Introduction :
The Yosemite National Park is located in the central eastern part of California in USA on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain. The total area is 3080 square km and is famous of its spectacular sceneries such as the granite cliffs, clear lakes the 6th highest waterfall in the world. It is a designated World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to its unique geological features and glaciations over million of years and biological diversity. The main attractions are the Glacier Point where you can view the Half Dome and Yosemite Valley, the Vernal Falls, Tunnel View of the valley, O’Shaughnessy Dam and the Mirror Lake.
Glacier Point view of the Half Dome and the Yosemite Valley
Image attribution to DDB @ Flickr
The Yosemite Falls is the 6th highest waterfall in the world
The crystal clear water at the Mirror Lake
Image attribution to KY Cheng @ Flickr
History :
Human settlements first began in Yosemite around 3000 years ago with the Native American groups and European travellers first visited the area during the 19th century finding a band of Native Americans living in the valley known as the Ahwahnechee. The rough terrain challenged many travellers in the past and only few had made it on horseback or coach to the area. The building of a rail road in the Yosemite Valley made the journey easier and today, the Yosemite National Park has up to 4 million visitors every year.
Tunnel View of the Yosemite Valley
Image attribution to Left Hand @ Flickr
The Vernal Falls
Image attribution to Left Hand @ Flickr
O’Shaughness Dam
Image attribution to Random Curosity @ Flickr
Getting there :
The nearest international airport to Yosemite National Park is the Oakland International Airport(OAK) followed by a 8 hours bus ride. The nearest airport is the Fresno Airport which shrinks the bus ride to around 5 hours.