Introduction to Yosemite National Park

After the four-hour drive from S.F, you come through a tunnel and suddenly you can see Half Dome. Life changes here. Welcome to Yosemite.


At this point, if you've never been to Yosemite, you are probably feeling some mixture of awe and anticipation. If you've been there before, you are probably feeling a mixture of anticipation and awe. Well, some things never change... After 30 years of visiting the park, these feelings are stronger than ever for me.

How to get to Yosemite

By Car

From San Francisco take the Bay Bridge to 580 East. Follow 580 until it meets Interstate 5 in Tracy. Right there take route 120 East (there is a sign for Yosemite there). Highway 120 takes you into the park. This route is only open in the summer. In the winter (you can't skate then anyway) you exit highway 120 after a few miles to go South on highway 99. Take it to highway 140 which leads into the park. The 140 route takes longer from S.F., but is open all year.

By Train

You don't need a car to enjoy Yosemite. You can also get there by a combination of train and bus. Contact Amtrack at 1-800-USA-RAIL (800-872-7245). The round trip including the bus rides is $53.

How did Yosemite come to be?

The marvelous granite formations in Yosemite Valley were formed by the flow of glaciers about 30,000 years ago. They melted, leaving Lake Yosemite about 10,000 years ago, which filled with sediment to become the flat Valley Floor. The entire valley is only 7 miles long and a mile at its widest point!

What Will You Find In Yosemite Valley?

You'll find more wonders in one small area than perhaps anywhere else in the world. Here are some of the major highlights:

  • Incredible views of waterfalls
  • Luscious, natural meadows
  • Sometimes crashing, sometimes creeping, but always very cold rivers
  • Half Dome, El Capitan, North Dome and other incredible granite formations
  • The Mist Trail to Vernal falls
  • Mirror Lake
  • The Indian Caves

What Will You Find Nearby Yosemite Valley?

Yosemite National Park is more than the Valley Floor. You can drive to Tuolumne Meadows, Wawona and the Mariposa Grove. You can Backpack through most of the park. There are marvelous lakes, more remote granite formations, rivers, fresh air and incredible views of nature in the Sierras. It is no wonder that John Muir and Ansel Adams lost their hearts to the place...

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Last Updated: 5/7/96
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Howard Cohen - hoco@timefold.com
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