Yosemite National Park is one of the gems in the NPS inventory of parks. And Yosemite Valley is the park's centerpiece, thrilling over 100 million visitors since John Muir visited in the late 1800s. The valley stretches out for seven miles in the midst of California's Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. A half dozen creeks tumble from the three to four thousand foot high granite cliffs that surround the valley floor, creating some of the highest falls in the world. Yosemite falls combines three sections for a total drop of 2,425 feet. This unusual reflective view was only possible when a spring thaw flooded the valley floor, composing an enchanting falls setting, mirrored in the temporary pool below.
During the height of the Civil War in the country's east, Thomas Starr King and Frederick Law Olmsted convinced Senator John Conness of California to negotiate the preservation of Yosemite. These efforts lead President Lincoln to sign the preservation bill on June 30, 1864. Homesteading claims and a flood of tourists challenged the park guardians for the next 40 years.