Acting Superintendent's Office

• Although Yosemite was set aside as a national park in 1890, the National Park Service had not yet been created. Following the precedent set in Yellowstone, our country's first national park, the U.S. Army Cavalry also patrolled General Grant National Park (now known as Kings Canyon National Park) and Yosemite National Park. Each summer over 200 soldiers, usually cavalry, rode from the Presidio of San Francisco to protect both parks.

Anderson Cabin

• Tourist parties provided business for local residents. George Anderson, a miner and blacksmith, worked as a guide in the late 1800s, and escorted visitors on expeditions in Yosemite. In 1875, he was the first person to climb Half Dome. He spent his winters in this building at Big Meadow (now called Foresta), and his summers in Yosemite Valley.

Arch Rock Entrance

• Welcome to Yosemite National Park! Prepare to let your curiosity guide you to new places. Pick up a map and brochure as you enter your national park. A unique natural feature welcomes visitors to the park, via the Arch Rock entrance. Two house-sized boulders, situated on either side of the inbound road, form an archway for visitors to pass through. It's a truly exceptional experience upon first entering Yosemite National Park. The park entrance fee can be paid upon arrival.

Artist Cabin (Chris Jorgensen Studio)

• Explorers, writers, and early tourist parties of the 1850s returned from Yosemite with stories of spectacular beauty. Artists were drawn to Yosemite, where they found inspiration in the magnificent scenery. Paintings, drawings, sketches, and photographs publicized and popularized Yosemite. Consequently, many people chose to travel the arduous route to Yosemite and experience the beauty firsthand. Thus, artists played a key role in increased awareness, tourism, and protection.

Badger Pass Ski Area

• Since opening in 1935, Badger Pass Ski Area has been a favorite ski destination for families and Yosemite enthusiasts. The ski area boasts fewer crowds and fun winter activities including skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and snow tubing. The ski area is accessible by vehicle or via free shuttle bus from Yosemite Valley.

Bar 1899

• You'll find Bar 1899 on the Curry Village Pizza Deck, where you can enjoy creative cocktails—including our popular Agave Smash, numerous tap beers and a selection of small plates to savor. Just the thing after a long day on the trail. Indoor seating is available and there are TVs to view the game!

Base Camp Eatery

• Grab some food at the Base Camp Eatery, which includes a Starbucks coffee bar, and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Base Camp Eatery offers a greater menu variety, new recipes using local/seasonal ingredients with a greater emphasis on front-of-house cooking and fresh food concepts, and grab-and-go selections. Open year-round, see website for hours and menus. Located on the Yosemite Valley Lodge premises.

Big Oak Flat Entrance

• Welcome to Yosemite National Park! Prepare to let your curiosity guide you to new places. Pick up a map and brochure as you enter your national park. The park entrance fee can be paid upon arrival. Park passes can be purchased here, and park brochures are available.

Big Trees Loop - Anatomy of a Giant

• These massive trees grow bigger and live longer than almost any other living things on earth. Which of the following factors do you think is most important to their longevity? Insulating bark? Many tiny seeds? Lifelong growth? Widespread roots? Read this wayside exhibit to find out more.

Big Trees Loop - Ecology of the Grove

• Think of the grove as a neighborhood, or ecosystem, where the resident plants and animals rely on each other to survive. Read this wayside exhibit to find out more about what roles mammals, birds, trees, snow, fire, and the sun play in this neighborhood.

Big Trees Loop - Grove Restoration

• The ground you stand on was once asphalt, which did not give falling sequoia seeds a chance to germinate. Read about recent efforts to restore this area back to a place where giant sequoias can thrive.

Big Trees Loop - How Giants Fall

• Giant sequoias can survive for thousands of years, but they are not invincible. What conditions threaten a giant sequoias survival? Read this wayside exhibit for more information.

Big Trees Loop - Relics of the Past

• Learn more about the relationship giant sequoias have had with other plants, through the ages, on this wayside exhibit.

Big Trees Loop - Restore and Protect

• In 1864 Abraham Lincoln paused during the Civil War to set aside the Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley as a protected state reserve "for public use, resort, and recreation." Yosemite National Park was then established in 1890 and this grove incorporated into the park in 1906. Today, we value the quiet majesty of these giant sequoias and share a responsibility as park stewards to limit our impact on them.

