Chapter I: Part 1

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United States Department of the Interior Harold L. Ickes, Secretary

National Park Service Arno B. Cammerer, Director

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK CALIFORNIA

Open All Year

United States Government Printing Office Washington : 1935

WELCOME TO YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

In bidding you welcome the National Park Service asks you to remember that you are visiting a great playground that belongs in part to you, and that while you are at liberty to go anywhere in the park with perfect freedom, you owe it to yourself and to your fellow citizens not to do anything that will injure the trees, the wild animals or birds, or any of the natural features of the park.

The park regulations are designed for the protection of the natural beauties and scenery as well as for the comfort and convenience of visitors. The following synopsis is for the general guidance of visitors, who are requested to assist the administration by observing the rules.

RULES AND REGULATIONS
(Briefed)

Fires.—Light carefully and in designated places. Extinguish COMPLETELY before leaving camp even for temporary absence. Do not guess your fire is out—KNOW IT. Do not throw burning tobacco or matches on road or trail sides.

Camps.—Register at camp entrance. Keep your camp clean. Burn all combustible material and place all garbage in cans provided. Camp at least 25 feet from other tents, buildings, or water hydrants.

Trash.—Do not throw paper, lunch refuse, kodak cartons or paper, chewing-gum paper, or other trash on roads, trails, or elsewhere. Ball up and carry until you can burn in camp or place in receptacle.

Trees, Flowers, and Animals.—The destruction, injury, or disturbance in any way of the trees, flowers, birds, or animals is prohibited. Dead and fallen wood, except sequoia, may be used for firewood.

Noises.—Be quiet in camp after others have gone to bed. Many people come here for rest.

Automobiles.—Speed limit in park is 35 miles per hour. Drive carefully at all times. Keep cut-outs closed. Obey park traffic rules. Secure automobile permit, fee $2.

Park Rangers.—The rangers are here to help and advise you as well as to enforce the regulations. When in doubt ask a ranger.

Warning About Bears.—Do not feed the bears from the hand; they are wild animals and may bite, strike, or scratch you. They will not harm you if not fed at close range. Bears will enter or break into automobiles if food that they can smell is left inside. They will also rob your camp of unprotected food supplies, especially in the early spring or late fall when food is scarce. It is best to suspend food supplies in a box well out of their reach between two trees. Bears are especially hungry in the fall of the year and serious loss or damage may result if food is left accessible to them.

All articles lost or found should be reported to the ranger headquarters in the New Village, to any ranger station, or to the offices at Camp Curry, Yosemite Lodge, or the Ahwahnee. Persons should leave their name and address so that articles which are not claimed within 60 days may be turned over to the finders.

Suggestions, complaints, or comments regarding any phase of park management, including the operation of camp grounds, hotels, and attitude of employees, should be communicated immediately to the superintendent.

C. G. Thomson, _Superintendent_.

CONTENTS

PAGE
The Yosemite Valley 1
How the Valley Was Formed 3
Waterfalls 3
Altitude of Summits Inclosing Yosemite Valley 6
Height of Waterfalls 4
Glacier Point and the Rim of Yosemite Valley 4
The Big Trees 7
The Wawona Basin 8
Hetch Hetchy Valley 8
Tuolumne Meadows 10
Pate Valley 11
The Northern Canyons 12
The Mountain Climax of the Sierra 12
Merced and Washburn Lakes 13
Climate and Seasons 13
Winter Sports 14
Trails and Hikes 15
Fishing 17
How to Reach the Park 20
By Automobile 20
By Railroad and Auto Stage 22
By Airplane 22
Administration 23
Information Bureau 23
Free Educational Service 23
Museum 24
Yosemite Field School of Natural History 26
Ranger-Naturalist Outpost 26
Accommodations for Visitors 26
Free Public Camp Grounds 26
Hotels, Lodges, Housekeeping Cabins, and Camps 27
Yosemite Transportation System 30
Stage Trips 31
Saddle Trips 31-32
Valley Floor Rides 32
Stores and News Stands 32
Photographic Service 32
Laundries 33
Barber Shops 33
Garage Service 33
Children’s Playground 34
Postal Service 34
Express Service 35
Telephone and Telegraph Service 35
Medical and Hospital Service 35
Church Services 35
References 36
Publications for Sale at Museum 37
Government Publications 40

IMPORTANT EVENTS IN YOSEMITE’S HISTORY

1851. Mariposa Battalion discovered Yosemite Valley from
Inspiration Point, March 25. Name “Yosemite Valley” applied.
1855. J. M. Hutchings organized first party of sightseers to
enter Yosemite Valley.
1856. “Lower Hotel”, first permanent structure, built by Walworth
and Hite at base of Sentinel Rock.
1858. Cedar Cottage built; still in use.
1864. Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Trees granted to
California as a State park.
1868. John Muir made his first trip to Yosemite.
1871. Conway started work on Four-Mile Trail to Glacier Point.
Finished in 1872.
1874. Coulterville Road built to Valley floor. Big Oak Flat route
completed to Yosemite Valley.
1875. Wawona Road built to floor of Yosemite Valley.
1876. Sentinel Hotel built.
1881. Tunnel cut through Wawona Tree.
1882. Tioga Road constructed. John Conway built Glacier Point
Road.
1890. Yosemite National Park created October 1.
1891. Capt. A. E. Wood, first park superintendent, arrived with
Federal troops to administer park, May 17. Headquarters at
Wawona.
1899. Camp Curry established.
1900. Holmes Brothers, of San Jose, drove first automobile (a
Stanley Steamer) into Yosemite over the Wawona Road.
1906. Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove receded to United
States. Superintendent’s headquarters (Maj. H. C. Benson,
superintendent) moved to Yosemite Valley.
1907. Yosemite Valley Railroad opened for travel to El Portal.
Visitors, 7,102.
1913. Automobiles admitted to Yosemite Valley.
1914. Civilian employees replaced military in administration of
park. Visitors, 15,154.
1915. Stephen T. Mather purchased Tioga Road; presented it to
Federal Government.
1916. National Park Service Act passed August 25.
1917. Stephen T. Mather made Director of the National Park
Service. Glacier Point Hotel built and opened.
1919. First airplane landed in Yosemite Valley, May 27, Lt. J. S.
Krull, pilot, alone.
1920. Construction started on All-Year Highway up Merced Canyon.
Visitors, 68,906.
1923. Hikers’ camps installed. Visitors, 130,046.
1924. New administration center and village developed.
1925. Yosemite Park & Curry Co. formed by consolidation of Curry
Camping Co. and Yosemite National Park Co. Park visitors,
209,166.
1926. All-Year Highway completed and dedicated July 31.
1927. Ahwahnee Hotel opened by Yosemite Park & Curry Co. The
second largest travel year in park history—490,430 visitors.
1930. Reconstruction of log cabin in Mariposa Grove to house
Museum of Big Trees. Park visitors, 458,566.
1931. Construction of 4,233-foot tunnel through Turtleback Dome
for new Wawona Road.
1932. Wawona basin of 14 square miles added to the park. New
Wawona Road and tunnel completed. Big Trees Lodge
constructed. Largest travel year in park history—498,289
visitors.

