Yosemite National Park

Photo by Rolf Hicker: USA Pictures

Yosemite National Park holds unique and pronounced landform features, in the form of deeply incised valleys and granitic domes. The park is also known for its many waterfalls and groves of giant sequoias (possibly the oldest and largest living things on earth).

The geology of the Yosemite area is characterized by granitic rocks and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and then tilted to form its relatively gentle western slopes and the more dramatic eastern slopes. The uplift increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in formation of deep, narrow canyons. About 1 million years ago, snow and ice accumulated, forming glaciers at the higher alpine meadows that moved down the river valleys.

Year	Decision	Comments
1984	Inscribed	Reasons for inscription

Reviews

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I have visited Yosemite in both summer and winter. In winter it is magical, with the trees covered in icicles and the waterfall a frozen beard hanging way up there.

There are next to no visitors around in winter, but the shuttle buses still operate along the valley .

And the bus runs to Yosemite from Merced station even in winter, when it need chains on its wheels to get through.

Emilia Bautista King (U.S.A.):
Yosemite is really beautiful and is a worthwhile destination. My favorite was the Half Dome. I took many photos of it as the sun was setting. I have yet to see the sun set like that again. The colors in the sky were amazing - pink, orange, blood red, and purple.

I also saw a bear and a wolf, which was very exciting! I had a hard time leaving Yosemite and would love to visit again, but there are so many other sites to see!

Date posted: March 2006

James Kovacs (USA):
I was disappointed with Yosemite. I was really turnoed
off by the traffic and the thousands of tourists.
We didn't see the famous waterfall. It was dried up
for the year. The gigantic trees were interesting though.

Date posted: February 2006

Ian Cade (England):

I really enjoyed my visit to Yosemite, it is defiantly not a wilderness anymore but it is worth going out of your way for, but be warned it is very busy.
The view of the Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point (pictured) is the centre of the park, and is a pretty inspiring sight. The sheer face of Half Dome was being scaled by a group of intrepid climbers whilst we were there and it provided a great sense of scale; how small they were compared to the rock face.
The part of the park I most enjoyed was the groves of giant sequoias, they were absolutely massive, I remember being really impressed by the up-turned roots of one of the trees, and being frustrated that I couldn’t fit them all into one photo.
We stayed at a nice place called outside the park called Jamestown, in a hotel that had the train from Back to the Future III in it, I spent most of my time watching humming birds feeding next to the swimming pool and also remember visiting the Gold Rush town of Columbia.
I really enjoyed California, it is a very easy place to visit if you have your own transport and has some great places to visit and Yosemite was a highlight (though I also have to give an honourable mention Monterey especially the Crown and Anchor Pub!). The ease of travel however means that it is very busy, the main routes especially, I think if you are used to less visited natural sites you will have to work harder to get some peace and quiet here, but for the casual tourist this is a great site.

Date posted: November 2005

Ben Pastore (USA):
Flocks of tourists aside, the Yosemite Valley is truly one of the most stunning landscapes this planet has to offer. The sheer face of El Capitan on one side and the curved top of Half Dome on the other makes this spot one of my favorite in California and the entire US.

Date posted: June 2005

Jeremy Tollpuddle (England):
This truely is a beutiful place, especially if you can get away from the main tourist routes. but even if you can't due to limited time it is stunning, the views over Glacier Peak and the giant Redwoods are truely awe-ispiring. I wish i could go back and spend more time there.

Albert Chanslor Nicho; (USA):
Joanne and I were so taken by the park that it seemed like heavin on earth to us and we almost cried at the thought of so much beauty in one location. Truly this was God's masterpiece of creation. We both envied the Native Americans who found it and lived there.

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