Yosemite road guide pdf

A couple of entrances have limited hours or seasons. Look for the restaurant icon. Most restaurants are located in Yosemite Valley so you may want to download the Yosemite Valley detail map in addition to the main map.

The map includes trails, trailheads, points of interest, campgrounds, geologic history and much more printed on waterproof, tear-resistant material.

Get inspired with tips about where to go and what to see on your national park vacation, delivered right to your inbox. Unsubscribe anytime by clicking the link at the bottom of your email. Throughout the National Park System, thousands of rangers wear uniform belts and hatbands embossed with images of the cones and foliage of these significant trees.

President Lincoln signed the bill that set aside the Mariposa Grove, along with scenic Yosemite Valley, in In the years following this action, a fire started in the grove, and we began a year history of protecting these beloved trees from fire. While our intentions were good, we were contributing to the loss of what we cared about so much. Through research and experimentation we discovered that fire actually promotes reproduction of these giant trees.

It clears away the competing firs and cedars and exposes bare mineral soil for the tiny seeds to take root. It depicts an intimate look into a grove of giant sequoias Sequoiadendron giganteum.

Because of their massive size, only a tiny portion of the trunks of the gigantic trees are visible in the shot. A small section of a gigantic sequoia trunk fills the right half of the frame, seeming so close that the viewer could reach out and touch it.

Its huge scale, hefty solidity and broad base is reminiscent of the leg of an elephant. The reddish brown trunk is covered in a fiberous, vertically-furrowed bark so deep that the inner furrows are darkly shaded. To the left, two more sequoia trees stand tall and straight, their bases widening toward the ground. The tree in front has a long narrow burn scar rising from the Earth, wide enough for a person to duck a bit and squeeze into the presumed cavern inside.

Powerfully fire resistant, despite the burn, the tree has healed the scar by growing bark around the edges of the hole. Between the trees, varied shades of green plants and shrubs fill the forest floor and the darker green of pine trees can be glimpsed in the background. Four of the sequoia cones are lying sideways while one is upright. They are the size and shape of an egg, with cross hatching indentations that create horizontal diamond shapes around the cone with a little dimple in the middle of each diamond, vaguely resembling a pair of pursed lips.

The cutout image, captioned "Chickaree" and credited to Roberta Stacy, shows the front half of a bi-colored chickaree squirrel, Tamiasciurus douglasii peeking out to the right, from behind a grey roughly-textured tree trunk.

The upper half of the head, neck, and body is a rusty brown with bits of black on the forehead, cheeks and nose, while the bottom half is grey. The little-clawed paws of its two front limbs are grasping the tree, while the body and head stretch forward, nose pointing out as if it smells something. Its large walnut-shaped eyes are open wide and surrounded by a ring of white. Three alien-looking plants burst through the forest floor in a tight clump in this small cut-out photograph.

Every part of the plant - the stalks, leaves, and petals - are a uniform color of striking candy-apple red! About a foot tall, with meaty red stalks, the texture of their fleshy bodies look like they might be related to the mushrooms, although they aren't.

At a glance, the plants' shape resembles a collection of upright scarlet-colored pine cones. Rather than woody scales, the stalks are densely covered with diagonal rows of fleshy crimson leaves. These leaves look more like curling elongated Halloween fingernails than any familiar leaf shape.

Tucked uniformly between each red leaf are ruby colored flowers, their petals fused to make outward facing bells. Changes brought about by fire do not benefit just the sequoia. Pacific dogwoods need the filtered sunlight that can reach into a sequoia grove if periodic fire keeps its understory open.

Six white dogwood "flowers", Cornus nuttallii seem to hover in space against the black background of the brochure, rather than covering a dogwood tree, as they usually do. The large and solitary white flowers are imposters, actually a clump of tiny greenish-yellow flowers surrounded by 4 to 8 creamy white leaves called bracts.

The bracts look just like large white petals, each one curling and bowing uniquely. Every "flower" has the tips of green leaves peeking from beneath the white bracts. Two large black tree trunks in the foreground, one on either side of the image, frame the bright flames consuming the forest floor.

A group of about six tall and slender trees and a small shrub, stand in the midst of the blaze while a fallen log lays horizontally across the bottom of the photo. The fire is a concentrated white color on the forest floor that transitions upward into yellow, orange, and red hues that contrast with the blackness of night.

Orange embers freckle the bottom of the black fallen log and the tree trunks in the foreground. Watkins depicts an aged and rugged Galen Clark, standing with his right hand holding the long barrel of a rifle that is resting on the ground.