WHAT TO DO AND SEE IN YOSEMITE

Here are a few suggestions to help you plan your time in Yosemite to best advantage. This is a summer schedule—in winter see special programs posted on bulletin boards at hotels.

Do not hurry through Yosemite—take the time to at least visit all points of interest in the Valley and do not leave the park without seeing the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees and the wonderful panoramic view from Glacier Point.

GENERAL

Visit the Yosemite Museum, located in the New Village, open 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. Interesting exhibits of the geology, Indians, early history, trees, flowers, birds, and mammals of Yosemite. Wild-flower garden and demonstrations of native Indian life in back of museum. Short talks on geology of the Valley given several times each day. Library, information desk, and headquarters for nature guide service. Maps and booklets.

Take the auto caravan tour of the Valley floor with your own car, starting from the museum at 9:30 a. m. and 2 p. m. A ranger-naturalist leads the caravan and explains the interesting features of Yosemite on this free trip of about 2 hours around the Valley, every day except Sunday and holidays.

A daily tour of the Valley in open stages is an ideal way to see the most in a short time. Inquire at Camp Curry, Yosemite Lodge, or the Ahwahnee for rates and schedules on stage transportation.

Visitors desiring to make an unescorted tour of the Valley should take the Valley floor loop road, stopping at points of interest which are signed. See detailed map of Valley. See the wonderful view of the whole expanse of the Valley from the east portal of the 4,233-foot tunnel, a short, easy drive of 1½ miles up the new Wawona Road, just west of Bridalveil Fall.

Take trips afield with a ranger-naturalist. See posted daily schedules.

During July and August a naturalist leads a party once each week on a 7-day hiking trip through the spectacular high-mountain regions of the park, stopping each night at a High Sierra camp. See bulletins posted at hotels and camps.

Visit the fish hatchery at Happy Isles.

See the sunrise at Mirror Lake.

Camp-fire entertainments every night except Sunday in Camp 14.

Outdoor entertainments every evening at 8 o’clock at Camp Curry.

See the fire fall each night at 9 o’clock from the upper end of the Valley or at Camp Curry.

Bears are fed every evening at 9:30 o’clock about 2 miles west of the Old Village.

Dances every evening except Sunday at 9 o’clock at Camp Curry.

See complete programs of weekly events which are posted at camps, hotels, and lodges.

Visit Yosemite both summer and winter—The all-year highway is open every day of the year. Keep your Yosemite automobile permit—it is good for the entire year. Each season has its particular charm.

In spring—booming waterfalls, rushing streams, green meadows.

In summer—ideal camping, High Sierra trips, good fishing.

In autumn—beautiful autumn coloring, ideal Indian summer weather.

In winter—a different Yosemite, with snow mantling trees and cliffs, all-winter sports—skating, skiing, tobogganing.

1-DAY MOTOR TRIPS

To Glacier Point.—Thirty miles (about 1½ hours) each way. Paved highway to Chinquapin, 14 miles, and good oiled road from there to Glacier Point. Leave the Valley on the Wawona Road just west of Bridalveil Fall. Visit Sentinel Dome, elevation 8,117 feet—a one-half mile drive and short climb from the main road above Glacier Point. Wonderful panorama of the High Sierra and the Valley. Camp ground and hotel at Glacier Point.

To the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees.—Thirty-five miles (about 1½ hours) each way. Paved highway. Leave the Valley just west of Bridalveil Fall; go through the 4,233-foot tunnel; wonderful views along this road. Hotels, camp ground, garage, golf, saddle horses at Wawona, 27 miles from the Valley. See the oldest and largest living things in the world and the tunnel tree through which cars may be driven. There is a new hotel and good camp ground at the Big Trees.

To Hetch Hetchy Dam and Valley.—Thirty-eight miles (about 2 hours) each way. Good, oiled, mountain road. Leave the Valley at El Capitan station; one-way road for first 4 miles, and cars must leave on the even hours-6 to 6:25 a. m., 8 to 8:25 a. m., 10 to 10:25 a. m., and so on throughout the day. See the Tuolumne Grove of Big Trees and visit the fire lookout tower, 1½ miles west of Crane Flat.

Also Daily Stages to These Scenic Points; Inquire at Hotels.

1-DAY HIKES FROM VALLEY—DISTANCES GIVEN ONE WAY

To Sierra Point.—Marvelous view of four waterfalls and Valley. Three-fourths of a mile of steep trail branching off the Vernal Fall Trail, just above Happy Isles (about 2-hour trip, not a horse trail).

To Vernal Fall.—One and six-tenths miles from start of the trail at Happy Isles.

To Nevada Fall.—Three and four-tenths miles from start of the trail at Happy Isles.

