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Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Tunnel View, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite NP - Diliff.jpg
Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View
Map showing the location of Yosemite National Park
Map showing the location of Yosemite National Park
Map showing the location of Yosemite National Park
Map showing the location of Yosemite National Park
Location Tuolumne, Mariposa, & Madera counties, California, U.S.
Nearest city Mariposa, California
Coordinates 37°51′N 119°33′W / 37.850°N 119.550°W / 37.850; -119.550Coordinates: 37°51′N 119°33′W / 37.850°N 119.550°W / 37.850; -119.550
Area 748,036 acres (3,027.19 km2)
Established October 1, 1890 (1890-10-01)
Visitors 5,028,868 (in 2016)
Governing body National Park Service
Website Official website
Type Natural
Criteria vii, viii
Designated 1984 (8th session)
Reference no. 308
State Party United States
Region North America

Yosemite National Park (/jˈsɛmti/ yoh-SEM-it-ee) is a national park spanning portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in Northern California. The park, which is managed by the National Park Service, covers an area of 747,956 acres (1,168.681 sq mi; 302,687 ha; 3,026.87 km2) and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. On average, about 4 million people visit Yosemite each year, and most spend the majority of their time in the seven square miles (18 km2) of Yosemite Valley. The park set a visitation record in 2016, surpassing 5 million visitors for the first time in its history.

Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, glaciers, and biological diversity. Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness. Yosemite was central to the development of the national park idea. First, Galen Clark and others lobbied to protect Yosemite Valley from development, ultimately leading to President Abraham Lincoln's signing the Yosemite Grant in 1864. Later, John Muir led a successful movement to establish a larger national park encompassing not just the valley, but surrounding mountains and forests as well—paving the way for the United States national park system.


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