Yosemite National Park - American Landscapes Video - Travel & Discover

Yosemite National Park covers a huge area of the western Sierra Nevada mountains in central California. Its innumerable lakes, meadows, forests and granite summits form an endless and unspoiled alpine scenery. The park embraces a spectacular tract of mountain and valley landscape which was set aside as a national park in 1890. This expansive area is home to hundreds of wildlife species and thousands of plants native to Yosemite. The landscapes and features of Yosemite National Park inspire awe and wonder in the forces that have created such majesty. Geologists, hydrologists and geographers investigate and document landscapes to get a sense of the ecosystem as a whole that reaches from below 900 meters to over 4,000 meters in elevation. Two wild and scenic rivers, the Tuolumne and the Merced, have their source in the park and flow west to the central valley. Yosemite's wide range of elevations from its semi-arid foothills to its snow-capped mountains has produced a habitat distribution that nurtures 37 types of native trees and over 1,000 species of wildflowers. The park harbors a grand collection of waterfalls, meadows and forests that include groves of giant sequoias, the world's largest living organism. The Tioga Road offers a beautiful scenic drive between Green Flat and Tuolumne Meadows through forests and past meadows, lakes and granite domes. Many turnouts offer broad and beautiful vistas. Yosemite is a glaciated landscape and the scenery that resulted from the interaction of the glaciers and the underlying rocks was the basis for its preservation as a national park. Landforms that are the result of glaciation include U-shaped canyons, jagged peaks, rounded domes, waterfalls and moraines. Glacially polished granite, common in Yosemite National Park, is further evidence of glaciation. The Tuolumne and Merced River systems originate in the park along the crest of the Sierra Nevada and have carved river canyons 910 to 1,200 meters deep. The Tuolumne River drains the entire northern portion of the park, an area of approximately 1,800 square kilometers. The Merced River begins in the park's southern peaks and drains an area of approximately 1,320 square kilometers. This river was originally known as El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced, the River of Our Lady of Mercy. It is the river and its erosive power that was initially responsible for the existence of the valley, although of course the valley was widened and deepened by glaciation. Water has shaped the Sierra Nevada landscape in the form of glaciers, two of which still remain at Mounts McClure and Lyle. Spring floods reshape the land too, with a natural house cleaning that scours river channels and redistributes rock, soil, silt and sand. But summer's lack of water, especially at the lowest elevations, causes some thirsty plants to go dormant in order to survive. There are dozens of beautiful lakes scattered throughout the park. Knowledge of the formation and history of a lake is important to understanding its structure. The current chemical and biological condition of a lake depends on many factors, including the size and shape of the lake basin, regional climate, activities of humans during the past century, how it was formed, size, topography, and chemistry of its watershed and local biological communities. There are three major areas in the United States with abundant lakes, limestone sinkholes of Florida, mountain lakes of the Pacific Northwest, and the glaciated landscapes of the Great Lakes region. The glaciers melted and created Lake Yosemite, which filled the valley. Glaciers formed lake basins by gouging holes in loose soil or soft bedrock, depositing material across streambeds, or leaving buried chunks of ice that later melted to leave lake basins. Massive granite dominates the Yosemite area and much of the Sierra Nevada as well. Most of the terrain is composed of granite, formed deep within the earth by solidification of molten rock material and subsequently exposed by erosion of the overlying rocks. Because of its massiveness and durability, granite is shaped into bold forms. Although granite dominates nearly the entire length of the Sierra, it is not monolithic. Instead, it is a composite of hundreds of smaller bodies of granitic rock that, as magma or molten material, intruded one another over a time span of more than 100 million years. This multiplicity of intrusions is one of the reasons why there are so many varieties of granitic rock in Yosemite and the rest of the Sierra. The evolution of the landscape is as much a part of the geologic story as the rocks themselves, and Yosemite is a place where the dynamism of geologic processes is well displayed. By the end of the Cretaceous period, about 65 million years ago, after the granitic core of the range had been exposed, the era had a low relief in comparison with the mountains of today. Then, about 25 million years ago, this lowland area began to be uplifted and tilted toward the southwest, a construction