To Glacier Point.—Eight and three-tenths miles from start of the trail at Happy Isles (via the long trail by Vernal and Nevada Falls, Panorama Cliff, and Illilouette Fall).

To Glacier Point (via “Four Mile Trail”).—Four and six-tenths miles from start of trail, 1 mile west of Old Village.

To Top of Half Dome.—Seven and seven-tenths miles from start of trail at Happy Isles, via Vernal and Nevada Falls; 900 feet of steel cables on climb up Dome.

To Top of Yosemite Falls.—Three and six-tenths miles from start of trail, one-fourth mile west of Yosemite Lodge. Eagle Peak is 2.6 miles farther on.

Saddle trips daily to most of these points. Inquire at hotels or stables for horses.

A taxi service is available for all hikers, to and from the start of trails in the upper half of the Valley, at 25 cents per person. Telephones are available at base of all trails.

All hikers are warned to stay on designated trails—do not take short cuts across zigzags; you may dislodge rocks that will injure someone below. On the long hikes to the rim of the Valley, start early when it is cool and get back before dark. Hikers going into isolated sections of the park or off the regular trails should register at the chief ranger’s office before starting.

Accurate information on roads, trails, fishing, and camping, and maps of the park are available without charge at park headquarters, the museum, and ranger stations.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

The Yosemite National Park is much greater, both in area and beauty, than is generally known. Nearly all Americans who have not explored it consider it identical with the far-famed Yosemite Valley. The fact is that the Valley is only a very small part, indeed, of this glorious public pleasure ground. It was established October 1, 1890, but its boundary lines have been changed several times since then. It now has an area of 1,176.16 square miles, 752,744 acres.

This magnificent pleasure land lies on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada about 200 miles due east of San Francisco. The crest of the range is its eastern boundary as far south as Mount Lyell. The rivers which water it originate in the everlasting snows. A thousand icy streams converge to form them. They flow west through a marvelous sea of peaks, resting by the way in hundreds of snow-bordered lakes, romping through luxuriant valleys, rushing turbulently over rocky heights, swinging in and out of the shadows of mighty mountains.

The Yosemite Valley occupies 8 square miles out of a total of 1,176 square miles in the Yosemite National Park. The park above the rim is less celebrated principally because it is less known. It is less known principally because it was not opened to the public by motor road until 1915. Now several roads and 700 miles of trail make much of the spectacular high-mountain region of the park easily accessible.

For the rest, the park includes, in John Muir’s words, “the headwaters of the Tuolumne and Merced Rivers, two of the most songful streams in the world; innumerable lakes and waterfalls and smooth silky lawns; the noblest forests, the loftiest granite domes, the deepest ice-sculptured canyons, the brightest crystalline pavements, and snowy mountains soaring into the sky twelve and thirteen thousand feet, arrayed in open ranks and spiry pinnacled groups partially separated by tremendous canyons and amphitheaters; gardens on their sunny brows, avalanches thundering down their long white slopes, cataracts roaring gray and foaming in the crooked, rugged gorges, and glaciers in their shadowy recesses, working in silence, slowly completing their sculptures; new-born lakes at their feet, blue and green, free or encumbered with drifting icebergs like miniature Arctic Oceans, shining, sparkling, calm as stars.”

THE YOSEMITE VALLEY

Little need be said of the Yosemite Valley. After these many years of visitation and exploration it remains incomparable. It is often said that the Sierra contains “many Yosemites,” but there is no other of its superabundance of sheer beauty. It has been so celebrated in book and magazine and newspaper that the Three Brothers, El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall, Cathedral Spires, Mirror Lake, Half Dome, and Glacier Point are old familiar friends to millions who have never seen them except in picture.

The Yosemite Valley was discovered in 1851 as an incidental result of the effort to settle Indian problems which had arisen in that region. Dr. L. H. Bunnel, a member of the expedition, suggested the appropriateness of naming it after the aborigines who dwelt there. It rapidly became celebrated.

No matter what their expectation, most visitors are delightfully astonished upon entering the Yosemite Valley. The sheer immensity of the precipices on either side of the Valley’s peaceful floor; the loftiness and the romantic suggestion of the numerous waterfalls; the majesty of the granite walls; and the unreal, almost fairy quality of the ever-varying whole cannot be successfully foretold. The Valley is 7 miles long. Its floor averages 1 mile in width, its walls rising from 3,000 to 4,000 feet.

HOW THE VALLEY WAS FORMED

After the visitor has recovered from his first shock of astonishment—for it is no less—at the beauty of the Valley, inevitably he wonders how nature made it. How did it happen that walls so enormous rise so nearly perpendicular from the level floor of the Valley?

When the Sierra Nevada was formed by the gradual tipping of a great block of the earth’s crust 400 miles long and 80 miles wide, streams draining this block were pitched very definitely toward the west and with torrential force cut deep canyons. The period of tipping and stream erosion covered so many thousands of centuries that the Merced River was able to wear away the sedimentary rocks several thousand feet in thickness, which covered the granite and then in the Yosemite Valley region to cut some 2,000 feet into this very hard granite. Meantime the north and south flowing side streams of the Merced, such as Yosemite Creek, not benefited by the tipping of the Sierra block, could not cut as fast as their parent stream and so were left high up as hanging valleys.

During the Ice Age great glaciers formed at the crest of the range and flowed down these streams, cutting deep canyons and especially widening them. At the maximum period the ice came within 700 feet of the top of Half Dome. It overrode Glacier Point and extended perhaps a mile below El Portal. Glaciers deepened Yosemite Valley 500 feet at the lower end and 1,500 feet opposite Glacier Point; then widened it 1,000 feet at the lower end and 3,600 feet in the upper half. The V-shaped canyon which had resulted from stream erosion was now changed to a U-shaped trough; the Yosemite Cataract was changed to Yosemite Fall. As the last glacier melted back from the Valley a lake was formed, the filling in of which by sediments has produced the practically level floor now found from El Capitan to Half Dome.

