Yosemite Tours, History and Attractions
Vacations in California would never be complete without Yosemite tours.
Nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Yosemite Valley is one of California’s prime tourist spots. Yosemite National Park is home to El Capitan, the world’s largest exposed chunk of granite and a highlight of most Yosemite tours. Other Yosemite attractions include Lower Yosemite Falls, Upper Yosemite Falls (considered to be North America’s highest waterfall), and three groups of huge old-growth sequoia trees (considered to be some of the oldest living things in the world).
Most Yosemite tours from San Francisco are fully escorted by knowledgeable guides who help you to fully appreciate the history and uniqueness of this World Heritage Site. Over three and a half million visitors descend upon Yosemite Park each year so a guided Yosemite Valley tour provides the best opportunity to explore everything this amazing park has to offer. Come breathe in the fresh country air and witness spectacular rainbows created within the mists of Yosemite Falls.
Yosemite History
Yosemite Valley was discovered by a Swiss immigrant named John Muir in the 1860s when he migrated to California after finishing college in Minnesota. On his arrival to San Francisco during the period of the Gold Rush, John Muir began to ask the local townsfolk about the most wonderful place in the area, to which he got the answer, ‘The Sierras’, where Yosemite Valley rests. Muir wrote several papers about the beauty of Yosemite Valley and these write-ups reached the US Congress in the capital of Washington, DC.
Because of John Muir’s documents, in 1890 congress was moved to declare Yosemite National Park as the world’s second national park. Yosemite took its name from the local tribe in the area, and its Ahwahnee origin literally means ‘grizzly bear’. Yosemite National Park includes awesome mountain formations, verdant meadows, teeming wildlife and huge sequoia trees, natural wonders which have survived since the Ice Age.
El Capitan, Lower & Upper Yosemite Falls
El Capitan, a granite monolith, is a featured rock formation at Yosemite National Park. It is the largest chunk of granite in the world, which rests on the Yosemite Valley floor and rises up to an elevation of over 3600 feet. During clear weather, expert mountain climbers scale the smooth surface of El Capitan. The Cathedral Rocks, just beside the El Capitan and fronting the Merced River, protrude into the valley in three areas and is home to the imposing Bridal Veil Falls.
The Lower Yosemite Falls is the most famous and most reachable waterfall in the park, rising to nearly 330 feet and originating from the bigger Upper Yosemite Falls which measures 1410 feet high. Combined, these two waterfalls are considered to be the highest waterfalls in the entire North American continent.
Yosemite Wildlife
Various wildlife can be seen in Yosemite Valley including falcons, vultures, timber wolves, black bears, and a host of mule deer, to name a few. Aside from the mountain goats, chipmunks, and squirrels, the Yosemite Valley is home to almost 200 varieties of birds, 60 different species of animals, and more than 30 species of trees. Yosemite National Park is also a virtual sanctuary of interesting and unique flora and fauna.
Yosemite Tours Included with California Tour
Rock monoliths like Half Dome and El Capitan, as well as other California attractions like Bridal Veil Falls and Upper Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park, are included as part of Caravan Tours’ fully guided California Tours.
Yosemite tours are always a favorite and included in this fully escorted 8-day tour, exceptionally priced. Caravan also offers a US National Parks tour.
Visit Caravan’s California Tours Reviews page to read what others have said about Caravan’s fully escorted tours in California.
Contact Caravan Tours by calling 1-800-CARAVAN (227-2826) to book your next tour.