Big Trees Loop - Stages of Life

• The slender young giant sequoias around you, distinguished by their foliage of round, overlapping scales, distinctive conical profiles, and soft, spongy bark, beat great odds in finding the right conditions to sprout toward maturity. Find out what the perfect conditions are that allow a seed to become a mature giant sequoia, on this wayside exhibit.

Big Trees Loop - The Fallen Monarch

• No one knows how old this tree is or when it fell. Notice the roots of this tree. Sequoias do not have deep tap roots; instead the roots spread out near the grounds' surface to capture water. While the roots are usually no deeper than six feet (2 meters), they can fan out more than 150 feet (45 meters), providing a stable base to balance the massive trunk. When visitors stay on the road and trails, it minimizes soil compaction that damages these surface roots.

Big Trees Loop - The Wonder of Sequoias

• You are standing in the midst of one of Yosemite's natural and cultural treasures-and among the world's most massive living organisms. These trees, Sequoiadendron giganteum, are not the oldest living things. Although the oldest giant sequoias may exceed 3,000 years in age, some living specimens of the ancient bristlecone pine, Pinus arista, are more than 4,600 years old!

Big Trees Loop - Traditional Ecological Knowledge

• The Traditionally Associated Tribes of Yosemite National Park worked collaboratively with cultural and natural resource managers to integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge with science-based adaptive management throughout the park. Read this wayside exhibit to see what practices were used to enhance the biodiversity of the forest environment.

Big Trees Loop - Water and Wetlands

• Most of these giant sequoias consume a lot of water. Where does the water come from? find out more about the importance of wetland areas to giant sequoias and other plants and animals found in the grove, on this wayside exhibit.

Big Trees Loop - Wildlife in the Grove

• The Mariposa Grove provides a protected home for 35 species of mammals and 35 species of birds. Serious threats to Yosemite's wildlife and the ecosystems they occupy include loss of a natural fire regime, non-native species, air pollution, habitat fragmentation, and climate change. Learn about one of Yosemite's rarest species, the Pacific Fisher, on this wayside exhibit.

Big Trees Loop Trailhead

• Winding through an impressive forest with many giant sequoias, this trail offers numerous interpretive panels on the life and ecology of this unique place. This loop is relatively flat and is wheelchair accessible. Big Trees Loop (easy) 0.3 mile (0.5 km) loop-trip; 30-45 minutes.

Blacksmith Shop - Yosemite

• By 1900, many people had made the trip to Yosemite on horseback or by horse-drawn stage. Roads were rough on horses and riders. It took eight hours to travel approximately 25 miles from Wawona to Yosemite Valley. A four-up stage (a stage being drawn by four horses) changed horses four times during the trip. Consequently, 16 horses were used to make the journey. Blacksmiths shops were located throughout the park, and "smithys" offered valuable assistance along the roads.

Bridalveil Fall

• Enjoy an up close view from the base of this often-windswept waterfall. Especially in the spring, expect to get wet while standing at the base of this thundering waterfall that plunges 620 feet (189 meters). In some cases the spray off Bridalveil Fall is so strong, you may not even be able to easily access the end of the trail. During the rest of the year, look for its characteristic light, swaying flow. Expect icy and very slick conditions in winter.

Bridalveil Fall Parking Area

• Prepare to be awed as you approach the misty bottom of Bridalveil Fall from this parking area. The Bridalveil Fall parking area often fills up quickly in summer and traffic jams are common when getting in and out of this parking lot. Parking is also available a little further east on Southside Drive into Yosemite Valley (a few hundred yards), where you'll find parking on either side of the road with a different trail option.

Bridalveil Fall Trailhead

• A short walk will lead you to the base of Bridalveil Fall, allowing you to get an up close view of this often-windswept waterfall. Plunging 620 feet (189 meters), Bridalveil Fall is the first major waterfall you'll see when entering Yosemite Valley. In spring, it thunders; you can expect to get wet! In some cases the spray is so strong, you may not even be able to easily access the end of the trail. During the rest of the year, look for its characteristic light, swaying flow.

