Yosemite National park
By Archana Nigam
panning gold amidst the giant sequoias
I had occasion to visit Yosemite National Park while conval escing in Los Angeles after a nasty hospitalization. The beauty of the park leaves one completely spellbound and was just what I needed to recover.
Yosemite National Park which boasts nearly 95 percent designated Wilderness, is a 195-mile escape from urban San Francisco or a 313-mile journey from populated Los Angeles. The expansive park's 747,956 acres or 1,169 square miles are home to hundreds of wildlife species and thousands of Yosemite plants. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is known for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves and biological diversity. Two wild & scenic rivers, the Tuolumne and Merced, begin within Yosemite and flow west into the Central Valley. People experience the park through 800 miles of hiking trails and 350 miles of road. A weekend outing was planned and my brother-in law booked the most amazing log cabins for the family at the Ahwahnee.
For anyone of you planning a visit to Yosemite or looking for information on what Yosemite has to offer, DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc., the Park's primary concessionary, maintains a variety of lodging and dining options, stores and supply outlets, transportation and tour/recreational services.
There are a few things every visitor to Yosemite National Park should know. Yosemite has a long relationship with its black bears. During the visit, lucky visitors have a chance to spot one of these beautiful and normally shy animals. But bear awareness isn't just about spotting these magnificent creatures, it's also about knowing what to do when you encounter one and protecting them by taking responsibility for your actions while in the park. Learn how to be “bear aware” during your visit. If you are lucky enough to see a bear roving the forest, keep the following in mind while reaching for your camera:
• Respect the bear silently through brief observation in a non-disturbing manner.
• Never approach a bear. Keep at least 300 feet between you and the bear.
• Never get between a bear & her cubs.
• Stay together if you are with friends or family.
We had the good fortune to witness a bear spotting and of course, all of these instructions went completely out of our minds and all that we focused on was to get the kids together and lock ourselves inside the large SUV that my brother-in law had hired for the trip.
STORIES AND HISTORY OF YOSEMITE
Any place with as grand a tradition as Yosemite National Park is filled with stories about how it came to be, who lived here and what they did. Although it is difficult to capture all of the Yosemite stories, a modest collection of stories is shared with you here.
Yosemite's first residents were Native Americans who may have first inhabited the region as many as 10,000 years ago. The area's most recent tribe (comprised mostly of Miwok, but also Paiute and others) named Yosemite Valley "Ahwahnee" or "place of the gaping mouth" and thus they called themselves the Ahwahneechee. These Native Americans had a rich culture and were frequent traders with tribes from the eastern side of the Sierra.
The discovery of gold in California's foothills brought the first non-native settlers to Yosemite Valley around 1850. Unfortunately, conflict developed between the newcomers and the native population, over resources. In 1851, a battalion of troops entered Yosemite during a mission to search for Native Americans and end the conflict. The doctor of the expedition, Lafayette  Bunnell returned with stories of Yosemite Valley's beauty and grandeur and soon word spread of this inspiring place.
In 1855, the first tourist visited Yosemite. As more visitors came to Yosemite via horseback and stagecoach, entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to provide goods and services in this remote destination. Soon, lodging and homes were built and meadows became home to livestock and orchards. By 1864, there were residents living in Yosemite Valley all year long.
Yosemite continues to hold the rank as one of the “crown jewels” of the national parks. Yosemite now gets over 3.5 million visitors a year, offering a challenge never experienced in the region's early years how to protect one of the world's scenic treasures, but also allow for the enjoyment and inspiration of millions of visitors.
PANNING FOR GOLD
Within Yosemite's history, various cultures abounded that left a mark. Historic mining sites remain from miners who came to the Sierra to seek their fortune in gold.
Following in the footsteps of early pioneers we decided to try our luck at Panning for gold. We traveled extensively throughout the area searching for gold hot spots and have found quite a few. Did you know much of the placer gold in the famous gold panning bags comes straight from the gold bearing streams which surround Yosemite?
Be sure to check out the Merced River and of course the local streams and creeks in and around Mariposa, including Hornitos and Agua Fria.
