Yosemite National Park is one of America’s most popular natural attractions and is visited by millions of people each year.
Located in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, Yosemite National Park was established October 1, 1890, when Congress voted to make it the third national park in the U.S. park system.
Native Americans had long been the main inhabitants of Yosemite Valley, which is at the heart of the park. When the California Gold Rush of 1849 brought new settlers to the region, it caused damage to the valley’s ecosystem. To protect the valley from further damage, President Abraham Lincoln designated it as protected wilderness in 1864. It was the first time in U.S. history that land was set aside for preservation.
But that did not stop California’s booming livestock industry from grazing animals in the meadows surrounding Yosemite Valley. Famed conservationist John Muir, who fell in love with the area’s natural beauty on his first visit in 1868, wrote about the increasing damage from sheep grazing.
His writings raised awareness and support for the cause of conservation, and together with other naturalists, he campaigned to protect the greater Yosemite Valley with national park status. On October 1, 1890, Congress allotted more than 3,800 hectares encompassing the valley for the park.
In 2016, a nonprofit conservation fund donated an additional 162 hectares of land to the park, the largest expansion in nearly 70 years.
More than 3.5 million people from around the world visit Yosemite annually. The park is best known for Yosemite Falls — at 739 meters, one of the highest waterfalls in North America — and the Half Dome rock formation. Each year, thousands of hikers make the 10- to 12-hour journey to the dome’s summit, which rises 2,682 meters above sea level. Yosemite also boasts over 1,207 kilometers of hiking trails, 500 ancient giant sequoia trees, 8,500 hectares of alpine meadows and hundreds of animal species.
The U.S. national park system began in 1872 with the establishment of Yellowstone National Park, which inspired a worldwide national park movement. Today, there are 63 designated national parks. The system is managed by the National Park Service and includes recreational sites as well as monuments and historic battlefields.
