Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Marveling at the waterfall gush in spring at
Yosemite National Park
.
2
Whooshing down the wintertime heights of snow-draped
Mammoth Moun-
tain
.
3
Gazing heavenward through the celestial sequoia canopies of
Sequoia &
4
Ambling around the evocative ghost town of
Bodie
.
5
Canoeing or kayaking
Mono Lake
amid its haunting tufa.
6
Viewing the bizarre volcanic formation of
Devils Postpile
.
* Soaking your troubles away at
hot spring pools
in
Bridgeport
and
Benton
.
1
Visiting the
Manzanar National Historic Site
where one of the darkest
events in US history is memorialized.
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
The jaw-dropping head-turner of America's national parks, and a Unesco World Heritage
site, Yosemite (yo-
sem
-it-ee) garners the devotion of all who enter. From the waterfall-
striped granite walls buttressing emerald-green Yosemite Valley to the skyscraping giant
sequoias catapulting into the air at Mariposa Grove, the place inspires a sense of awe and
reverence - four million visitors wend their way to the country's third-oldest national park
annually. But lift your eyes above the crowds and you'll feel your heart instantly moved by
unrivalled splendors: the haughty profile of Half Dome, the hulking presence of El Capit-
an, the drenching mists of Yosemite Falls, the gemstone lakes of the high country's sub-
alpine wilderness and Hetch Hetchy's pristine pathways.
History
The Ahwahneechee, a group of Miwok and Paiute peoples, lived in the Yosemite area for
around 4000 years before a group of pioneers, most likely led by legendary explorer
Joseph Rutherford Walker, came through in 1833. During the Gold Rush era, conflict
between the miners and native tribes escalated to the point where a military expedition (the
Mariposa Battalion) was dispatched in 1851 to punish the Ahwahneechee, eventually for-
cing the capitulation of Chief Tenaya and his tribe.
