Yosemite National Park

http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/np.yosemite.html

If you click on this link you will see some of the most nicest pictures of one of the most nicest parks in America.
Here is a short story about the park.

Close your eyes and imagine you’re resting in a field of beautiful wildflowers. It’s around noon and the heat of the sun is warming your body while a gentle breeze brushes softly against your face while making a slight whistling sound as it passes through the flowers and grass. In the background you can hear the sounds of flowing water from nearby waterfalls and the pleasant chirping of birds who are perched in the giant trees that surround the field.

You turn your head in one direction and see a family of deer. You turn your head in the other direction and see a huge rock formation rising into sky. Now, as you open your eyes, imagine how wonderful it would be if such a place existed…
Well, such a place actually does exist near the eastern border of central California. This area, located in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, is one of the most beautiful and famous parks in the world. It includes 840 miles of hiking trails, about 240 species of birds, about 70 species of mammals and over 1,400 species of flowering plants. Do you know what park we’re talking about? If you haven’t guessed already, we’re talking about Yosemite National Park in California.
The well-known naturalist and conservationist John Muir once said of Yosemite, “It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of nature I was ever permitted to enter.” Yosemite contains countless waterfalls, several spectacular rock formations, meadows, fields, lakes, rivers, creeks, giant sequoias groves and hundreds of species of plants and animals. But, before we tell you about some of the more popular sites in Yosemite, we first want to give you a brief history about this magnificent place.
The geological history of Yosemite extends back millions of years. Since we cannot describe this process for you here, do some research on your own and discover how the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and Yosemite Valley was formed.
The Yosemite history we’re going to discuss begins in mid 1800’s. Yosemite’s initial residents were Native Americans, who inhabited the area perhaps as long as 8,000 years ago. Non-Native Americans first began arriving in the Yosemite Valley during the mid 1800s. In 1848, the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada brought thousands of miners into the area in search of their fortune (This famous event in history is called the California Gold Rush. You can find more information about this historic event in a previous issue of the tribune). The arrival of these miners resulted in a conflict with the Native American people who were trying to protect their homeland. In 1851, the state-sanctioned Mariposa Battalion entered Yosemite Valley and put an end to the fighting.
During the 1850s, word of Yosemite Valley’s beauty and splendor quickly spread across the nation. People from all over were coming to Yosemite Valley to witness its magnificent sights. During this time, a group of conservationists petitioned to the government to help protect and preserve this beautiful land. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill granting Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias to the State of California stating that this land was to be “held for public use, resort, and recreation… inalienable for all time.” This was the first time that the government set aside land simply to protect and preserve the land so people could enjoy it in its natural state.
During the years that followed, several people, including the famous conservationist John Muir, fought to also protect the land that surrounded Yosemite Valley. In 1890 they realized their dream when the U.S. Congress set aside more than 1,500 square miles to be known as Yosemite National Park.
The final step occurred in 1906 when the State of California gave up the control of Yosemite National Park to the federal government. A few years later, the government established the National Park Service to control and manage all national parks “in such manner and by such means as to leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
If you ever get the chance, make sure you visit Yosemite National Park. And hopefully, your great, great, great grandchildren will also be able to experience and appreciate this wonderful park just as you can today!
Now that you know a little about the history of Yosemite National Park, here are a few of the most popular things to see while visiting this spectacular place.

Yosemite Falls: Yosemite Falls is one of several waterfalls located in the park. It stands 2,425 feet high and is the fifth tallest waterfall in the world. It is actually made up of three separate falls: Upper Yosemite Fall, the middle cascades and Lower Yosemite Fall.
Bridalveil Fall: The Yosemite Indians call this place “Pohono”, or spirit of the puffing wind. The wind often swirls around the cliff of the falls, often lifting the falling water and blowing it from side to side. The waterfall is 620 feet high, the height of a 62-story building!
El Capitan This huge monolith is the largest single granite rock earth in the world, rising nearly 4,000 feet above the valley floor. Rock climbers from all over the world come to challenge their skills by climbing the face of this massive rock.
Half Dome: Half Dome is arguably the most recognized symbol of Yosemite. Half Dome rises to an elevation of 8,842 feet! People come from all over the world to hike or rock-climb to the summit.
Glacier Point: Many people consider the view at Glacier Point to be the most beautiful view in the world. From this point on the rim of Yosemite Valley, you can look down 3,214 feet to the valley floor below, with an amazing view of many of the most popular features of Yosemite National Park.
Mariposa Grove This grove contains over 250 giant sequoias which are the largest tress on earth. Many of these sequoia trees are nearly 3,000 years old and stand nearly 200 feet tall. Mariposa Grove is also the home of the Grizzly Giant, one of the largest giant sequoias in the world.