Yosemite National Park
World Heritage site known for granite cliffs, waterfalls, and giant sequoia.
Yosemite National Park sits in California, managed by the National Park Service. It covers 1,187 square miles (3,070 square kilometers) across four counties—mostly Tuolumne and Mariposa, with parts reaching north and east into Mono and south into Madera. The Sierra National Forest borders it to the southeast, and Stanislaus National Forest lies to the northwest. In 1984, it became a World Heritage Site. The park is famous worldwide for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and rich biological diversity. About 95% of the park is designated wilderness. It ranks among the largest and least fragmented habitat blocks in the Sierra Nevada range.
The park’s geology is built on granite and older rock remnants. Around 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada uplifted and tilted, creating steeper stream and river beds that carved deep, narrow canyons. About one million years ago, glaciers formed at higher elevations and moved downhill, cutting and shaping the U-shaped Yosemite Valley.
People may have first arrived in the area between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago, with Native Americans living there for nearly 4,000 years. European Americans entered by 1833. The first well-documented European American entry into Yosemite Valley came in 1851, when the Mariposa Battalion—commissioned by Governor McDougal and led by James D. Savage—attacked the Ahwahneechee there.
Yosemite played a key role in the development of the national park idea. Galen Clark and others pushed to protect Yosemite Valley from development, which led President Abraham Lincoln to sign the Yosemite Grant of 1864, declaring the area federally preserved. In 1890, environmentalist John Muir led a successful campaign urging Congress to establish Yosemite Valley and its surroundings as a National Park. This helped lay the groundwork for the National Park System. About four million people visit Yosemite each year. Most spend their time in the valley’s seven square miles (18 square kilometers). In 2016, the park set a record by surpassing five million visitors for the first time. In 2024, it received over four million.
**Toponym** The name Yosemite comes from the Miwok word *yohhe’meti*, meaning “they are killers.” It originally referred to what the Miwok called the Ahwahneechee, the local indigenous tribe.
Quick Facts
- Iucn Category
- II
- Location
- Tuolumne, Mariposa, Mono and Madera Counties, California, United States
- Nearest City
- Mariposa, California
- Established
- 1890-10-01
- Area
- 1187 mi2
- Visitation Num
- 4,278,413
- Visitation Year
- 2025
- Governing Body
- National Park Service
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The geology of Yosemite is characterized by granite and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and tilted, increasing the steepness of stream and river beds and forming deep, narrow canyons. About one million years ago, glaciers formed at higher elevations and moved downslope, cutting and sculpting the U-shaped Yosemite Valley.
Humans may have first entered the area 10,000 to 8,000 years ago, with Native Americans inhabiting the region for nearly 4,000 years. The first well-documented entrance of European Americans into Yosemite Valley occurred in 1851 when the Mariposa Battalion, commissioned by Governor McDougal and led by James D. Savage, attacked the Ahwahneechee there. The word Yosemite is derived from yohhe'meti, 'they are killers' in Miwok, historically referring to the name the Miwok gave to the Ahwahneechee. The region had previously been called Ahwahnee ('big mouth') by the Ahwahneechee.
After the Mariposa War, Native Americans continued to live in the area in reduced numbers. The remaining Ahwahneechee were forced to relocate to a village constructed in 1851 by the state government. In 1953, the National Park Service banned all non-employee Natives from residing in the park, and in 1969 evicted the remaining Native people living within the park and destroyed the village as part of a fire-fighting exercise. A reconstructed 'Indian Village of Ahwahnee' sits behind the Yosemite Museum.
Reader's Guide
Yosemite was critical to the development of the concept of national parks. Galen Clark and others lobbied to protect Yosemite Valley from development, leading to President Abraham Lincoln's signing of the Yosemite Grant of 1864, which declared Yosemite as federally preserved land. In 1890, environmentalist John Muir led a successful movement to motivate Congress to establish Yosemite Valley and its surrounding areas as a National Park, helping pave the way for the National Park System. The park draws about four million visitors annually, with most spending the majority of their time in the valley's seven square miles. The park set a visitation record in 2016, surpassing five million visitors for the first time. In 2024, the park received over four million visitors. The park is managed by the National Park Service and is bordered on the southeast by the Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest.
Did You Know?
- The word Yosemite is derived from yohhe'meti, meaning 'they are killers' in Miwok, and is often confused with a similar term for 'grizzly bear'.
- The first well-documented European American entrance into Yosemite Valley was by the Mariposa Battalion in 1851, led by James D. Savage.
- The last full-blooded Ahwahneechee, Totuya (Maria Lebrado), died in 1931.
- Almost 95 percent of Yosemite National Park is designated wilderness.
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