Great Lodges of the National Parks
Grand Lodges: The Ahwahnee
Lodge | Setting | Trivia
Setting
Tourists began arriving in the Yosemite area in 1855. By 1864, Californians had convinced Abraham Lincoln to sign the Yosemite Grant, setting aside the Yosemite Valley and a grove of giant sequoias as America's first state Park. In 1890, Congress allotted 1,500 square miles for Yosemite National Park, but pockets of land were still part of the California state Park. It would take 16 more years, and the full persuasive powers of John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt, to unify the two Parks.
Yosemite Valley
Along with the Ahwahnee, many of the Park's most recognizable natural features, such as Half Dome and El Capitan, are crowded into the relatively small Yosemite Valley. The Valley is only about 3,000 feet deep, and little more than a mile wide. As a result, spectacular views abound.
Natural History
Yosemite lies about 200 miles east of San Francisco, in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Parklands rise in elevation from 2,000 to 13,000 feet above sea level, providing important niche habitats for hundreds of native species of plants and animals.
Time and nature have sculpted the entire region, but Yosemite Valley contains the most striking collection of geologic formations and dramatic waterfalls. This awe-inspiring valley is the handiwork of alpine glaciers, which slowly scoured away the weaker rock, allowing the stronger formations to stand in sharp relief. The floor of the Valley is actually an ancient lakebed, which gradually filled with sediment and debris. Today, periodic rock falls add more material to the Valley floor; a massive 1996 slide unleashed 80,000 tons of rock, falling at 160 mph.
People & Protection
The person most closely identified with the conservation of Yosemite is undoubtedly John Muir, a renowned naturalist, writer, and the founder of the Sierra Club. But even Muir couldn't save his beloved Hetch Hetchy Valley, which he called "Little Yosemite."
And yet, conservation can be a double-edged tool. Today, over 95% of Yosemite National Park is designated wilderness, leaving just 60 square miles to bear the brunt of 3.5 million visitors annually. The National Park Service uses visitor education and restricted access rules to help provide people with a rewarding outdoor experience, while also preserving this unique national treasure.
Park management also includes ongoing evaluation of human activities and impacts, as well as the occasional removal of structures that are no longer appropriate.
Transportation
In 1898, the very first issue of Sunset magazine promoted travel by rail to see Yosemite. But visitors couldn't ride a train directly into what was then a state Park. For the first 50 years, stagecoaches and horses were the only way to travel through the region.
Then, between 1900 and 1906, a few "horseless carriages" tried driving into the Valley, and state officials turned a blind eye. But when the state gave local control back to the federal government, a National Park Service ban on cars was firmly enforced.
Cars were finally admitted to Yosemite in 1913. The number of vehicles and visitors shot up quickly – coinciding with the falling price of a Model T.
Today, traffic is a hot topic in Yosemite, with solutions ranging from one-way roads and no-car zones, to tram tours and free shuttle buses.