There is usually pretty easy access to these rivers and streams, sometimes even right off the road, but one should be aware that the best gold is not usually found within easy access to heavily traveled roads. You can expect that you won't be the first person to try your luck at that spot. Indeed many of the best strikes of the gold rush era were right in this very same area. Thousands of modern day prospectors (weekend warriors) annually try their luck in this area too. Don't be discouraged though, all the gold is not gone!
We hit gold at a tiny stream off the Merced River and spent the entire day scooping up the river water for tiny gold flakes.
THE MARIPOSA GROVE
Mariposa Grove is the largest and most developed, of three sequoia groves in Yosemite National Park. It lies at the southern end of the park, along Wawona Road and contains 250 big trees.
Two trails, in addition to the tram system, are available to help visitors navigate the grove. Both trails begin from the parking area. The shorter trail is a two mile round trip. An interpretive brochure for this route is available at the trailhead describing the natural and cultural history of the grove.
It is impossible to impart the magnificence of these trees, either in words or pictures. You just have to stand in front of them and gaze upwards to fully appreciate the majesty of these trees, some as old as several thousand years.
I would recommend walking, if physically possible instead of the tram tour. You would miss so much if you didn't walk. We saw some deer, chipmunks and all those beautiful gigantic pine cones and flowers.
Trees in this grove are more than 3,000 years old, more than 50 feet around and reach up over 300 feet seemingly to touch the sky.
We went to Mariposa Grove on our second day at Yosemite National Park. However, we did not have the option of riding up the road leading to the giant trees. The gate going up was closed so we had to hike two miles to get there.
Since we had our kids with us, it took quite a while for us to walk these two  miles. We had to take a few rests along the way to enable the kids to catch their breath. Our aching legs were finally rewarded when we saw these massive Sequoia trees. Although we knew of their bigness, we were still surprised to see how really big these wonders of nature could be when we were standing in front of them.
GIANT SEQUOIA TREES
Don't miss out on this attraction. It takes so little time, and so little legwork to enjoy it fully; thanks to careful planning of the park designers.
HISTORY OF YOSESMITE
For tens of thousands of years, humans have changed and have been changed by, this place we now call Yosemite. The Ahwahneechee lived here for generations, followed by the arrival of Europeans in the mid-1800s. The rugged terrain challenged many early travelers, with just 650 from the mid-1850s to mid-1860s making the journey to Yosemite Valley by horseback or stagecoach. By 1907, construction of the Yosemite Valley Railroad from Merced to El Portal eased the journey, thereby increasing visitation. Today, 3.5 million people enter the park's gates to explore. We learn from the stories of those who walked Yosemite's trails before us, allowing appreciation of their lasting footprints that led to conscious preservation.
People
Seven present-day tribes descend from the people who first called this area, home. As Europeans arrived in the mid-1800s, violent disruption ensued that displaced the native populations. Early white settlers arrived and hosted writers, artists and photographers who spread the fame of "the Incomparable Valley" throughout the world.
Places
Within Yosemite's history, various cultures abounded that left a mark. Historic mining sites remain from miners who came to the Sierra to seek their fortune in gold. Early lodging establishments, like the Wawona Hotel, offered a more primitive setting for the Valley's first tourists and today's visitors and more elegant lodging, like The Ahwahnee, which was added to satisfy those looking for comfort.
Stories
History books detail the Mariposa Battalion entering Yosemite Valley in 1851 to remove the Ahwahneechee. As Euro-American settlement occurred, people arrived on foot, on horseback and by rail to rustic hotels. Parts of the landscape were exploited, spurring conservationists to appeal for protections. President Abraham Lincoln signed an 1864 Bill granting Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to the State of California. John Muir helped spark the creation of Yosemite National Park in 1890.
FAST FACTS
Yosemite National Park covers nearly 1,200 square miles of mountainous terrain in the Sierra Nevada of California.
You can visit Yosemite all year, though some areas of the park are inaccessible by car from approximately November through May due to snow. You can drive your car into and around Yosemite, though we encourage you to use shuttle buses in some areas.
Reservations are not required to enter Yosemite; however we strongly recommend that you make reservations for camping or lodging if you plan to spend the night.
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Yosemit National park
