Yosemite National Park

The drive on Highway 120 runs from the eastern to western side of Yosemite National Park and is only open in the summer. This road goes through the four major geographic areas: High Sierra, Granite Cliffs, Sequoia Groves and the Valley.

The High Sierra is a mountain landscape that was carved by glaciers. This high elevation region is the home to Yellow-bellied Marmots, Pika and the Clark's Nutcracker.

The Granite Cliffs are where the sport of rock climbing was born and is still a destination today. The most famous climbs are El Capitan, a vertical rock formation that extends about 3,000-feet from base to summit along its tallest face and Half Dome, the crest of which rises 4,737 ft above the valley floor.

The Giant Sequoia Tree make up the Sequoia Groves zone and contain trees that can live to be 2,000 years old and have trunks up to 25' thick. This tree needs fire to reproduce and the park has many controlled burns throughout the seaso to benefit this forest.

The Valley contains the rivers, meadows and water-loving shrubs and trees that support life here. Common animals in the Valley are Black Bear, Mule Deer and Acorn Woodpeckers along with a host of wildflowers such as Lupine and Fireweed.