A look at what's here, how big it is, and what it gets known for.
Yosemite is the valley that made the case for national parks in the first place, a mile-wide trench of granite where El Capitan and Half Dome rise straight off the meadow floor and the waterfalls run hardest in May and June. The valley is the postcard and also the crowded part, while the high country along Tioga Road stays under snow into early summer.
Come for the waterfalls in late spring, the high country in July and August, or the color and quiet of autumn once the valley thins. The in-valley campgrounds (Upper, Lower, and North Pines) book out months ahead, so if they are gone, Ranger watches them for cancellations.
Not just a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra. First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.
