Author: Department of the Interior

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2017-10-21

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 9780282833237

Excerpt from Sketch of Yosemite National Park and an Account of the Origin of the Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy Valleys Many people believe that the Yosemite National Park consists principally of the Yosemite Valley and its bordering heights. The name of the park, indeed, would seem to justify that belief, yet noth ing could 'be further from the truth. The Yosemite Valley, though by far the grandest feature of the region, occupies only a small part of the tract. The famous valley measures but a scant 7 miles in length; the park, on the other hand, comprises no less than square miles, an area slightly larger than the State of Rhode Island, or about one-fourth as large as Connecticut. Within this area lie scores of lofty peaks and noble mountains, as well as many beautiful valleys and profound canyons; among others, the Hetch Hetchy Valley and the Tuolumne Canyon, each scarcely less wonderful than the Yosemite Valley itself. Here also are foaming rivers and cool, swift trout brooks; countless emerald lakes that reflect the granite peaks about them; and vast stretches of stately forest, in which many of the famous giant trees of California still survive. The Yosemite National Park lies near the crest of the great alpine range of California, the Sierra Nevada. To the initiated this fact in itself means a great deal, for the Sierra Nevada is a land not only of scenic wonders, but of marvelous climate - a climate paralleled by that of few mountain regions elsewhere in the world. It has a climate of sunshine and serene skies; dry, but not too dry; in summer warm but not uncomfortably warm; withal characterized by nights that are cool, even frosty at the higher levels. The winters are cold enough to insure a snowfall of 2 to 4 feet in the lowest valleys and to maintain perpetual ice fields and glaciers on the highest crests. One goes to the Yosemite region not merely to admire its cliffs and waterfalls, nor to walk through the aisles of its great forests, but to revel in the full enjoyment of these wonders in the pure, invigorating air and the restful calm that reigns from day to day. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.