Yosemite - National Parks Conservation Association

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  • State: CA
  • NPCA Region: Pacific
  • Est. Date: 1890

Air Quality Conditions

View the Polluted Parks Report

Visibility

Unsatisfactory

Health

Significant Concern

Nature

Significant Concern

Climate Change Threats

  • Wildfire is a climate factor
  • Drought is a climate factor
  • Sea Level Rise is not a climate factor
  • Invasive Species is a climate factor

With its sculpted granite rock formations, towering ancient sequoia trees and spectacular waterfalls, it's no wonder Yosemite is one of the most celebrated national parks in the world.

Seeing the park’s world-famous sights is a transformative experience, from the jaw-dropping El Capitan and Half Dome rising from the valley floor to the plummeting Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls to the enormous trees of Mariposa Grove.

The park also features meadows and streams, forests with diverse tree species, historic buildings, and vast wilderness. Visitors can explore Yosemite Valley by shuttle to see many of the major attractions and hike the park’s famed landscape.

Beyond the valley, visitors can also hike the Hetch Hetchy area to see the High Sierra with its mountain lakes, granite cliff faces and waterfalls.

A First for Public Land

When Abraham Lincoln signed legislation in 1864 establishing a public trust to preserve parts of Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove, it was the first time the U.S. government had ever set aside land for the benefit of the public, although it was not the country's first national park. The land was originally managed by the state of California and did not become a national park until 1890, 18 years after Yellowstone was established.

Updates on Yosemite

  • Press Release

    Interior Cancels Successful Reservation Systems at Arches and Yosemite, Makes Major Changes at Glacier

    Feb 2026

    "Cancelling successful and commonsense solutions undermines National Park Service expertise and the safety of visitors, in favor of a free-for-all approach."–Cassidy Jones, NPCA's Senior Visitation Program Manager

  • Press Release

    Visitors Will Suffer After Yosemite Cancels Popular Reservation System

    Feb 2026

    Visitors to Yosemite 

  • Blog Post

    The U.S. National Park That Bid for the Olympics

    Feb 2026 | By Nicolas Brulliard

    The 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo officially begin Friday, Feb. 6. It’s hard to imagine such a massive event ever taking place in a national park,…

featured_tagtest My Park Story

Greetings from Yosemite National Park

This was my parents' first visit to a National Park in USA! We went to Yosemite National Park in the month of April 2017 from Santa Clara, CA. We rented a cabin to stay for a night! Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful national parks I have…

More about Yosemite

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  • Read more about California's National Parks: Struggling for Clean Air NPCA at Work California's National Parks: Struggling for Clean Air It might come as a surprise that California’s crown jewel national parks — Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree and Yosemite — struggle with some of the dirtiest air of any parks in the nation.
  • Read more about A Ranger Discovered Part of Yosemite’s Untold History. Now It's At Risk of Being Lost Again Blog Post A Ranger Discovered Part of Yosemite’s Untold History. Now It's At Risk of Being Lost Again Dec 2025 | By Nik Moy A dark laundry building in Yosemite underscores who helped build this national park and the National Park System — and the threat to preserving the history of these immigrants. 
  • Read more about 6 Reasons to Keep the 'Roadless Rule' in Place Blog Post 6 Reasons to Keep the 'Roadless Rule' in Place Sep 2025 | By Beau Kiklis, Nik Moy NPCA supports continuation of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule to protect our nation’s forests. See how healthy, roadless national forests benefit national parks, larger ecosystems, and the people and wildlife who enjoy them.  
  • Read more about Our National Parks Are at a Crossroads Blog Post Our National Parks Are at a Crossroads Aug 2025 | By Theresa Pierno, Phil Francis The landmark Great American Outdoors Act funded more than 600 long-overdue repair projects in national parks. Continued investment is needed to finish the rest.
  • I support park because I support park because

    humans need nature--both physically and spiritually. Ecosystem services provide us with things like clean water, clean air, food, and suitable places to live, and the natural ecosystems that provide those services can be sources of inspiration or places of healing, discovery, and growth. National parks preserve these special places so that we, and all of the generations that follow, may always enjoy them. — Aricia

    Read Full Story | Share Twitter twitter logo Facebook facebook logo
  • Read more about Yosemite Introduces Scaled Back Reservation System for Summer 2025 Press Release Yosemite Introduces Scaled Back Reservation System for Summer 2025 Apr 2025 "Last year, over 4 million people visited Yosemite, with a more expansive reservation system in place. Smart planning doesn’t mean fewer people, just a better experience for all” -- NPCA Sierra Nevada Program Manager Mark Rose 
  • Read more about Reclaiming Wahhoga Magazine Article Reclaiming Wahhoga Mar 2025 | By Julia Busiek In 1969, the National Park Service evicted the last Native community from Yosemite National Park. After decades of tireless advocacy, area Tribes are again stewarding a small corner of the park.
  • Read more about Great American Outdoors Act Success Stories Fact Sheet Great American Outdoors Act Success Stories The Great American Outdoors Act is providing crucial funding – up to $6.65 billion over five years – to fix our national parks’ crumbling roads, decaying buildings, outdated water systems and many more repair needs. This bill, along with other funding sources, is ensuring our parks can continue to welcome millions of visitors each year and protect the natural and cultural resources that tell our nation’s history.
  • Read more about Electrifying Parks Magazine Article Electrifying Parks Nov 2022 | By Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan Will national parks build enough electric vehicle charging stations to meet the growing demand? An EV devotee sets out for Yellowstone to get some answers.
  • Read more about 9 Park Success Stories Advocates Made Possible Blog Post 9 Park Success Stories Advocates Made Possible Aug 2022 | By John Garder On the two-year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, parks around the country are seeing big, tangible improvements as a result of this historic bipartisan victory.
  • Read more about Glass Half Full Magazine Article Glass Half Full May 2022 | By Kate Siber A prominent climate scientist offers the gift of science-backed hope.
  • Read more about Federal court sends flawed San Joaquin Valley air pollution plan back to EPA Press Release Federal court sends flawed San Joaquin Valley air pollution plan back to EPA Apr 2022 Appeals court found California state's plan, approved by EPA, did not contain a realistic strategy to reduce pollution
  • Read more about Call in the Wild Magazine Article Call in the Wild Jun 2021 | By Kevin Grange Search and rescue, CPR, a hair-raising ambulance ride. All in a day’s work for a paramedic in Yosemite.
  • Read more about Working to Significantly Reduce Waste at National Parks Resource Working to Significantly Reduce Waste at National Parks We're working to keep our parks cleaner for all of us and you can help!
  • Read more about Don't Feed the Landfills Infographic Don't Feed the Landfills Waste in national parks is an ongoing challenge where on average, nearly 70 million pounds is collected annually. Working with our many partners, we set out to address this mounting issue starting at Denali, Grand Teton and Yosemite National Parks.
  • Read more about What Moves Us Video What Moves Us Why are we drawn to our national parks? What inspires us to explore them—and to return to our favorites again and again? This video reminds us all why we yearn for the paths through our most cherished places... and can't help but to put one foot in front of the other.
  • Read more about Polluted Parks: How Dirty Air is Harming America’s National Parks Report Polluted Parks: How Dirty Air is Harming America’s National Parks “Polluted Parks” graded the pollution-related damage in the 48 national parks required by the Clean Air Act to have the highest possible air quality.
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