Yosemite Gateway

Yosemite Valley, at 7.5 miles long and one mile wide, is carved into the Sierra Nevada by glaciers that retreated 10,000 years ago, leaving behind 3,000-foot vertical granite walls on both sides. El Capitan, a 3,593-foot monolith of nearly seamless granite, is the largest exposed granite face on earth and the world's premier venue for big-wall rock climbing. Half Dome rises 4,737 feet above the valley floor and its distinctive northeast face, sliced sheer by glacial action - is one of the most recognizable geological features in the world. The valley's five waterfalls (Yosemite Falls at 2,425 feet is the highest in North America) peak in May and June from snowmelt. Group access to Yosemite requires advance planning: the National Park Service requires reservations for daytime entry between May and September, and timed-entry permits are distributed at 8 a.m. two days in advance. A charter vehicle allows groups to enter as a unit rather than coordinating multiple cars. The gateway community of Mariposa (CA-140 approach) preserves a Gold Rush county courthouse dating from 1854 the oldest in continuous operation west of the Rockies.