Yosemite National Park is located in the central Sierra Nevada of California, a 4 hour drive from San Francisco and 6 hours from Los Angeles.
Designated a National Park in 1890 and a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite attracts an estimated 3.5 million visitors each year.  They come to admire the granite cliffs, spectacular waterfalls, giant sequoia groves and enjoy the “great outdoors” within the 1,200 square miles of parkland.

Potted history of Yosemite National Park
Once the traditional home of the Miwok Indians, the foothills of the Sierra Nevada attracted gold miners in 1849.  Their arrival and the resulting struggle for land brought inevitable conflict with the local native people and the Mariposa Battalion was created by the State of California to end the hostilities and bring an end to the “Mariposa Indian War”.  The volunteers who made up the battalion became the first recorded non-Indian people to enter Yosemite Valley.  Although their attempt to locate the native population failed, the changing face of the Sierra Nevada took its toll on the native Indians, their numbers dwindling significantly over the next 50 years.
However, from this first view, the legendary beauty of Yosemite was spread around the world, attracting an increasing number of visitors to the area.  To protect its natural beauty, President Abraham Lincoln granted Yosemite Valley to the State of California as a public trust.  The ongoing struggle to protect the lands from further development resulted in the creation of the Yosemite National Park on 1st October 1890.

The park continues to attract large numbers of visitors and the National Park Service now implement a number of traffic calming schemes to minimize the impact on the local environment.  Once they arrive at Yosemite National Park, visitors are encouraged to enjoy the park on foot or take advantage of the free shuttle bus.

What to see in Yosemite National Park

Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
The Mariposa Grove is located near the Park's South Entrance. It is the park’s largest group of giant sequoias (also known as Sierra redwoods). These giants amongst trees can also be seen in the lesser known Tuolumne and Merced Groves
Glacier Point
Glacier Point must be one of the most famous sites in Yosemite, offering a spectacular view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, and the High Sierra.
Tioga Road
The Tioga Road (Highway 120 through the park), is generally open to vehicles from late May to November. It offers a 39-mile scenic drive between Crane Flat and Tuolumne Meadows through forests and past meadows, lakes, and granite domes.
Tuolumne Meadows
Tuolumne Meadows is a large meadow alongside the Tuolumne River and surrounded by majestic peaks and domes. There are a number of meadows within the park, offering some of the best opportunities for sitting back and admiring the surrounding  landscape.

Waterfalls
Yosemite is well known for its spectacular waterfalls. Visitors are advised to come in Spring (May/June) for the best views when the flow of water is at its strongest. The most famous falls are:

• Yosemite Falls
  One of the world's tallest waterfalls, Yosemite Falls is actually made up of three separate falls: Upper Yosemite Fall, the Middle Cascades and Lower Yosemite Fall.
• Bridalveil Fall
  This is usually the first waterfall seen by visitors entering the park and can be admired year-round
• Nevada Fall
  This waterfall also flows all year and is best seen from Glacier Point
• Horsetail Fall
  This waterfall is renowned for its fire-like reflections of the sunset in the winter.

Rock formations
Yosemite Valley is also known for its landmark rock formations, best appreciated from Glacier Point or Tunnel View. Some of the best known formations are:

• Half Dome - one of the most photographed landmarks in Yosemite.
• El Capitan - the largest monolith of granite in the world.
• The Three Brothers - made up of Eagle Peak, and Middle and Lower Brothers.
• Sentinel Rock - overlooks Yosemite Valley like a sentry
• Yosemite Point

Hiring a car with Carhire3000 allows you to explore the beautiful scenery of the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite National Park.  Hire a car from Los Angeles or San Francisco and combine sightseeing in Yosemite with Mammouth Lakes, Napa Valley or along the coast to Monterey and Carmel.  Many visitors to California like to hire a car to tour the “Golden Triangle” from San Francisco to Los Angeles and over to Las Vegas, taking in other popular sites such as Death Valley, the Grand Canyon and Lake Tahoe Hiring a car in California allows you to decide your own itinerary, take your time to enjoy the scenic beauty of Yosemite, wind your way down the coast or admire the winelands of Napa.

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