that would eventually lead to the present Sierra Nevada. About 10 million years ago, from the These canyons were inundated and buried by volcanic lava flows and mud flows, and the streams were forced to begin their downcutting anew, in many places shifting laterally to find a new route to the central valley. About two million years ago, the Sierra Nevada had risen high enough for glaciers and a mountain ice field to form. The native plants of Yosemite National Park are a significant part of the exquisite beauty and biological diversity of the park. The combination of climate, topography, moisture and soils influence the distribution of plant communities across an elevation gradient from 549 meters to over 3,900 meters. The upper montane forest begins at higher elevations, near 1,800 meters, where the climate is characterized by short, moist, cool summers and cold, wet winters. Pure stands of red fir and lodgepole pine are typical of this forest. The Mariposa Grove, near Yosemite's south entrance, contains about 500 mature giant sequoias. Giant sequoias are perhaps the largest living things on earth. Although the oldest giant sequoias may exceed 3,000 years in age, some living specimens of the ancient bristlecone pine found in the mountains east of Yosemite and at Great Basin National Park in Nevada, among other places, are more than 4,600 years old. The grizzly giant, estimated to be 1,800 years old, is one of the largest trees in the Mariposa Grove. As you near its base, look up. That huge limb on the south side is almost two meters in diameter, which is larger than the diameter of the trunk of any non-sequoia in the grove. One famous tree that used to be found in the Mariposa Grove was a wawana, or tunnel tree. This was a giant sequoia through which an eight-foot opening was cut at its base in 1881, enlarging an existing burn scar. Driving through the tree was a famous and much photographed activity. The tree fell in the heavy snows of the winter of 1968 and 1969, but stories and pictures of this gentle giant traveled around the world and undoubtedly contributed to the preservation of its brethren. Numerous young sequoias, distinguished by the foliage of round overlapping scales, distinctive conical profiles, and soft spongy bark. Sequoia seeds have three requirements in order to germinate. Some direct sunlight, adequate moisture, and bare mineral soil. Road construction creates a perfect seedbed by opening up the forest floor to sunlight, increasing moisture along the roadsides, and providing bare mineral soil on the road's banks. Sequoias do not have deep tap roots. Instead, the roots spread out near the surface to capture water. While the roots are usually no more than two meters deep, they can fan out more than 45 meters, providing a stable base to balance the massive trunk. Vegetation zones range from shrub and chaparral communities at lower elevations to sub-alpine forests and alpine meadows at the higher elevations. Beautiful wildflowers bloom in meadows from June through August. Restoration of natural fire regimes in Yosemite is perhaps the most important action that can be taken to restore and protect the natural abundance, diversity, and distribution of wildlife in the park. Lukens is one of Yosemite National Park's less scenic lakes, surrounded by thick fir and pine forests in an area of gently sloping hills and glacial moraines, lacking the dramatic mountainous setting of the high Sierra country further east. The lake is situated close to the Tioga Road. The Lukens Lake Trail climbs slowly through well-established forests of particularly tall, thick trees, though many of the largest specimens were severely burnt in a wildfire. The path reaches a low saddle, then descends through undamaged woodland to the edge of the lake, which is bordered on the east side by a sizable area of tall grass marsh, sprinkled with wildflowers in early summer. The route originally crossed the meadow and ran along the north shore of the lake. Lukens Lake is an easy jaunt to a wildflower meadow and a peaceful lake edged by shaded forest. The main attractions of the hike are the floral meadows around the water's edge and the deep, dark forest en route, good habitat for bears and very smaller mammals, while the lake itself is used for swimming and fishing. Lukens Lake is in the upper montane forest. It is replaced by the subalpine forest near 2,450 meters, where the climate is cooler, with an even shorter growing season due to long, cold and snowy winters. Most of the precipitation falls as snow between October and April. Lower elevations in Yosemite National Park experience a Mediterranean-type climate, with typically long, hot summers and mild winters. The Tuolumne River appears to be a peaceful sleeper of a river, meandering quietly through its meadow channel or sweeping in riffles over the granite river bottom. It originates from two mighty forks deep in Yosemite's wilderness, the Dane and the Lyle. These forks meet in Tuolumne Meadows for the river's last gentle pass before plunging and waterwheeling over a series of