Visitors to the park should join an auto caravan to study evidences first hand and hear the story of the geology of Yosemite discussed by the ranger-naturalists.

WATERFALLS

The depth to which the Valley was cut by streams and glaciers is measured roughly by the extraordinary height of the waterfalls which pour over the rim.

The Upper Yosemite Fall, for instance, drops 1,430 feet in one sheer fall, a height equal to nine Niagara Falls piled one on top of the other. The Lower Yosemite Fall, immediately below, has a drop of 320 feet, or two Niagaras more. Counting the series of cascades in between, the total drop from the crest of Yosemite Fall to the Valley floor is 2,565 feet. Vernal Fall has a drop of 317 feet; Illilouette Fall, 370 feet. The Nevada Fall drops 594 feet sheer; the celebrated Bridalveil Fall, 620 feet; while the Ribbon Fall, highest of all, drops 1,612 feet sheer, a straight fall nearly 10 times as high as Niagara. Nowhere else in the world may be seen a water spectacle such as this.

The falls are at their fullest in May and June while the winter snows are melting. They are still running in July, but after that decrease rapidly in volume, Yosemite Fall often drying up entirely by August 15 when there has been little rain or snow. But let it not be supposed that the beauty of the falls depends upon the amount of water that pours over their brinks. It is true that the May rush of water over the Yosemite Fall is even a little appalling, when the ground sometimes trembles with it half a mile away, but it is equally true that the spectacle of the Yosemite Fall in late July, when, in specially dry seasons, much of the water reaches the bottom of the upper fall in the form of mist, possesses a filmy grandeur that is not comparable probably with any other sight in the world; the one inspires by sheer bulk and power, the other uplifts by its intangible spirit of beauty. To see the waterfalls at their best one should visit Yosemite before July 15.

HEIGHT OF WATERFALLS

Name Height of fall Altitude of crest
Above sea Above pier
level near Sentinel
Hotel
_Feet_ _Feet_ _Feet_
Yosemite Fall 1,430 6,525 2,565
Lower Yosemite Fall 320 4,420 460
Nevada Fall 594 5,907 1,947
Vernal Fall 317 5,044 1,084
Illilouette Fall 370 5,816 1,856
Bridalveil Fall 620 4,787 827
Ribbon Fall 1,612 7,008 3,048
Widows Tears Fall 1,170 6,466 2,506

GLACIER POINT AND THE RIM OF YOSEMITE VALLEY

Glacier Point, above the Valley rim, commands a magnificent view of the High Sierra. Spread before one in panorama are the domes, the pinnacles, the waterfalls, and dominating all, Half Dome, a mythical Indian turned to stone. A few steps from the hotel one looks down into Yosemite Valley, 3,254 feet below, where automobiles are but moving specks, tents white dots, and the Merced River a silver tracery on green velvet. From the little stone lookout, perched on the very rim of the gorge, by means of high-powered binoculars installed for that purpose one may study the detail of the High Sierra and its flanking ranges, miles distant, through a sweep of 180°, as though they were at his very feet. A ranger-naturalist is here in summer to assist visitors and to discuss the geology, trees, birds, and wildlife of Yosemite.

No visitor should leave Yosemite without seeing Glacier Point. It is the climax of all Yosemite views. It is reached by an excellent paved road which leaves the Valley just west of Bridalveil Fall, and then through the 4,233-foot tunnel to Chinquapin, from which point a good oiled mountain road leads through forests of fir and lodgepole pine to Glacier Point. The total distance is 28 miles, or about 1½ hours drive each way. The fire fall is a nightly feature and takes on an entirely different aspect from the top of the cliff. A short drive of a half mile from the main road above Glacier Point brings one to Sentinel Dome, 8,117 feet in elevation, where an unobstructed panorama of the southern half of the park may be had, from the coast range on the west to the snow-capped ridge of the Sierra on the east. A hotel, cafeteria, and Government camp ground are available at Glacier Point.

ALTITUDE OF SUMMITS INCLOSING YOSEMITE VALLEY

Name Altitude above sea Altitude above pier
level near Sentinel Hotel
_Feet_ _Feet_
Basket Dome 7,602 3,642
Cathedral Rocks 6,551 2,592
Cathedral Spires 6,114 2,154
Clouds Rest 9,930 5,964
Columbia Rock 5,031 1,071
Eagle Peak 7,773 3,813
El Capitan 7,564 3,604
Glacier Point 7,214 3,254
Half Dome 8,852 4,892
Leaning Tower 5,863 1,903
Liberty Cap 7,072 3,112
North Dome 7,531 3,571
Old Inspiration Point 6,603 2,643
Panorama Point 6,224 2,264
Profile Cliff 7,503 3,543
Pulpit Rock 4,195 765
Sentinel Dome 8,117 4,157
Stanford Point 6,659 2,699
Taft Point 7,503 3,543
Washington Column 5,912 1,952
Yosemite Point 6,935 2,975

THE BIG TREES

One of the best groves of giant sequoia trees outside of the Sequoia National Park is found in the extreme south of the Yosemite National Park and is called the Mariposa Grove. It is reached from the Wawona Road, which enters the park from the south. From the Yosemite Valley it is an easy drive of 35 miles over a paved, high-gear road requiring about 1½ hours each way. Unsurpassed views of the whole expanse of Yosemite Valley may be had from the east portal of the new 4,233-foot tunnel and, from the Wawona Road, an extensive outlook over the South Fork Basin and four or five ranges of foothills of the Sierra is a sight long to be remembered, especially at sunset when the mountain ranges turn to many shades of purple and gray.

All visitors to the Mariposa Grove should take the side trip to Glacier Point, a distance of 16 miles each way, the road branching off at Chinquapin. Here one may obtain an unsurpassed panorama of the High Sierra.

