The incredible story of Yosemite – America’s most photogenic national park
Hannah Foster-Roe
31 January 2024
A granite masterpiece
Damien Riley
Humans lived here long before national parks existed
Niday Picture Library/Alamy
The Gold Rush changed everything
Thomas Ayres/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
The protection of Yosemite was a first for America
Sundry Photography/Alamy
But it wasn’t officially the country’s first national park
Science History Images/Alamy
A Scotsman was instrumental in its foundation
World History Archive/Alamy
He took the president camping
Underwood & Underwood/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
The park is home to one of California's original mountain resort hotels
Pat Eyre/Alamy
Trails and tribulations
Nathan Allen/Alamy
The road to greatness
NPGallery/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
Buffalo soldiers pioneered the NPS ranger hat
Associated Press/Alamy
Rangers were vital to the protection and preservation of the park
CH Collection/Alamy
Yosemite could have hosted the 1932 Winter Olympics
Jamie Pham/Alamy
The dark side of tourism
Charles Cameron Macauley/CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
Yosemite: caught on camera
Ansel Adams/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
Other artists' impressions of Yosemite
Heritage Image Partnership Ltd/Alamy
Its unique geology is recognised by UNESCO
Sven Kiesser/Shutterstock
A 21st-century restoration project split opinion
Associated Press/Alamy
What to expect today
Kenny Karst
Meet the captain
Matteo bgt/Shutterstock
Admire gentle giants
Stephen Moehle/Shutterstock
Bear witness to a commanding cascade
Bruce Beck/Shutterstock
The fabled Yosemite 'firefall' wasn't always a natural phenomenon
Engel Ching/Shutterstock
It’s not the only rare spectacle in Yosemite
ick Pisio\RWP Photography/Alamy
Yosemite’s climate is changing
Mario Tama/Getty Images
A vast percentage of Yosemite goes unseen by tourists
Ivanova Ksenia/Shutterstock
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
Marie Green/Alamy
Tuolumne Meadows
Damien Riley
Go deeper into the Yosemite counties
John Henshall/Alamy
Learn about Yosemite's Indigenous peoples
Dimitry Bobroff/Alamy
Rest your head in a royal bed
Fotopro_929/Shutterstock
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