stair-step cascades to Glenallen and on to the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River and the Muir Gorge. Yosemite's wide range of elevations, from its semi-arid foothills to its snow-capped mountains, has produced a habitat distribution that nurtures many types of trees, wildflowers, mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Bird behavior depends on the time of year and habitat. An astounding 255 species of birds have been documented in Yosemite. Yosemite National Park's rare alpine butterflies flutter at the highest of elevations, where conditions can be extreme. The Sierra Nevada Parnassian butterfly, for instance, is associated with stone crop growing high in granitic rock gardens. Many butterfly species need alpine plants as sites to lay their eggs. Rodents comprise the highest percentage of Yosemite's mammal species. The off-sighted squirrel species are part of the rodent order, along with other common members, mice, gophers, and chipmunks. The western gray squirrel is gray with a long bushy tail and spends much of its time in trees. Two other types include the Douglas squirrel, a reddish tree squirrel that chews on pine cones, and the golden-mantled ground squirrel, which resembles a chipmunk. One of Yosemite's common animals, these mule deer are also called black-tailed deer. They can be found throughout the park, but often near open meadows. As much as for any other feature, Yosemite National Park is famed for its glorious waterfalls. More waterfalls, from seasonal ephemerals to free-leaping ribbons to windblown wisps, are concentrated in Yosemite Valley than anywhere else in the world. Yosemite has a variety of surface water features, some of which are a major attraction. Water quality throughout Yosemite National Park is considered to be good and is generally above state and federal standards. The surface water quality of most park waters is considered by the state of California to be beneficial for wildlife and freshwater habitats. Native Americans, Yosemite's original residents, felt awe and respect for the powerful waterfalls that fell from the valley's cliffs. Miwok legends reflect a dread of both Yosemite and Bridal Veil Falls. The Indians believed that the falls were inhabited by spirits that would lure unsuspecting individuals into the swirling waters and to their deaths. The two major categories of Yosemite's waterfalls are those that flow over ledge steps and canyon floors, and those that plunge from the lips of hanging valleys. The step waterfalls were created when glaciers removed large blocks in a stream drainage, wherever the granite was jointed or otherwise easily erodible. Hanging valleys were formed when rivers and glaciers carved deep u-shaped canyons, leaving the valleys of their side tributaries, formerly at the same elevation, much higher on the newly vertical walls. The geologic story of Yosemite National Park can be considered in two parts. Deposition and deformation of the metamorphic rocks and emplacement of the granitic rocks during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic, and later uplift, erosion, and glaciation of the rocks during the Cenozoic to form today's landscape. The vast majority of Yosemite is comprised of plutonic igneous rocks. Plutonic rock forms deep underground when molten rock cools and solidifies very slowly, allowing large crystals to form. In contrast, volcanic igneous rocks form at the surface when molten rock cools and solidifies quickly, resulting in small crystals. The plutonic rock was generally formed during the Cretaceous period. The different individual bodies of plutonic rock in Yosemite were formed from repeated intrusions of magma into older host rocks beneath the surface of the earth. These intrusions may have taken place over a time period as long as 130 million years ago. The elegant, free-leaping Bridal Veil Falls is one of the first sites to attract one's gaze upon arrival in Yosemite Valley. Because the hanging valley watershed of Bridal Veil Creek is relatively large and has water-holding soils, the fall almost never dries completely. 189 meters high, Bridal Veil changes its appearance over the year, with the wind blowing it into magical shapes and mists as its flow declines. The waterfalls occur where the river passes through the Upper Montane Forest. The forest extends over 87,000 hectares and may be viewed from the Tioga Road east of Crane Flat, and in areas north and south of Yosemite Valley, such as along the Glacier Point Road. The nuances of the valley form spectacular rock formations, for which Yosemite Valley is justly famous. El Capitan is a favorite for experienced rock climbers. Rising more than 900 meters above the valley floor, it is the largest monolith of granite in the world. El Capitan is opposite Bridal Veil Falls and is best seen from the roads in western Yosemite Valley, including Tunnel View, Bridal Veil Fall Area, and El Capitan Meadow. El Capitan is coarse-grained granite carved by glacial action and emplaced approximately 100 million years ago. Several periods of glaciation