Cathedral Beach Picnic Area

• Picnic tables and grills are conveniently located at this scenic spot along the Merced River that offers views of El Capitan. This picnic area is available from dawn to dusk. Cathedral Beach Picnic Area, is located on Southside Drive, several miles east of Bridalveil Fall.

Cathedral Lakes Trailhead

• The shimmering waters of Cathedral Lakes rest below Cathedral Peak, named by the California Geological Survey (CGS) in 1863. The trail climbs steadily to Upper Cathedral Lake. Near the top of the climb, it passes a spur trail to Lower Cathedral Lake (0.5 mile to lake). The return hike follows the same route. This is one of the busiest trails in the Tuolumne Meadows area.

Chilnualna Falls Trailhead

• Chilnualna Falls, pronounced "Chil-noo-al-na," flows all year, with peak flow in May. It is a strenuous hike, but well worth it for its views of the falls and Wawona Dome. Chilnualna Falls are comprised of five large cascades sliding through and over large granite formations above the Wawona basin - water here is fullest in spring and early summer. This strenuous trail allows for you to view the Chilnualna Falls cascades in many locations along the hike.

Chinese Laundry

• The Chinese Laundry houses interactive displays and exhibits that celebrate the Chinese workers who helped make Yosemite what it is today. The exhibits in this historic building highlight a previously forgotten story in Yosemite’s rich and diverse history.

Church Bowl Picnic Area

• Let the views of Half Dome and Glacier Point across Ahwahnee Meadow inspire you as you enjoy a picnic at Church Bowl Picnic Area. There are picnic tables and grills at this scenic spot along Ahwahnee Meadow. Potable water and flush toilets are available.

Cobertizo de Carretas

• Mucho antes de que los automóviles entraran al parque, la única forma práctica para que los visitantes disfrutaran y experimentaran Yosemite era con carretas tiradas por caballos. Los carruajes de la época pasada de Yosemite están estacionados en este cobertizo de carretas, símbolos icónicos de la historia del transporte del parque.

Cook's Meadow Loop Trailhead

• Walk through the heart of it all! Enjoy views of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, and Royal Arches from the center of Yosemite Valley as you saunter through this large open meadow. This short, easy walk offers stunning views of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Glacier Point, and Sentinel Rock. From the visitor center, walk west along the bicycle path toward Lower Yosemite Fall. At shuttle stop #6, cross the street and follow the bike path, bearing left as the path forks.

Cook's Meadow Tour - Change: From Lake to Meadow

• Notice how flat the floor of Yosemite Valley is. At the end of the last glacial period, as with each post-glacial warming trend, huge volumes of water from melting glaciers flowed into Yosemite Valley, bringing tons of rock, gravel, sand, and silt. This debris slowly filled the shallow lake. A succession of bogs and marshes thrived before the meadows eventually appeared.

Cook's Meadow Tour - Change: The Pace of Glaciers

• Look up to the granite walls, spires, and cliffs all around you! The rock's story begins about 100 million years ago with granitic magma deep within the earth. This molten material was formed from older continental rock, as it was over-ridden by the westward-moving North American Plate. About 35 million years ago, dramatic uplift began that eventually raised the Sierra Nevada to its current height.

Cook's Meadow Tour - Change: The Passage of Seasons

• The weather in Yosemite Valley differs from other places in the Sierra Nevada with similar elevations: summers are warmer and winters are colder. Here, the 3,000-foot-high cliffs trap warm air in the summer and funnel cold air down Merced and Tenaya canyons in the winter. The cliffs also shade half of the Valley because of the low-angled winter sun. The Sierra Nevada enjoys a "Mediterranean" climate, which means relatively dry summers and wet winters.

Cook's Meadow Tour - Change: Yosemite Opens to the World

• In 1855, only four years after the Ahwahneechee were forcefully removed from the Valley, the first tourist party came by horseback. Within three years, the first hotel was established, and within ten years, there were four more. Look toward Lower Yosemite Fall and notice the swath in the trees. Early hotel owners cleared this section of forest so guests could easily see Lower Yosemite Fall. Most of the meadows were fenced, plowed, grazed, and sown to grass for hay.

