Yosemite National Park

The US has got some 64 designated national parks. These parks are home to more than 60% of the nation's endangered species, and represent some of the best remaining habitat for the country's wildlife heritage. They are also seen as "touchstones of shared history and culture." Visitors can opt for fragile coral reefs to complex wetlands while some of the most fascinating national parks are found underwater.

The Yosemite National Park, located in the Sierra Nevada region, has beautiful waterfalls, meadows, and forests that include groves of giant sequoias, the world's largest living things. The park covers an area of 1,189 mi² (3,081 km²) and stretches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, the park was the first one to be set aside by the US government.

Yosemite supports a diversity of plants and animals. With an elevation range from 2,000 to 13,123 feet, it has five major vegetation zones: chaparral/oak woodland, lower montane, upper montane, subalpine and alpine.

Popular Features:

El Capitan is a prominent granite cliff that looms over the valley and is one of the most popular world destinations for rock climbers.

Meadows: The high country of Yosemite contains beautiful areas like Tuolumne Meadows, Dana Meadows, the Clark Range, the Cathedral Range, and the Kuna Crest.

Trails: The Sierra crest and the Pacific Crest Trail run through Yosemite, with peaks of red metamorphic rock, such as Mount Dana and Mount Gibbs, and granite peaks, such as Mount Conness.

Groves: The Park has three groves of Giant Sequoia trees, the Mariposa Grove, Tuolumne Grove, and the Merced Grove.

Habitats: The Park supports over 250 species of vertebrates, which include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The western part of the park is dominated by mixed coniferous forests of Ponderosa Pine, Sugar Pine, Incense-cedar, White Fir, and Douglas Fir, and a few stands of Giant Sequoia, interspersed by areas of Black Oak and Canyon Live Oak.

Species: Wildlife species typically found in these habitats include Black Bear, Bobcat, Gray Fox, Mule Deer, Mountain Kingsnake, Gilbert's Skink, White-headed Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, Spotted Owl, and a wide variety of bat species. In the case of bats, large snags are important as roost sites.

Other than multiple tours, the park authorities also run a Yosemite Mountaineering School and Guide Service. Here you can learn cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, climbing, hiking and back-packing.