Yosemite Valley
Often called "The Incomparable Valley," Yosemite Valley may be the world's best known example of a glacier-carved canyon. The dramatic scale of its leaping waterfalls, rounded domes, massive monoliths, and towering cliffs has inspired painters, poets, photographers, and millions of visitors.

The Valley's sheer walls and flat floor evolved as alpine glaciers lumbered through the canyon of the Merced river. The ice carved through the weaker granite rock but left harder portions such as El Capitan and Cathedral Rocks intact.

Today Yosemite Valley is a mosaic of woodlands and open meadows sprinkled with wildflowers and flowering shrubs. Black bears, mule deer, and monarch butterflies abound, along with a multitude of other Sierran wildlife species.

The waterfalls around the Valley's perimeter flow the strongest in May and June, and can be dry by fall.

Permit Information
Backcountry permits are available at the Valley Visitor Center, The Wilderness Center (next to the Ansel Adams Gallery), and at wilderness permit stations. Phone: (209)372-0200.

Directions
Yosemite Valley can be reached via Highway 41 from Fresno, Highway 140 from Merced, Highway 120 from Manteca, and in late spring through late fall via Highway 120 from Lee Vining.

Information Center
The Valley Visitor Center is located in Yosemite Village just west of the main post office, near bus stops #6 and #9.

Activities