The new Big Trees Lodge in the upper grove is located in a beautiful grove of sequoias, 20 to 30 feet in diameter, and affords excellent accommodations, with cafeteria service available to all. The Government provides a public camp ground near the entrance to the Big Tree Grove. Hotels and camp grounds are also available at Wawona, 9 miles north of the grove on the Wawona Road. Stages are run daily throughout the summer to Glacier Point, Wawona, and Big Trees. Visitors to the grove are urged to take plenty of time and really grasp the significance of these giant trees, the oldest and largest living things on earth.

The Grizzly Giant is the oldest tree in the grove, with a base diameter of 27.6 feet, girth of 96.5 feet, and height of 209 feet. There is no accurate way of knowing the age of the Grizzly Giant but its size and gnarled appearance indicate that it is at least 3,800 years old.

A ranger-naturalist is on duty at the Big Trees Museum and gives talks on the trees. Near the museum is the fallen Massachusetts tree, an immense sequoia, 280 feet long and 28 feet in diameter, that was blown over in the winter of 1927. As the tree is broken into several sections, it provides a fine opportunity to study the rings and the character of the wood. By climbing the length of this fallen tree one receives a graphic impression of the size of these monarchs. In August 1934 another giant, the “Stable” tree fell. It is located just above the museum. Visitors should continue up the road to the famous tunnel tree, the Wawona, and drive through the opening 8 feet wide that was cut in 1881. This tree is 231 feet tall and 27½ feet in diameter. A little farther up the road a wonderful view over the Wawona Basin and South Fork Canyon may be had at Wawona Point, elevation 6,890 feet; especially fine are the views at sunset from this point.

There are two other groves of Big Trees in Yosemite. The Tuolumne Grove, located on the Big Oak Flat Road, 17 miles from the Valley, contains some 25 very fine specimens and also a huge tree 29½ feet in diameter through which cars may be driven. The other grove, one of unusual natural beauty in a secluded corner of the park, is the Merced Grove of Big Trees, reached by a good dirt road. It is about 5 miles west of Crane Flat off the Big Oak Flat Road.

THE WAWONA BASIN

The Wawona Basin of 14 square miles, added to the park in 1932, provides an extensive area for recreational use. Here camping, riding, and golfing may be enjoyed in a perfect setting along the South Fork of the Merced River. Wawona is located in a beautiful mountain meadow on the new Wawona Road, 27 miles south of the Valley and near the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees. Superb views are obtainable from many points on this road, which leaves the Valley just west of Bridalveil Fall. Saddle and pack animals are available at popular prices for trips to the fine fishing lakes and streams in the southern part of the park. There are also tennis courts and swimming pools. The Wawona Hotel provides both European and American plan service, and operates a coffee shop. Stores, meat market, garage, gas station, and post office are available, and along the river near Wawona is a free camp ground. An emergency airplane landing field is located near the Wawona Hotel.

HETCH HETCHY VALLEY

A good oiled mountain road makes the scenic Hetch Hetchy Valley a short, 2-hour drive by car from Yosemite Valley, a distance of 38 miles each way over the Big Oak Flat Road. This road is a 1-way control road for the first 4 miles after it leaves the Valley near El Capitan. This one-way section is a road of rare charm and beauty with superb views over the Valley. It passes through fine stands of Sugar Pine and Red Fir and the Tuolumne Grove of Big Trees. The road continues on through one of the finest stands of sugar pine left in the world.

A fine paved road extends from Mather down to the Hetch Hetchy Dam, a distance of 9 miles, where one may see San Francisco’s gigantic 300-foot Hetch Hetchy Dam and water supply. The valley is similar to Yosemite, with tumbling waterfalls and precipitous cliffs surrounding a lake 7 miles long. The San Francisco Recreation Camp is located at Mather, near the park line.

Visitors using the Big Oak Flat Road are urged to see the wonderful panorama of the High Sierra from the fire look-out tower, 1½ miles over an oiled road just west of Crane Flat. The fire guard on duty will be glad to explain the points of interest and show visitors how fires are located and put under control.

TUOLUMNE MEADOWS

John Muir, in describing the upper Tuolumne region, writes:

It is the heart of the High Sierra, 8,500 to 9,000 feet above the
level of the sea. The gray picturesque Cathedral Range bounds it on
the south; a similar range or spur, the highest peak of which is Mount
Conness, on the north; the noble Mounts Dana, Gibbs, Mammoth, Lyell,
Maclure, and others on the axis of the range on the east; a heavy
billowy crowd of glacier-polished rocks and Mount Hoffmann on the
west. Down through the open sunny meadow levels of the Valley flows
the Tuolumne River, fresh and cool from its many glacial fountains,
the highest of which are the glaciers that lie on the north side of
Mount Lyell and Mount Maclure.

A store, gas station, garage, post office, camp ground, High Sierra Camp, and Tuolumne Meadows Lodge make the Meadows an ideal high-mountain camping place and starting point for fishing, hiking, and mountain-climbing trips. Tuolumne Meadows is 67 miles or about a 4-hour drive over the Big Oak Flat and Tioga Roads from Yosemite Valley. Saddle horses are available, and many fine trips may be made to Waterwheel Falls, Mount Lyell, Mount Conness, Glen Aulin, Muir Gorge, and hundreds of good fishing lakes and streams. Stage service to Tuolumne Meadows, Tioga Pass, Mono Lake, and Lake Tahoe is maintained daily throughout the summer months.

Fishing is usually very good in nearby lakes and streams. The Waterwheel Falls, Muir Gorge, the Soda Springs, the spectacular canyon scenery, jewel-like Tenaya Lake, and the Mount Lyell Glacier are a few of the interesting places to visit near Tuolumne Meadows.

John Muir writes this interesting description of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and Waterwheel Falls:

It is the cascades or sloping falls on the main river that are the
crowning glory of the canyon, and these, in volume, extent, and
variety, surpass those of any other canyon in the Sierra. The most
showy and interesting of them are mostly in the upper part of the
canyon above the point of entrance of Cathedral Creek and Hoffmann
Creek. For miles the river is one wild, exulting, onrushing mass of
snowy purple bloom, spreading over glacial waves of granite without
any definite channel, gliding in magnificent silver plumes, dashing
and foaming through huge boulder dams, leaping high in the air in
wheel-like whirls, displaying glorious enthusiasm, tossing from side
to side, doubling, glinting, singing in exuberance of mountain energy.

