YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

scenic mountain region in central California, U.S. It was first set aside as a state park in 1864 and, together with additional surrounding territory, made a national park in 1890. It encompasses 761,320 ac (308,106 ha) in the Sierra Nevada Range, including the Yosemite Valley of the Merced River, and features giant sequoia groves with trees thousands of years old and points of geological interest. Yosemite Valley alone has a number of attractions, such as sheer rock walls, Yosemite Falls, and huge domes and peaks. The greatest of these is El Capitan, a granite buttress that rises 3,604 ft (1,098 m) from the valley floor. Winter sports centre on the Badger Pass Ski Area. The plant life of the park changes markedly with altitude. Lower elevations are characterized by scattered trees, both deciduous and coniferous. At the level of Yosemite Valley grow larger stands of conifers; higher up, closer to the tree line, are mountain hemlock and lodgepole pine. The park's animal life includes mule deer, various squirrels, chipmunks, and black bears.