Clark is wearing a checkered, collared, button-down shirt that peaks out from underneath a buttoned sweater, topped with a weather-beaten knee-length heavy coat. He has noticeably baggy worn pants that bunch up at the ankles. A fur and leather cross-body satchel is draped over his left shoulder and rests at his right hip. A few unidentifiable trinkets dangle off the satchel like key chains. The pioneer has near shoulder-length unkempt hair, and a scruffy beard and mustache that almost covers his mouth.

His leathery, aged, expressionless face has deep-set eyes that are gazing into the distance to the left of the photographer. He is standing with his right hand holding onto a long rifle as if it were a walking stick, with the barrel facing up and the stock on the ground. His left hand looks dirt-covered and is resting at his side. Shrubs and deciduous trees enrich the riverbanks with green ribbons of life. Moist meadows give way to black oak trees that provide nutritious acorns to deer, bears, and woodpeckers, as they did for early Indian people.

Spend time in Yosemite Valley and you will experience change. Yosemite Valley, with the Mariposa Grove, inspired the national park idea. The cliffs, waterfalls, wildlife and beauty of this place continue to inspire people around the world. A large circular photo titled "Valley" and credited to Joseph Holmes is of the Merced River depicted in low light with smooth slow-moving water. Along the banks are trees and grasses with the fall hues of brown, orange and gold. The dried grasses of the far bank are reflected in the still water.

Beyond the waterside meadow, a grouping of tall pines stands against the base of a sheer granite cliff. When you see the relatively lazy summer Merced River, it can be difficult to imagine how the same river, even in flood stage, could bring such dramatic change throughout the Valley — rearranging boulders, roads, and campgrounds. A black and white photo captioned, " "Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.

His left leg is crossed over his right knee and both aged arthritic hands are loosely grasping his crossed leg. He wears a multi-pocketed vest over a long-sleeved, plaid, button-down shirt, and creased slacks. His dark clothes contrast sharply with his white laced up shoes. He has a white short-haired beard and mustache, and a warm open-mouth smile that shows his top row of teeth, giving him pronounced cheeks. His head is somewhat tilted to his right and he is wearing a light-colored cowboy hat that emphasizes his ears, which slightly point outward at the top.

The image, captioned "black bear" Ursus americanus and credited to Benjamin R. Miller of Closerlook Photography, shows a front-facing bear that, in contradiction to its name, has reddish-brown fur. Only the front two legs are shown, with its cushioned paws slightly turned inward. The bear is standing on a grey textured log that shows off its claws which protrude out from its paws and curve down into sharp points. A full round face with a long yellow snout is capped off with a large, round, black nose.

There is a gleam in its circular brown eyes, and its ears are nearly straight up and pointing outward. The cutout image captioned "acorn woodpecker" and credited to E. Peiker, shows the upper half of a tri-colored acorn woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus. It is peeking out to the left, from behind a tree trunk.

The head of the bird is red on top, white in the face, and black around it's yellow beady eyes, beak and on the backside of its head. The bird has a long, black, pointed bill. Its markings are distinct, looking as if it is wearing a black scarf of scraggly, wispy feathers that wiggle down its neck and streak onto its white breast. The entirety of the visible tree trunk is dotted with many round holes that have been drilled into the trunk over time, acting as storage for the woodpecker's acorn stash.

The warm colored image captioned "mule deer" Odocoileus hemionus and credited to Longdie G. Padelsky, shows a deer with antlers foraging in a meadow at dawn or dusk. The deer is facing to the left and the head is slightly raised off the ground and barely turned toward the viewer. A large rack of antlers, covered in a special brown fur called velvet, show eight points atop its head.

The deer has large, dark, almond shaped eyes and a black nose at the end of a long, narrow face. The rough fur on its body is mostly tannish-brown, with bits of black on its forehead and rib cage, as well as a black tipped tail.

Its body is hunching downward as if in mid forage. The deer is in a meadow with both green and brown grasses.

The image, credited to the National Park Service, shows a row of tall stalks of wild flowers growing closely together, captioned "Lupine.

On the tops of the stalks are perched the pointed tip of the green buds that have not bloomed yet. There are small green-grey leaves on the bottom half of the stems. The image, credited to Ray Santos of the National Park Service and captioned "Black oak acorn", contains two acorns of this oak Quercus kelloggii. The acorns are attached at their tops and are facing opposite each other. Each acorn is an elongated oval shape.

The caps of the acorns cover almost half of the nut and are yellow, and roughly textured with tiny downward pointing scales. The nut is dark brown, smooth and rounded with a little prickly point at the tip. The park strives for full and equal participation for all visitors and we are trying to continually improve. Entrance stations and visitor centers offer the free Yosemite Accessibility Guide to park visitors.

