Yosemite Fast Facts
How big is Yosemite National Park?
Yosemite covers a total area of 747,956 acres or 1,169 square miles.
How many people visit Yosemite National Park?
3,287,595 people visited Yosemite in 2021. A table showing all years can be found at Yosemite Visitation Stats.
When was Yosemite National Park created?
Yosemite was made a national park on October 1, 1890.
What are the highest and lowest elevations in Yosemite National Park?
Yosemite’s lowest point is 2,105 feet at the Merced River. The highest point in Yosemite is 13,014 feet at Mount Lyell.
What time zone is Yosemite National Park located in?
Yosemite is in the Pacific Time Zone.
How much does it cost to enter Yosemite National Park?
$35 per private vehicle per week.
Five Random Facts About Yosemite
Yosemite National Park took a few steps to reach its present form. On June 30, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill creating the Yosemite Grant, given to the state of California to form Yosemite State Park. On October 1, 1890 Congress passed the bill creating Yosemite National Park, but California retained control of the valley and Mariposa Grove. Finally, in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the bill that took back the valley and Mariposa Grove and added it to the national park.
The world famous Yosemite Valley, where most people spend their time, is only a tiny fraction of the park, less than 1% of the total area. Nearly 95% of the park has been designated as wilderness.
Yosemite Valley is a classic glacier-cut valley, carved out of the solid granite. Glaciers in Yosemite Valley may have reached thicknesses of 4,000 feet or more.
John Muir, the famed conservationist responsible for so many of the United States’ protected areas, had an especially large role in Yosemite. Among other things, in May 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt camped with Muir near Glacier Point for three days. This trip convinced Roosevelt that Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove should be returned to the national park.
Yosemite was the third most visited national park in 2013, behind only Grand Canyon and Great Smoky Mountains.
Where is Yosemite National Park?
Yosemite National Park is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains of east-central California in an area of incredible natural beauty. The cities of Oakhurst and Mariposa act as gateway towns to the park, and the nearest major city is Fresno. Further directions and maps can be found at Getting to Yosemite.