Muir’s “wheel-like whirls” undoubtedly mean the celebrated Waterwheel Falls. Rushing down the canyon’s slanting granites under great headway, the river encounters shelves of rock projecting from its bottom. From these, enormous arcs of solid water are thrown high in the air. Some of the waterwheels rise 20 feet and span 50 feet in the arc. Unfortunately, the amount of water in the river drops with the advance of summer and the waterwheels lose much of their forcefulness. Visitors should see this spectacle during the period of high water from June 15 to August 1 in normal years.

The Waterwheel Falls may be reached by a good trail 5.5 miles from the Tioga Road down the Tuolumne River Gorge to the Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp, where meals and overnight accommodations are available, then 2.8 miles down the river to Waterwheel Falls. Saddle animals may be rented at Tuolumne Meadows for this trip.

Below the waterwheels the Tuolumne Canyon descends abruptly, the river plunging madly through the mile-deep gorge. Trails built a few years ago down the canyon from the Waterwheel Falls to Pate Valley penetrate the very heart of the gorge. The Muir Gorge, a vertical-walled cleft in the canyon a half mile deep, is, as a result, but 2 hours below Waterwheel Falls and the same above Pate Valley by the new trails. The entire canyon may be traversed with ease either on horseback or on foot.

PATE VALLEY

A few miles farther westward the granite heights slope back more gently and the river suddenly pauses in its tumultuous course to meander through the pines and oaks and cedars of a meadowed flat. Pate Valley has been known for years from the reports of venturesome knapsackers, but now it is made accessible by one of the best trails in the park.

An unnatural smoky blackening of the overhanging cornices of the 200-foot walls almost surrounding the glade leads one to approach them, and there, near the ground, are hundreds of Indian pictographs. These are mysterious, fantastic, and unreadable, but the deep-red stain is as clearly defined as on the day that the red man set down tales of his great hunt, or of famine, or of war, or perhaps of his gods. Here, too, obsidian chips tell the story of preparation for war and the chase, and sharp eyes are rewarded by the sight of many a perfect spear point or arrowhead.

Atop a huge shaded talus block are many bowl-shaped holes, a primitive gristmill where once the squaws ground acorns for their pounded bread, which was the staff of life for so many California tribes. Blackened cooking rocks may be found, and numerous stone pestles lying about in this and two or three similar places seem to point to a hurried departure, but the “when” and “why” of this exodus still remain a mystery.

THE NORTHERN CANYONS

North of the Tuolumne River is an enormous area of lakes and valleys which are seldom visited, notwithstanding that it is penetrated by numerous trails. It is a wilderness of wonderful charm and deserves to harbor a thousand camps. The trout fishing in many of these waters is unsurpassed.

Though unknown to people generally, this superb Yosemite country north of the Valley has been the haunt for many years of the confirmed mountain lovers of the Pacific coast. It has been the favorite resort of the Sierra Club during many years of summer outings.

THE MOUNTAIN CLIMAX OF THE SIERRA

The monster mountain mass, of which Mount Lyell, 13,090 feet high, is the chief, lies on the eastern boundary of the park. It may be reached by trail from Tuolumne Meadows and is well worth the journey. It is the climax of the Sierra in this neighborhood.

The traveler swings from the Tuolumne Meadows around Johnson Peak to Lyell Fork and turns southward up its valley. Huge Kuna Crest borders the trail’s left side for miles. At the head of the Valley, beyond several immense granite shelves, rears the mighty group, Mount Lyell in the center, supported on the north by Mount Maclure and on the south by Rodgers Peak.

The way up is through a vast basin of tumbled granite, encircled at its climax by a titanic rampart of nine sharp, glistening peaks and hundreds of spear-like points, the whole usually cloaked in enormous sweeping shrouds of snow. Presently the granite spurs inclose one. And directly, beyond these, looms a mighty wall of glistening granite which apparently forbids further approach to the mountain’s shrine. But another half hour brings one face to face with Lyell’s rugged top and shining glacier, one of the noblest high places in America. Mount Dana, with its glacier and great variety of alpine flowers, can be climbed in one day from Tuolumne Meadows and now offers a very popular hiking trip.

MERCED AND WASHBURN LAKES

The waters from the western slopes of Lyell and Maclure find their way, through many streams and many lakelets of splendid beauty, into two lakes which are the headwaters of the famous Merced River. The upper of these is Washburn Lake, cradled in bare heights and celebrated for its fishing. This is the formal source of the Merced. Several miles below, the river rests again in beautiful Merced Lake.

One of the six Yosemite High Sierra camps is at the head of Merced Lake. There is a new trail 13 miles from Yosemite Valley to Merced Lake which crosses glacier-polished slopes. It is real wilderness, famous for its good fishing and beautiful scenery.

CLIMATE AND SEASONS

This land of enchantments is a land of enchanted climate. Its summers are warm, but not too warm; dry, but not too dry; its nights cool and marvelously starry. Moonlight on the towering granite walls is unsurpassed in its romantic beauty.

It is a land of sunshine. It is a land of inspiring, often sublime scenery. It is the ideal camping-out ground. Rain seldom falls in the Yosemite between May and October. In winter Yosemite Valley is transformed into a snowy fairyland and all sorts of winter sports may be enjoyed. The weather is mild and sunny most of the time. To many, winter is the finest season in Yosemite. In addition to the toboggans, skating, dog teams, and other winter sports available in the Valley from December 1 to March 1, unlimited areas for snow sports and skiing are now accessible from the new Wawona Road which is open most of the winter.

