Yosemite National Park - Golden Gate Tours

Yosemite

Yosemite National Park is one of the first wilderness parks of the nation, located in the western Sierra Nevada of Central California. The park is bounded by the Stanislaus Nation Forest and the Sierra National Forest.

The geology of this spectacular region is typified by granitic rocks andthe remnants of older rocks. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and tilted in order to form its moderately gentle western slopes complemented by the even more dramatic eastern slopes. The uplift amplified the steepness of the stream and the river beds thereby resulting in the formation of steep, deep, and unfathomable canyons. Then, about a million years ago, ice and snow accumulated in the area, forming glaciers at the higher alpine meadows which moved down the river valley. It is said that during the glacial period, the thickness of the ice was known to be over 4000 feet. Eventually, the downward slope movement of the glaciers sculpted themselves into the enchanting U-shaped valley we see today. Yosemite National Park was designated as a World Heritage site in 1984.

The vigor of the granite cliffs, the strength of glaciers, and the rhythm of groves, lakes, and mountains join forces to make the park one of a kind and truly intriguing. Most popular for its stupefying waterfalls, the 1200 square miles park packs deep valleys, antique giant sequoias, vast meadows, and an endless wilderness area. The park witnesses rainfall mostly in the months of January, February, and March. The summers are welcomed with warm and dry weather conditions. Spring and fall are the most exciting and transitional weather that visit the park.Many a time,the warm, sunny days abruptly switch to stormy evenings with thunderstorms.

The majority of people arrive at the park to explore the Yosemite Valley in its entirety. The very first view of the Valley is routed through the Tunnel View. It is visited by many people who enjoy their short walks and long hikes to the waterfalls of its Valley. The Giant sequoias in the Tuolumne, Mariposa or Merced groves stand in all their pompous mystic, greatly admired by the visitors. You can also drive to the glacier point to witness a breathtaking sight of the valley and the country. You can also drive down to the Tuolumne meadows and set out on your hiking trail.

Yosemite National Park preserves a Sierra Nevada landscape characterized by its sun-baked scrubby chaparrals, groves of pines, sequoia, firs, massive alpine woodlands, and meadows. The alluring park is home to over 250 species of vertebrates enclosing fishes, amphibians & reptiles, mammals and countless birds. The western boundary of the park is conglomerated with coniferous forests that are personified with sugar pines, incense-cedars, white firs, ponderosa pines, the Giant sequoias and the giant Black Oak.

Owing to the elevation, not much wildlife exists here. However, the park serves as a habitat for many animals such as the American Black Bear, grey fox, mule deer, white-headed woodpecker, spotted owl and many more. As the elevation goes up, the forest of the conifers turns into purer strips of red firs, western white pines, Jeffery pines, and even the Foxtail pines.