Yosemite National Park: Heart of California's Sierra Nevada

Yosemite National Park is located in the central Sierra Nevada mountains of California, roughly 270 km (170 mi) east of San Francisco. The park's iconic core—Yosemite Valley (1,200 m / 4,000 ft elevation)—lies in Mariposa County, with the high country extending into Tuolumne and Madera counties.

Geographic Context

• Range: Sierra Nevada (not the Rockies, not the Cascades).
• Key Features: El Capitan, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls (North America's tallest), Tuolumne Meadows, Mariposa Grove (giant sequoias).
• Watersheds: Merced River (Wild & Scenic) drains the valley; Tuolumne River drains the north.
• Access: CA-140 (Arch Rock entrance), CA-120 (Big Oak Flat/Tioga Pass—seasonal), CA-41 (South entrance).

Established 1864 (state grant), 1890 (national park). UNESCO World Heritage Site 1984. The park embodies the High Sierra: glacial sculpting, granite domes, and a biodiversity gradient from oak woodlands to alpine fell fields.