This guide outlines a variety of accessible services, facilities, and activities available in Yosemite. Within each area, it describes ways for people with sight, hearing and mobility impairments to enjoy Yosemite. Accessibility features and resources which might be of special interest or concern to visitors who are blind or low-vision include:. For more information about our services, please call the Yosemite Accessibility Line at A series of text blocks beside the map discuss wilderness, rivers and waterfalls, wildlife, smoke and fire, as well as human history.

A second, smaller map located off to the right and between the two major sections, shows Yosemite's location in relation to major highways, as well as Sequoia, Kings and Death Valley National Parks. At the bottom of the page lies the section entitled "Yosemite Basics. On the left of the Yosemite Valley map at the bottom of the page is a text portion regarding driving, reservations, accessibility and contact information.

This illustrated map credited to the National Park Service and titled "Yosemite National Park" shows all of Yosemite and is oriented with North at the top. It provides way finding information for points of interest, major roads and services, as well as the main trails and geographic information such as peaks and waterways. It is the largest of the three maps on the back side of this brochure.

The park is shown surrounded by national forest and wilderness lands in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. Roughly oval in shape, like an egg standing on its small end, the park's irregular boundary primarily follows the alpine peaks on the northern and eastern edges with a more angular boundary line to the south and west. The park is roughly the size of the state of Rhode Island. Nearly all wilderness, the park is crisscrossed with hiking trails.

There are two primary watersheds, the Tuolumne River to the north and the Merced River to the south. The two watersheds are roughly divided in upper and lower halves by the 59 mile Tioga Road, also known as Highway East.

The rest of the roads within the park either run along the western border, such as the Big Oak Flat Road and the Wawona Road, or are spur roads that travel eastward no farther than half way across the distance of the park.

Each district contains a visitor center or information station, one or two primary roads, visitor amenities and an entrance station, with the exception of the Big Oak Flat District, which has two entrances. The park entrances, each at the park boundary, will be described with Yosemite as a clock face. The Tioga Pass entrance is at The South Entrance is at The Arch Rock entrance is at The Big Oak Flat entrance is at The Hetch Hetchy entrance is at Facilities along the Tioga Road are available in summer only.

Lastly, there is no swimming or boating in the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. This map does not include accessibility symbols. There is a tactile map of the park on the right of the back doors of the Indian Cultural Museum in Yosemite Valley.

A symbol shows North is up on the map. A measurement scale shows distance with 1. Free wilderness permits are required year round for all overnight trips into Yosemite Wilderness.

The symbols shown include: a. Further text reads: Natural areas present hazards. You are responsible for your safety. Be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions. Do not use this map for hiking. U S G S topographic maps or detailed trail maps are available at visitor centers. Some roads may be closed or have detours or delays.

Visit www. The symbols shown include way finding and amenities information. Way finding symbols include: a. Amenities symbols include a. High Sierra camp by reservation only symbol - tent on green background , h. There are 4 major districts in Yosemite: Tuolumne, Wawona, Yosemite Valley and Mather, each of which is associated with a primary entrance road or two, in Mather's case.

Park Amenities are listed by district along the road. Amenities in the wilderness are listed as if they are in a separate district. The wilderness covers most of the park acreage and is primarily in the north and south of the park. Amenities are listed north to south.

The Tuolumne District entrance is on the east side of the park. The major road, the Tioga Road, runs west from the entrance, roughly bisecting the park in north and south halves. Amenities are listed east to west along the road. Tuolumne Meadows — restaurants, store, post office, picnic area, campground, and wilderness permit station.

The Wawona District is on the south side of the park. The major road, the Wawona Road, runs north from the entrance. Amenities are listed south to north along the road. The Valley District is in the southeast side of the park. The major road, the El Portal Road, runs east from the entrance.

The Mather District is on the east and northeast side of the park. Amenities are listed east to west along the roads. It is at this point that the road closes to the west approximately November to May. From there, the road is named The Tioga Road, and runs 59 miles east to west, bisecting the park into north and south sections.

From Fresno, Highway 41 travels 61 miles north to Yosemite. Fish Camp lies just outside the park boundary. Just inside the park boundary is the South Entrance. Parking is available there to take a bus east up a small spur road, The Mariposa Grove Road. This road is closed approximately November to May.

Five miles north of the South Entrance is the town of Wawona with two small spur roads leading up to a collection of homes. Less than a mile beyond and on the right is Chinquapin, the start of the Glacier Point Road. It is open winter only. Approximately November through May, the road closes from this point east. This winding, mountain road heads east, then north for Starting in Merced, the mile Highway travels from the southwest up to El Portal.