have occurred in the Sierra Nevada, but the Sherwin glaciation, which lasted from approximately 1.3 to 1 million years ago, is considered to be responsible for the majority of the sculpting. The name Yosemite means literally, among them are killers, or there are killers among them, and is a corrupted form of an American Indian word used to describe the Awaniche people. Various cultures have left their mark on Yosemite, including historic mining sites from miners who came to the Sierra to seek their fortune in gold. Another of the park's lakes is Ellery Lake. Nestled into the rocks between the base of some spectacular cliffs in the road, Ellery Lake makes for a splendid roadside stop. To honor Yosemite's past means to preserve it today through archaeological and architectural recognition. Structures, artifacts, and trails symbolize more than their tangible worth by revealing underlying human values. Archaeologists systematically study the things left behind, such as tools, ornaments, buildings, food remains, and changed landscapes to uncover clues about historic cultures, economic systems, settlement patterns, demography, and social organizations. Yosemite archaeologists have documented more than 1,500 sites that have preserved material remnants of past ways of life. Yosemite Valley's first residents were American Indians who inhabited the region perhaps as long as 6,000 years ago. By the time Euro-Americans entered the Yosemite area in the mid-19th century, the valley was inhabited by peoples who called Yosemite Valley Awani, which loosely translates into place of a gaping mouth. The Indians of Yosemite Valley called themselves Awaniche. They harvested black oak acorns, hunted and fished, and traded these and other items native to Yosemite Valley with the Mono Lake Paiute people for obsidian, rabbit skins, and pine nuts. Few non-Indians knew of the existence of Yosemite Valley prior to 1851. The discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills in 1848 brought thousands of gold seekers to the area. By 1851, the continued theft of Indian lands and murder of native peoples resulted in the Mariposa Indian War. On March 27, 1851, in an attempt to subdue a group of Indian people, the state-sanctioned Mariposa Battalion entered Yosemite Valley. They became the first group of non-Indians to record their entry into the valley. Word of Yosemite's beauty gradually spread, and in 1855, the first party of tourists arrived. Nine years later, in the middle of the Civil War, a group of influential Californians persuaded Congress and President Abraham Lincoln to grant Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to the state as the country's first public preserve. The drive for federal protection of the Yosemite region began shortly after the first non-Indian settlers arrived, and before conservationist John Weir first visited in 1868. Abraham Lincoln provided this protection when he signed the Yosemite Grant in 1864. This grant is considered the foundation upon which national and state parks were later established. The 19th century signaled the beginning of the American preservation movement. Artists, particularly those of the Hudson River School, immortalized these ideas in paintings of the American landscape. They were among the earliest Euro-American visitors to Yosemite. As their paintings, lithographs, and photographs reached homes across America, Yosemite became an icon of the American wilderness. The writings of John Weir reinforced the need for environmental preservation, and the paintings of Bierstadt, Hill, and others enabled Americans to visualize the wealth of their nation's wilderness. The art of Yosemite helped convince the American public and the United States Congress that America's wilderness was worth protecting. Today, the magnificent scenic and cultural legacy of these places and the stories they tell are a testament to the legacy of park preservation and an inspiration to each generation. The first visitors to Yosemite Valley had a hard time comprehending the scale of the cliffs and waterfalls around them. Zenas Leonard, a member of the Walker Party that may have viewed the valley in 1833, wrote about the incredible sight. John Weir, the famous naturalist and conservationist, wrote about Yosemite's waterfalls in more expressive and glowing terms than any other writer. He used these words to describe Yosemite Falls. The noble fall has far the richest as well as the most powerful voice of all the falls of the valley. Its tones vary from the sharp hiss and rustle of the wind and the glossy leaves of live oaks and the soft shifting hushing tones of the pines to the loudest Russian roar of storm winds and thunder among the crags of the summit peaks. The Pohono Bridge is the westernmost bridge over the Merced River. Above Pohono Bridge, the Merced River basin extends over 830 square kilometers. The Merced River Gorge watershed includes the area from Pohono Bridge to the El Portal Administrative Site. Tenaya Lake is a magnificent high sierra lake surrounded by granite domes, lodgepole forests, and