Spring in Yosemite is most refreshing and exhilarating. It rarely rains and is seldom even cloudy. The falls are at their best; the azalea bushes, which grow to man’s height, blossom forth in flowers exquisite as orchids. The latter part of April or the early part of May the lodges and camps are opened, tents are pitched along the river, and before one knows it summer has arrived.

In this season Yosemite has an irresistible appeal. There is every form of enjoyment available. One may live in a lodge, where the honk of an automobile is never heard and where a full day’s catch of trout is assured from nearby lake or stream; one may live in a hotel where mountain scenery is unsurpassed; or one may live in the Valley and enjoy swimming, hiking, nature trips, auto caravans, evening programs, motor trips, fishing, dancing, tennis, golf, and many other forms of entertainment.

Autumn is intensified in the Yosemite. All is quiet. The falls are silent and only a few people and machines are encountered. Nature is supreme. The changing leaves of the dogwood, azaleas, and quaking aspens form a brilliant assortment of colors.

WINTER SPORTS

Yosemite Valley is unusually beautiful in winter, when the fresh snowfalls transform it into a white fairyland and sunset paints the cliffs and domes with rosy alpine glow.

John Muir, in describing the ice cone of the Yosemite Fall, writes:

The frozen spray (of the fall) gives rise to one of the most
interesting winter features of the Valley—a cone of ice at the foot of
the fall 400 or 500 feet high. * * * When the cone is in the process
of formation, growing higher and wider in frosty weather, it looks
like a beautiful, smooth, pure white hill.

The All-Year Highway is open and in good condition every day during the winter months and the Government maintains the roads in safe condition so that chains are not ordinarily needed. It is, however, advisable to carry chains in case they are needed during heavy storms. Information on snow sports and winter road conditions may be obtained at automobile associations. It is advisable to make reservations for rooms on Saturday nights and holidays from December 25 to February 25.

The Wawona Road to the Big Trees is open most of the winter except during periods of unusually heavy snowfall. There are unlimited snow fields for skiing and other snow sports along the Wawona Road, accessible through the tunnel.

The Valley, inclosed by granite walls which shut out the winds, has a mild and balmy winter climate. In fact, these walls really provide two distinct winter climates on opposite sides of the Valley, the north side being many degrees warmer than the south. On the northern side one may motor, ride horseback, and hike in comfort, while on the southern side, screened from the sun by the towering cliffs, all the popular winter sports prevail. Under the auspices of the Yosemite Winter Club, ice hockey matches, curling, fancy costume skating carnivals, snow figure contests, ski-joring races, skating gymkhanas, figure skating exhibitions, Eskimo dog races, and other winter sports events are held throughout the winter season, which usually lasts from December until March.

Competent instructors on the Yosemite Winter Club staff provide group and individual instruction in skiing and plain and fancy skating. Winter sports equipment and clothing may be rented reasonably in the Valley.

The National Park Service maintains a popular free snowslide for the enjoyment of the public. It is called “Ash Can Alley”, because the trip down the slide is made in heavy tin pans that resemble ash-can covers.

Skiing enthusiasts may enjoy excursions of several days’ duration in the high mountain country above Yosemite Valley accompanied by a ski instructor and guide and stopping overnight at ski lodges strategically located at an elevation where the snow is deep throughout the winter and in a region where the ski fields are second to none. Skiing is also enjoyed on ski fields along Wawona Road and adjacent to Glacier Point on the rim of the Valley, reached on foot over a 4-mile trail. The Glacier Point Mountain House is kept open during the winter season.

TRAILS AND HIKES

With nearly 700 miles of well-defined trails radiating from Yosemite Valley to all sections of the park, and with, for the most part, camps, lodges, or hotels situated within an easy day’s walking distance from each other, conditions in Yosemite are particularly adapted to hiking trips. The hiker may go “light”, depending upon the hotels and lodges for accommodations, or he may pack his entire outfit either on his back or upon a pack animal and thereby be entirely independent. During July and August ranger-naturalists conduct regular 7-day hikes through the High Sierra, stopping each night at one of the High Sierra camps above mentioned. There is no charge for this guide service, but hikers desiring to go with these guides should register at the museum in advance.

FISHING

The introduction of game fish into the waters of Yosemite National Park began in 1878, 12 years before the area now confined within the park boundaries had been set aside as a national reservation, when plants of rainbow trout were made in some of the lakes in what is now the northwestern corner of the park. In the following year plants of eastern brook trout were made in the Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne River, and in 1880 plants of rainbow trout were repeated in the Lake Eleanor country. Nothing more seems to have been done in the way of stocking any of the waters that are now within the park until 1890, the year that the park was created, when a general stocking of the streams and lakes was begun. This was continued, at first intermittently, but from 1911 to 1925 plants of from 100,000 to 400,000 young fry were made annually. The State hatchery was completed at Happy Isles in 1926 and from that year from 500,000 to over 1,000,000 fry have been planted annually by the rangers, with the result that today all of the principal lakes and streams of the park contain one or more well-known species of game fish.

It is in the northern canyons, however, that the greatest of all fishing grounds in the entire park are found. Many of the waters of that great area of 500 square miles or more north of the Tuolumne River were stocked years ago with rainbow and eastern brook. Conditions for continued propagation seem to have been exceedingly favorable, with the result that practically all of the lakes and streams now teem with fish life, and the fisherman who seeks fishing de luxe amid surroundings of the most fascinating grandeur of high-mountain scenery will find here a fulfillment of his most ambitious dreams and will be more than repaid for having taken time to penetrate this portion of the park.

In Yosemite National Park few anglers, even the most inexperienced, use bait during the summer or autumn. Of the various artificial flies the California Royal Coachman almost always proves the best lure; gray and brown hackles are also very good. Copper-nickel spinners of the sizes 0 to 2 are often taken in the lakes and sometimes in the streams when the trout are not rising to flies.

The nine species of trout in the waters of the park, about in the order of their relative abundance, are: Eastern brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, Lock Leven trout, cutthroat or black-spotted trout, Tahoe trout, steelhead trout, golden trout.

