Visiting:
When visiting
Yosemite National Park a traveler can come in by four routes. However,
due to the improvements that are being made on the park, Highway 120 is
going to be closed from November 1998 to late 1999. This means the
only entrances to the park, for the summer 99, are through either the Highway
41 from Fresno to the North or by Highway 140 from the West by way of Merced.
A single traveler maybe able to travel on Highway 120, east west through
the park, but this is not advised because of road construction. The
roadway conditions
are constantly changing so be up to date on your information. Tioga
Pass is closed from November til June because of snowfall blocking
the road over the Sierra Nevadas, officals hope no late season snow storms
will keep the road closed longer than will be needed. Fees for entrance
to the park is $20 by automobile or $10 for cyclists or hikers. Also,
a warning to park visitors is that bear activity is extremely high please
do not feed the animals.
Attractions:
Yosemite Valley offers a wide range
of attractions
for visitors to the park. The valley also offers a variety of scenes
that have been created by glaciers, leaving waterfalls, rock formations
and a diverse areas of geology creations and ecosystems (plateaus, valleys,
forest, rivers, meadows and more). These creations leave Yosemite
a site for hikers, climbers, campers, animal
and fauna seekers, and outdoors men.
Popular Locations:
Mariposa Grove-most unique grove of conifer trees
in US; with pine, fir and incense cedar trees.
The Giant Sequoias-1,540 acres with three grove
of trees containing 106 trees.
Glacier Point-7,214 feet high, the "lookout of
the valley" with views of Half Dome, Vernal and Nevada Falls.
El Capitan- 7,569 feet high, the largest and hardest
solid granite face in the world ( a climbers dream to redline) the standard
of rating climbing is based of the climb.
Half Dome - 8,842 feet high in eastern part of
the valley, that was left in "half" when the glaciers receded; this formation
is 87 million years old.
Vernal and Nevada Falls- created from the Merced
River, cuts its path through park always flowing even in driest seasons
of the year.
Tuolumne Meadows- the largest area of "parks"
in North America (park: area between mountains with high numbers of vegetation's
and game.
Extra:
The Fire Fall was an event put on by park rangers
of Yosemite at Glacier Point. Rangers would set up huge bonfires
on the cliff's edge and when the call to "let the fire fall" rangers would
push the fire over cliff and have an amazing sight the fire raining down
to Yosemite Valley like it came down from heaven. Our trip adventure
and teacher was of the many people that have witnessed this spectacle as
a small boy/young man. There has been a site to commemorate
the last fire fall of January 25, 1968. This site is unique because
it has been created by past park visitors with their memories of this event.