Yosemite's vast wilderness. It is the largest lake in Yosemite's front country. Because of its remarkable scenic qualities, its inviting blue water, and its proximity to Tioga Road, Tenaya Lake is one of the most popular destinations for summer visitors to Yosemite. Tenaya Lake itself is bordered by some of the most spectacular glacier-polished rock on earth, as can be seen below. The Indians called the lake Paiwiak, Lake of the Glistening Rocks, but the current name comes from a chief of the Yosemite Indians. The granite mountains come up to the edge of the lake itself. The basin in which this beautiful lake lies was carved by the massive Tuolumne Glacier. Rockfalls are a natural and dynamic geologic process. Due to its steep glacier-carved cliffs, Yosemite Valley experiences many rockfalls each year. Historical records indicate that at least 600 rockfalls have occurred in the park during the past 150 years. Massive piles of talus, rock debris at the base of Yosemite Valley's cliffs, are reminders of these dramatic events. Natural processes like rockfall help to create the beautiful and changing scenery in Yosemite National Park, but they also present potential hazards. The upper montane forest is replaced by the subalpine forest near 2,450 meters, where the climate is cooler, with an even shorter growing season due to long, cold, and snowy winters. The western white pine, mountain hemlock, and lodgepole pine are found in this forest, with many subalpine meadows that flower from July through August. This zone can be seen from the Tuolumne Meadows area, east to Tioga Path, and encompasses 120,000 hectares of park land. The tunnel view provides one of the most famous views of Yosemite Valley. From here, El Capitan and Bridal Veil Fall can be seen rising from Yosemite Valley, with Half Dome in the background. This viewpoint is at the east end of the Wawona Tunnel, along the Wawona Road. There is considerable climatic variation in the park, with mean temperatures varying some 20 degrees Celsius between the valleys and mountains. Annual precipitation is between 1,270 millimeters and 2,652 millimeters, with most of the rain and snow falling at middle elevations between 1,220 and 2,743 meters. The crests and peaks are relatively dry, and the foothills and lower slopes are semi-arid. Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure hidden in Yosemite National Park's peaceful northwest corner. In 1907, John Muir called Hetch Hetchy a wonderfully exact counterpart of the Great Yosemite. People, predominantly American Indian cultures, have lived in Hetch Hetchy Valley for over 6,000 years. The valley's name probably derived from the Miwok word, Hetch Hetchy, which means edible grasses. The life of the valley's first inhabitants depended on the land's natural resources. From its earliest days, water has been key to the development of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Hetch Hetchy Water and Power Project had its birth in the Raker Act of 1913, which granted the city of San Francisco water and power resource rights in Yosemite National Park. The project is a realization of a concept for an aqueduct from the Sierra Nevada watersheds that was proposed as early as the 1860s. The Hetch Hetchy Project, a complex system of pipelines, tunnels, powerhouses, dams, and reservoirs, began in 1914 and took 20 years to complete. The reservoir is 13 kilometers long and can store up to 443 billion liters of water. Hetch Hetchy water flowing more than 257 kilometers by gravity from Yosemite National Park to the San Francisco Bay Area was first delivered in 1934. The project is one of the most ambitious and enduring works undertaken by a public agency in the early 20th century. Today, 85 percent of the drinking water provided to 2.4 million people in the San Francisco area comes from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The reservoir also supplies hydroelectric power and water for industry and irrigation. Hetch Hetchy is home to a diverse variety of plants and animals. Gray pine, incense cedar, and California black oak grow in abundance. The distinctive manzanito bush is common and many beautiful examples of this red bark shrub are seen along the road. Spring and early summer bring brightly colored wildflowers including lupine, wallflower, monkeyflower, and buttercup. 17 species of bats inhabit this area of the park including the largest North American bat, the Western Mastiff. This large bat is only one of two bats in Yosemite whose echolocation can be heard by the human ear. Visitors to Yosemite should also keep an eye out for the park's rattlesnakes. Yosemite National Park vividly illustrates the effects of glacial erosion of granitic bedrock creating geologic features that are found nowhere else in the world. With precipitous granite cliffs, beautiful valleys, and towering pines, Yosemite has received recognition from UNESCO, United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization as a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve. In 1984, Yosemite was designated a World Heritage Site.