Tag Archives: Yosemite

National Parks, News

Happy 150th Anniversary, Yosemite!

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Under a towering canopy of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, the National Park Service, Yosemite Conservancy and public officials today celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the Yosemite Grant Act, the legislation signed by President Abraham Lincoln to preserve Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove, by breaking ground on a landmark project to protect the ancient sequoia trees and the extraordinary experience they make possible.

“On the 150th Anniversary of the Yosemite Grant Act, we stand in awe among these giant trees that are thousands of years old and are reminded about the importance of protecting our natural resources so that future generations can experience what John Muir called ‘nature’s forest masterpiece,’” said National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis at public ceremonies attended by thousands.

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National Parks

New Museum Exhibit, Yosemite, the Grand Experiment, Opens in Yosemite National Park

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Exhibit Commemorates 150th Anniversary of Yosemite Grant

Yosemite National Park unveils a new exhibit entitled Yosemite, the Grand Experiment which opens to the public on Tuesday, June 3. It will run through Saturday, October 18, 2014. The exhibit is located in the Yosemite Valley Museum (adjacent to the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center) and features paintings, prints, artifacts, and ephemera from Yosemite’s early years. Photographs and paintings of visitors and the landscape from the park museum’s extensive collection, including some of the earliest Yosemite images, will also be on display. Survey equipment, notes, and maps will be included.

Digital slide shows will include additional historic paintings, drawings and photographs. A video presentation will feature interviews with several scholars focusing on the importance of the Yosemite Grant, and the influence of painting and photography. An audio kiosk will feature quotes from various important individuals in the early years of Yosemite history.

In addition to material from Yosemite National Park’s collection, the exhibit includes items on loan from the National Archives and Records Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, and several private collections.

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National Forests, National Parks

Yosemite – Invasion of the Drones

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Yosemite has been invaded by drones.  Small, unmanned machines that fly through the air capturing some pretty epic footage of one of America’s great National Parks.  The National Park Service is none too keen on the GoPro shuttles, and has claimed that they’re illegal:

“…Yosemite National Park advises visitors that the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones) are prohibited within park boundaries due to regulations outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Specifically, the use of drones within the park boundaries is illegal under all circumstances. Thirty Six CFR 2.17(a)(3) states, “delivering or retrieving a person or object by parachute, helicopter, or other airborne means, except in emergencies involving public safety or serious property loss, or pursuant to the terms and conditions of a permit” is illegal. This applies to drones of all shapes and sizes…”

While I’m not a big fan of having my visit interrupted by a noisy little robot, I’m not so sure that HOW Yosemite is going about it is correct.  I blame the NPS – the same guys who shut Americans out of America’s National Parks last year – and their lack of legal experience.

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National Parks, News

Rockfall Closes Trail to Rancheria Falls in Yosemite National Park

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

A rockfall in the Hetch Hetchy area of Yosemite National Park has closed the trail to Rancheria Falls east of Wapama Falls.

According to the National Park Service, at approximately 1:30 p.m. on March 31, a large rockfall occurred from the cliff just east of Wapama Falls above the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. The trail was closed just east of the Wapama Creek footbridges for safety purposes.  Boulders are preventing access beyond Wapama Falls to park visitors.  No visitors were injured in the rockfall.

Roughly 16,000 tons of rock fell from approximately 500 feet above the base of the cliff. Rock debris hit the slope below the cliff, breaking into numerous boulders, crushing trees, and creating a small dust cloud. Fresh boulders completely covered the slope, and many boulders tumbled into the reservoir. Roughly 400 feet of the Rancheria Falls Trail was destroyed in the main impact area.

Hikers can still access Wapama Falls starting from O’Shaughnessy Dam. The trail to Rancheria Falls just after Wapama Falls will be closed until further notice.

Activities, National Parks

Yosemite’s Housekeeping Camp

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

YosemitePark has just made a really interesting post about one of the unique camps in Yosemite.  From the “A Short History of the Oddly-Named Housekeeping Camp in Yosemite” post:

Located on the Merced River in Yosemite Valley with an unusual name, Housekeeping Camp straddles the line between camping and hotel accommodations and inspires fierce loyalty among park visitors. With amenities not usually found in campsites such as three walls, a canvas roof, beds, electrical lights and outlets, as well as standard amenities of picnic table and campfire ring, Housekeeping Camp is perennially popular with visiting families. Many of these families return year after year to the same units for easy access to the Merced River’s sandy beaches and activities like rafting and swimming. By examining the origin of Housekeeping Camp and its odd configuration and designation, it is apparent that this particular type of Yosemite accommodation has had great influence on the evolution of national park campgrounds as we know them today.

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