Land of Liberty Explorers

Overview

Yosemite is one of America’s most famous national parks. It is known for its granite peaks, waterfalls, and sequoia groves. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant bill reserving the park’s land; the first time land was set aside for preservation. Lincoln’s grant actually gave the land to the State of California. In 1903, John Muir led a camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt that helped convince Roosevelt to return Yosemite to federal protection. Roosevelt signed the bill that made Yosemite a national park three years later in 1906. Here are some of our favorite things to see and do in Yosemite!

Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley is only 1% of the national park, but it is where most visitors spend their time in the park. The valley is an impressive sight upon entry into the park. Half Dome stands 4,800 feet above the valley floor. El Capitan is a 3,000 foot tall granite cliff that challenges rock climbers.

The valley is also known for its waterfalls. Yosemite Falls is a two tiered waterfall that drops over 2,400 feet to the valley floor.

Horsetail Falls flows over the eastern edge of El Capitan. It is short walk from Yosemite Falls.

Bridalveil Falls is another famous waterfall – it falls 620 feet. We enjoyed the .5 mile relatively flat hike through the woods to Bridalveil Falls.

We also enjoyed walking along the Merced River and seeing the lovely wildflowers that grow in the valley.

Mist Trail

The Mist Trail is a 7 mile out and back hike that begins at Happy Isles. It is commonly used as the first leg of a hike to Half Dome. Vernal Falls is located at .8 miles from the trail head. Vernal Falls is a powerful 317 waterfall. From the base of Vernal Falls, the trail continues through the mist and up a series of granite stairs to the top of Vernal Falls. The Emerald Pool sits atop Vernal Falls. It is good spot for hikers to take a rest before venturing on to Nevada Falls, but it is a terrible place to swim. Don’t swim above the waterfall!

The trail continues to Nevada Falls – a 594 waterfall. Nevada Falls is located 2.7 miles from the trailhead.

From Nevada Falls we took the John Muir Trail back to the valley floor. The John Muir Trail features many gorgeous views of Half Dome, the waterfalls, and the High Sierras.

Wawona Hotel

We stayed at the Wawona Hotel – a victorian style resort hotel built in 1876 near the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Staying in this historic hotel was fun and convenient. The Parks Service offers a shuttle bus from the hotel to Yosemite Valley, and it was nice letting the experienced driver navigate the high mountain roads for us. Check out our blog about Historic National Park Lodging for more about the Wawona Hotel!

Mariposa Grove

Pioneer Galen Clark named the park’s most famous sequoia grove after Mariposa County when he found it in 1857. The trail through the grove is peaceful and well maintained with many boardwalks.

The most famous tree in the grove is the Grizzly Giant. At one time it was believed to be the oldest and largest tree in the world – today is it considered the 26th biggest Giant Sequoia in the world.

Glacier Point

Glacier Point may be the best viewpoint in the park! It sits on the south wall of Yosemite Valley. It is located at the end of Glacier Point Road and offers amazing views of Yosemite Valley.