Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park:

An extra-credit essay

Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I spent last week visiting Yosemite with my family. In this essay, I will present the history of the park, some of its geographic areas, and my impressions of the park.     

History of the National Park

Yosemite became a national park in 1890. John Muir played a big role in making Yosemite a national park. Muir was born in Scotland, but he is famous for exploring the American West. He wanted Yosemite to be under the federal government instead of the State of California. Muir invited President Roosevelt for a three-day camp in Yosemite in 1903. The purpose of Roosevelt’s trip was for Muir to convince Roosevelt to put the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove under the control of the U.S. government. After seeing the valley, Roosevelt signed a bill that gave control of Yosemite to the federal government in 1906.    

Geographic Areas

One of the unique things about Yosemite National Park is the variety of geographic areas that it contains.   

High Sierra. Yosemite is in the High Sierras. Above the valley floor, this landscape has glacially carved mountains and canyons. The High Sierras have a lot of hikes that lead to many places. To quote from a Yosemite National Park pamphlet, there are “hundreds of miles of hiking trails [that] offer adventure, solitude, and inspiration for those wishing to explore this  . . . ever-changing mountain ecosystem.” During my family’s trip last week, we went on four hikes: Mirror Lake, Lower Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, and Vernal Falls bridge. My favorite hike was Mirror Lake.  

Granite Cliffs. Looking up at the cliffs at Yosemite is one coolest sights in the park. The cliffs that are most famous are El Capitan, Half Dome, and Glacier Point. Half Dome is the most common mountain people love hiking to. For example, when my family went to Yosemite last Tuesday and Wednesday, we had breathtaking views of the cliffs. I took a photo of Half Dome after we went on our hike to Mirror Lake.

Sequoia Groves. Yosemite has a lot of Sequoia trees. Trees in Yosemite are one of great sights of the park. For example, the tunnel view of Yosemite is an amazing scenery of cliffs, trees, and a waterfall. We didn’t go to the Sequoia Groves because it was closed.

Valley. Yosemite Valley is a peaceful place. The Merced River flows through the valley. On our first day in the park, we had a picnic lunch right by the Merced River. The waterfalls come off the cliffs into the valley. This year, there are lots of waterfalls because a lot of snow fell on the mountains above the park.

My Impressions

When I lived in California, my dad and I did a 180-mile bike ride with my youth group to Yosemite. It took three days. The first day was 100 miles, the second day was 50 miles, and the third day was 30 miles. I bike slower than many other people, but every time I came into camp each night, the youth cheered me on until the end. When I finally made it into the park, I felt grateful I did that bike ride.

Last week, I went back to Yosemite for the first time since my bike trip. We saw the places where I rode when I was 15 years old.

I’m grateful for the beauties of Yosemite. I feel at peace when I think about that place. To close, I share the words of Ansel Adams, a famous photographer who took many pictures of Yosemite: “Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green, and a golden wonder in a vast edifice of of stone and space.”