Across the river to the north, a small road leaves from El Portal, parallels the river and runs west for about 4 miles. Highway ends in Yosemite Valley, the primary roads of which are Northside and Southside Drives which run in a loop around the edge of the seven mile long valley. See Valley Map for more details. From Highway 99 in Manteca, Highway West enters from the western side of the park.

Just outside the park boundary, a 20 mile spur road, Evergreen Road, runs north to connect West with the Hetch Hetchy Road in the town of Mather. The road then runs northeast to the Hetch Hetchy Valley and Reservoir. A small loop road at the reservoir allows visitors to turn around.

The start of the Tioga Road is at this junction. From the gas station, the cliffside Big Oak Flat Road winds and drops 10 more miles, traveling through 2 tunnels to arrive at Highway Extensive hiking trails indicated by dashed grey and olive green lines cover the Yosemite landscape in over miles of trails. A selection of renowned trails will be highlighted here. When relevant, the park boundary will be referenced as a clock face with north at twelve o'clock.

The Pacific Crest Trail enters the park boundary at in the northern wilderness and travels down to cross the Tioga Road at Tuolumne Meadows. From there, it passes through Tuolumne Meadows, southeast down Lyell Canyon and out of the park's southern wilderness area at Further trails leaving from Yosemite Valley can be found in the Trails section of the map entitled Services and Facilities of Yosemite Valley.

All three groves of giant sequoias have hiking trails. In the Wawona District off of the Mariposa Grove Road, a 5 to 6 mile loop trail takes visitors through the upper and lower groves. More detailed day hiking maps of each district are available at all visitor centers and wilderness permit stations. Finely detailed topographic maps of discrete regions are available at all Yosemite wilderness permit stations.

For specific requests of more detailed descriptions of any Yosemite park map, please call the Yosemite Accessibility Line at To the east is the Inyo National Forest.

To the southeast is the Ansel Adams Wilderness. Lastly, to the south and southwest lies the Stanislaus National Forest.

Yosemite National Park is an extremely large area with countless front country and backcountry highlights including meadows, domes, peaks, waterfalls, trees, viewpoints and trails, as well as historic features such as buildings and bridges.

A collection of notable features visible from the front country will be listed by district starting from the park entrances. Located on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, the park has a wide elevation range.

Starting from about feet in the foothill community of El Portal at the western edge, the area is rocky and dry with grasses, shrubs and oak woodlands.

That landscape transitions to rocky, dry shrub land with few trees. At higher elevations, such as Yosemite Valley, is a diversity of tree species with oaks, pines, cedars and firs. Giant Sequoias grow in contained areas at four to six thousand feet. Further up the mountains , the trees shift to primarily firs and pines, and near 8, feet, the trees are a mix of pines and hemlocks, contorted and stunted from the deep snow in winter. Beyond treeline, the landscape rises to a dramatic crest of snowy, treeless peaks along the eastern side of over 13, feet.

Interestingly, from the eastern Tioga Pass entrance of 9, feet at the park line, the landscape drops dramatically in just five miles to the east, down to the shore of Mono Lake at 6, feet. The park's wilderness lands include rugged, mountainous terrain shown with shadowing on the map and two major watersheds with creeks and lakes shown in blue.

North of the Tioga road lies the Tuolumne River drainage. The Tuolumne River runs roughly east to west, fed by countless tributary creeks and lakes across the jagged, dramatic landscape of pines and exposed granite. The river runs through many meadows, the largest of which is Tuolumne Meadows. A primary feature of the Tuolumne River is the extensive Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne which travels through Pate Valley before spilling into the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir on the west side of the park.

The Hetch Hetchy Valley's foot cliff walls stand testament to the park's glacial history. At the geographic center of the park lies Mount Hoffman, at 10, feet. South of the Tioga road lies the Merced River drainage. The Merced River runs roughly east to west, as well. Like the Tuolumne River, the Merced is fed by tributary creeks and lakes across the rough, wilderness terrain.

The Merced River includes Yosemite Valley, a flat bottomed, glacially carved valley with exposed foot cliff walls. Washburn Lake. Congress has designated over three million acres of the Sierra Nevada for protection in the National Wilderness Preservation System. In wilderness, people can sense being a part of the whole community of life on Earth.

To learn more visit www. Rivers and waterfalls are beautiful but treacherous, especially in early spring and summer when water is high. Be alert for undercut banks and slippery rocks. Fast currents and cold water are a deadly combination. Keep children in sight. Keep bears wild by keeping your food from them, day and night.

