Yosemite National Park
stretches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain
in California. Yosemite NP is visited by over 3.5 million people each
year but most visitors only see Yosemite Valley. Designated a
World Heritage Site Yosemite is internationally recognized for
its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant
Sequoia groves, and biological diversity. Most of the park is
designated as wilderness. Although not the first designated national
park in the USA, Yosemite was a focal point in the development of the
national park idea largely due to the work of people such as John Muir.