Cook's Meadow Tour - Fire: Friend or Foe

• If we are to improve our ability to better care for our national parks, we must learn from the past. For example, early visitors to Yosemite misunderstood the essential role of fire, viewing it as merely destructive and dangerous and responding to it with alarm and fear. We now understand that suppressing natural lightning-caused fires can ultimately harm the plants and animals that have adapted to it.

Cook's Meadow Tour - First People

• It is believed that people were present in this valley as early as 8,000 years ago. Archeological evidence suggests that about 4,000 years ago American Indian people established permanent settlements here. The oak grove you are in now may have been a principal winter village area. Acorns from the black oaks were a main food source for the area's first people, known as the Ahwahneechee.

Cook's Meadow Tour - From Yosemite to Our Own Backyards

• This is a good place to take a look at what John Muir called "the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter. It must be the sanctum sanctorum of the Sierra (holiest of the holy places)." Changes that created this magnificent scenery occur over long periods of time. The cliffs and waterfalls will remain well into the future no matter what humans do. Changes caused by 150 years of tourism were rapid and damaging to the natural environment.

Cook's Meadow Tour - Looking into the Future

• If you are visiting during the busy summer months, you may notice noise and congestion. Since 1980, one of the management goals for Yosemite Valley has been to reduce traffic congestion and crowding. Plans for reducing the impact of automobiles, protecting the natural environment, and enhancing the visitor experience are being implemented.

Cook's Meadow Tour - Merced Wild and Scenic River

• In the meadow to the left of the trail is an old river channel where yellow water lilies grow in the summer months. Every spring during high water, the Merced River reclaims this channel and water flows across this trail. Early hotel owners sought to drain areas like this to reduce mosquito ponds and dry the meadows enough to plow for hay production. The main Merced River channel is south of the trail. Its flow changes dramatically with the seasons.

Cook's Meadow Tour - Restoration Efforts

• Throughout Yosemite National Park's history, countless efforts have been undertaken to preserve its ever-changing natural and cultural landscapes. Although it may not seem obvious today, Cook's Meadow was once one of the Valley's most developed areas. This spot also exemplifies how trees obscure many historic views. One hundred years ago, this cluster of trees was open meadow. Park plans call to restore historic scenic vistas and work is underway throughout the park to do so.

Crane Flat Gas Station

• The Crane Flat Gas Station conveniently serves the northern end of the park for your refueling needs and is located at the intersection of the Big Oak Flat and Tioga Roads. The Crane Flat Store is open seasonally from spring through fall.

Curry Village

• Beneath the grandeur of Glacier Point, Curry Village is known for the same warm, hospitable feeling that was instilled by its founders, David and Jennie Curry in 1899.

Curry Village Bike Stand

• Biking is one of the best ways to see Yosemite Valley. Yosemite Valley is flat, which makes for easy riding along our 12 miles of designated paths. Bicycles, tag-along bikes for children, trailers, and helmets are available for all ages and abilities. We also offer a select number of tandem bikes and hand-crank bikes for guests with physical limitations. Wheelchairs, electric scooters, and strollers may also be available for rent.

Curry Village Coffee Corner

• Grab a fresh pastry, create your own oatmeal masterpiece, or indulge in coffee, cappuccino, and espresso. A ice cream bar is also there to tempt your taste buds in the warmer months. See website for hours. Located in Curry Village, in eastern Yosemite Valley.

Curry Village Parking

• In the mid-1800s, European-American settlers planted apple trees around Yosemite Valley to provide fresh produce and cider to the growing number of people drawn to the area. Now, this area serves as a parking lot for visitors who wish to use the Curry Village lodging, dining, and gift shop services, or to use the free shuttle bus. Open year-round for Curry Village overnight guests.

Curry Village Pizza Patio

• Hand-tossed pizza, fresh salads, and cold drinks are served on an outdoor deck, surrounded by great views of Glacier Point and Royal Arches. Indoor seating is also available. Open January - November, and during holidays when Curry Village is open. You can reach Yosemite Valley via Highways 41, 140, and 120. Follow signs for Curry Village, located in eastern Yosemite Valley.

Curry Village Seven Tents Pavilion

• Located in Curry Village, in eastern Yosemite Valley. Enjoy hearty meals and our famous pizza after your day of adventure in Yosemite.

Curry Village: Lounge and Registration Architecture

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