Information on the best lakes and streams for fishing may be obtained at any ranger station or at park headquarters in the New Village. See posted weekly bulletins.

Persons desiring to fish in the waters of Yosemite National Park must secure a sporting fishing license, as required by the laws of California. These laws provide that every person over the age of 18 years who obtains fish without first taking out a license is guilty of a misdemeanor. The license fee for residents is $2; for nonresidents, $3; and for aliens, $5. These licenses may be obtained from any county clerk, from the State Board of Fish and Game Commissioners, Wawona, Carl Inn, and Tuolumne Meadows, or at the general store in Yosemite Village. All fishing must be done in conformity with the State laws regarding open season, size of fish, and limit of catch.

HOW TO REACH THE PARK

BY AUTOMOBILE

All-Year State Highway.—The main paved route to Yosemite Valley from all California points, both north and south, is through Merced on the Pacific Highway through the San Joaquin Valley (Route 99). From Merced the State maintains the splendid paved All-Year Highway to El Portal (Route 140) and from El Portal the National Park Service maintains a similar highway to Yosemite Valley. It is 83 miles long and is the shortest, easiest, and most popular route from Merced, a high-gear modern highway, requiring 2½ hours to drive from Merced to Yosemite Valley. It is open and safely traveled every day of the year.

During the winter months visitors may obtain the latest accurate information on the snow conditions and winter sports at the automobile association offices. Visit the quaint old town of Mariposa, center of the gold rush in the days of ’49. See the oldest courthouse in the State, built in 1854.

By Seasonal Mountain Roads.—There are two other main routes across the Yosemite National Park leading into the Yosemite Valley, viz, the Wawona Road from the south and the Big Oak Flat Road from the north. The Tioga Road crosses the center of the park from east to west and connects with the Big Oak Flat Road. The Wawona Road is reached from Fresno, Madera, or Merced and points south and west of the park. The Big Oak Flat Road may be reached from Stockton, Modesto, Oakdale, and points north and west of the park. The Tioga Road may be reached on the east at Mono Lake from Lake Tahoe and points north, from Tonopah, Nev., and points east, from Bishop, Big Pine, and Mojave, and points south. On the west it connects with the Big Oak Flat Road at Carl Inn. Motorists using these roads will experience no serious difficulty if their cars are in good condition. In wet weather chains are advisable.

The Tioga Road.—Up the east slope of the Sierra Nevadas, through the scenic, spectacular Leevining Canyon, and from east to west across the mountain-top paradise winds the Tioga Road, which has a romantic history. It was built by Chinese labor in 1881 to a gold mine east of the park, but as the mine did not pay the expenses of getting out the ore it was quickly abandoned and soon became impassable. In 1915 a group of public-spirited citizens, headed by the Honorable Stephen T. Mather, purchased it from the present owners of the old mining property and presented it to the Government. When a young man, Mark Twain visited Mono Lake on the Tioga Road. Following is his own inimitable description from Roughing It:

Mono Lake is a hundred miles in a straight line from the ocean—and
between it and the ocean are one or two ranges of mountains—yet
thousands of sea gulls go there every season to lay their eggs and
rear their young. One would as soon expect to find sea gulls in
Kansas. And in this connection let us observe another instance of
nature’s wisdom. The islands in the lake being merely huge masses of
lava, coated over with ashes and pumice stone, and utterly innocent of
vegetation or anything that would burn; and sea gulls’ eggs being
entirely useless to anyone unless they be cooked, nature has provided
an unfailing spring of boiling water on the largest island, and you
can put your eggs in there, and in 4 minutes you can boil them as hard
as any statement I have made during the past 15 years. Within 10 feet
of the boiling spring is a spring of pure, cold water, sweet and
wholesome. So in that island you get your board and washing free of
charge—and if nature had gone farther and furnished a nice American
hotel clerk, who was crusty and disobliging, and didn’t know anything
about the time-tables, or the railroad routes—or—anything—and was
proud of it—I would not wish for a more desirable boarding house.

BY RAILROAD AND AUTO STAGE

Merced is the most popular railway and stage gateway to the park and is served by the Southern Pacific Railway, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, and stage lines.

At Merced, direct connections are made throughout the year with daily trains of the Yosemite Valley Railroad to El Portal, at which place passengers are transferred to stages on the last 14 miles to Yosemite Valley. In summer, through overnight sleeper cars from San Francisco and Los Angeles are available for train passengers daily. For information regarding schedules, rates, etc., visit your nearest ticket office or write to the passenger traffic manager of the Southern Pacific Lines, San Francisco, Calif., the Santa Fe Lines, Chicago, Ill., or the Yosemite Valley Railroad, Merced, Calif.

Automobile stages from Merced to Yosemite Valley are operated every day of the year. In summer, stages leave Fresno and Stockton for Yosemite Valley, the service being available daily from about June 1 to September 1. From July 4 to September 3, stages connect Yosemite Valley and Lake Tahoe with daily service via the Tioga Road. For information and rates, apply to the Yosemite Transportation System, Yosemite National Park, Calif.

BY AIRPLANE

For persons desiring to spend less time en route to the park, fast air service is available to Fresno, Calif. This is furnished by the United Air Lines on their Seattle to San Diego route, which connects with their transcontinental planes at Oakland and those of the American Airlines and TWA at Los Angeles.

ADMINISTRATION

The representative of the National Park Service in immediate charge of Yosemite National Park is the superintendent, C. G. Thomson, whose office is located in the Administration Building in the Yosemite New Village and whose address is Yosemite National Park, Calif. General information may be obtained from him, and all complaints should be addressed to him. A staff of employees, including rangers and ranger-naturalists, assists the superintendent in serving the public.

Exclusive jurisdiction over Yosemite National Park was ceded to the United States by act of the California Legislature, dated April 15, 1919, and accepted by Congress by act approved June 2, 1920 (41 Stat. 731).

INFORMATION BUREAU