Food may not be left in cars after dark. Speeding cars hit about 15 bears each year! You may not see a bear, but you can protect bears by following food storage regulations and driving slowly.

Animals that get human food may lose their fear of people and become dangerous. Do not let children run ahead or lag behind alone on trails. If you see a mountain lion, do not run or crouch down. Instead shout, wave, and throw stones. Pick up children so that they look larger. Attacks are rare, but if you are attacked, fight back. Mornings can be smoky and unhealthy when fires are burning in the area.

Ask about and avoid fire areas if you have asthma or other sensitivities to smoke. It is illegal to damage, deface, or remove any cultural or historic artifacts from federal lands. Metal detecting is not allowed. This map is one of three maps on the Yosemite National Park Brochure. It is titled Greater Yosemite Area, and is a small inset map showing surrounding highways, towns, national parks and national forests, all in relation to Yosemite National Park.

The background of the map is off white, while the national forests are shown in light green with grey irregular borders, and the national parks are shown in a medium-color green with dark green borders. There are three major highway systems that run diagonally from north to south that have secondary roads branching off. Several surrounding communities are labeled, along with three other national parks, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Death Valley National Parks, all located south of Yosemite, and four national forests, Stanislaus, Sierra, Sequoia, and Inyo National Forests.

There are two visitor centers, one in the nearest town outside the east exit to Yosemite, in Lee Vining, and the other is about miles south of Lee Vining, on Highway , in Lone Pine. There are two sets of red text that read: road open summer only.

One is located on the road that crosses Yosemite from West to South, and the other is located on the only road that enters partially into Kings Canyon from the west. Yosemite National Park is in the north and is completely surrounded by national forests with the Stanislaus National Forest to its northwest, Inyo National Forest to the east, and Sierra National Forest to the southwest.

Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park is in the southern half of the map and is partially surrounded by national forests, with Sequoia National Forest to its northwest and its south, Sierra National Forest to the northeast, and Inyo National Forest to the southeast.

Death Valley National Park is in the far southeast quadrant of the map with a strip of Inyo National Forest to its northeast. There are three major roads indicated by brown lines, that run diagonally from northwest to southeast, the 5, the 99, and the , which run somewhat parallel to the Nevada - California state line, which is represented by a grey line in the northeast quadrant.

In the southwest quadrant, Highway 5 cuts across the bottom corner of the map. Highway east branches off the 5 to Sequoia National Park, via the towns of Visalia and Three Rivers, which are indicated by yellow dots. Slightly north of Highway , Highway 33 also branches off of the 5, and connects to the , which also leads to Sequoia - Kings Canyon National Parks, via Fresno. The next major highway to the east of the 5 is the 99, which begins in the western bottom corner of the northwest quadrant and cuts across to the southeast corner of the southwest quadrant.

At the bottom of the map, between the 5 and the 99, there is text that reads, Yosemite Valley is miles to Los Angeles. The northern most road is the , via Groveland. There is a north to south road, the 49, that connects these three roads beginning on the near Groveland, connecting with the 1 40 in Mariposa, which connects with the 41 in Oakhurst. In Yosemite National Park, north of Yosemite Valley, west crosses from west to east through the park and connects to the in Lee Vining.

The is the third major road that runs from north to south. At the top of the map, to the right of the 3 95, there is text that reads Yosemite Valley to Lake Tahoe and Reno, miles or kilometers. Highway 6 splits off of at Bishop, heading north into Nevada. Yosemite National Park is in the north, and is completely surrounded by national forests with the Stanislaus National Forest to its northwest, Inyo National Forest to the east, and Sierra National Forest to the southwest.

Sequoia - Kings Canyon National Park is in the southern half of the map and is partially surrounded by national forests, with Sequoia National Forest to its northwest and its south, Sierra National Forest to the northeast, and Inyo National Forest to the southeast.

It is untitled and is an inset map representing the Yosemite Valley area. The map is primarily an informational and wayfinding map and is oriented with north at the top. Yosemite Valley is about 7 miles long and one mile wide. The road in the valley is in the shape of an elongated loop, with a majority of all services located on the far east end of the valley.

The road entering Yosemite Valley is called Southside Drive and is one way, while the road exiting Yosemite Valley is called Northside Drive and is primarily one way. A green flag on the map shows the visitor center. Brown parking icons show visitor parking for using the shuttle bus system. Other icons identify a wilderness permit station, food services and lodging, restrooms, picnic areas, and campgrounds.

There are several hiking trails shown and the background of the map shows faint, light grey, topography. There is a tactile map available inside the visitor's center.

The legend has symbols for amenities and way finding information.