 trees). Giant Sequoia are the largest trees in terms of biomass in the world and are one of the tallest and longest-lived.
