Location:

Located in the Sierra Nevada range in California, Yosemite National Park is 195 miles east of San Francisco and 276 miles north of Los Angeles.

Vital Stats:

Nearest airports: Fresno-Yosemite International Airport, 2.5 hours north on Highway 41. San Francisco International Airport, four hours east.

Established: Yosemite National Park was established in October 1890.

Size: 761,266 acres.

Park website: http://www.nps.gov/yose/

Snapshot

Recognized as a World Heritage site in 1984, Yosemite National Park encompasses more than 745,000 acres of wilderness, including scenic cliffs, lakes, rivers, and meadows. Some 800 miles of hiking trails and remarkable biological diversity make the park a haven for everyone—nature enthusiasts, recreational athletes, artists, families. Yosemite is home to the tallest waterfall in the United States and groves of giant sequoia trees.

Did You Know?

Towering more than 350 stories above Yosemite Valley, El Capitan is the largest exposed granite monolith in the world.

The park’s giant sequoia trees can live to be more than 3,000 years old.

Yosemite Falls usually stops flowing in late August. The cascade is fed solely by snowmelt, so the peak flow is in late May, when high snows in the Sierra Nevada melt. Over the warm summer months the flow dries up—but returns around October, when snow again begins to fall.

Scenic Drive

The Tioga Road is the most popular drive in Yosemite National Park. Approximately 48 miles in length, it is the highest route in the region, peaking at 9,945 feet at Tioga Pass. Tioga Road winds past dramatic peaks, grassy meadows, and clear-water creeks, and offers travelers glimpses of the park's abundant wildlife. Detours lead to other Yosemite attractions, including White Wolf, Siesta Lake, and the Red Fir Forest.