Visitor Services in Yosemite

A Class Act: Enhancing Park Stewardship for the Class of 2016

Students celebrate special park service milestones and learn about their public lands.

Inspiring the next generation of park stewards starts now. Through this project, environmental-education programs are being brought to schools in Yosemite’s gateway communities, connecting underserved youth to the legacy of national parks at a vital time in their academic progress.

The key events and histories associated with the anniversaries of the Yosemite Grant, Wilderness Act and the National Park Service serve as teaching tools to engage youth with these important milestones. Hundreds of students participate in ranger-led education programs that celebrate and recognize the value of public lands. Many youth participants will go on to volunteer in restoration projects, visitor services or events in their communities.

By establishing strong relationships with local schools, we are building a long-term plan to create relevancy and enhance stewardship of public lands.

Partnering with Yosemite National Park, NatureBridge and additional Yosemite gateway youth programs.

Adventure to Leadership: Youth Development Program with ARC

Youth find educational success and empowerment through wilderness retreats.

Now in its fourth year in Yosemite, this unique program continues to transform the lives of underserved youth from Central Valley communities.

During a series of year-round weekend retreats and a 40-day summer immersion in the park, Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC) program participants are mentored through a range of academic and physical activities, including backpacking, hiking, rock-climbing and wilderness solos. They also focus on English, team-building, public speaking and environmental science through ongoing tutoring.

Working closely with their University of California, Merced, student mentors, ARC high school–age participants learn that going to college or pursuing a career in national parks are tangible dreams, and many are on track to fulfilling their goals. For example, ARC participants maintain a minimum 90 percent passing rate of the California High School Exit Exam and a 70 percent college-enrollment rate as a result of after-school tutoring and academic classes.

With your continued support, we are building the next generation of park stewards.

Partnering with Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC), University of California, Berkeley, University of California Merced, and Yosemite National Park.

Excerpt from: Just Call Me Carpenter Ant

by Jesus A. (age 17)

Dos Palos, Calif.

I am an ant

A leader

A community of one

Unstoppable

Even when the winds of discrimination

Blow against me

I look small

But I take down huge trees

Watch Youth in Yosemite videos to hear from former participants.

Ask a Climber

Visitors learn about Yosemite climbers.

Many of us have marveled at climbers making their way up the vertical granite face of El Capitan and are awed by their skill and courage. These brave athletes inspire many unanswered questions: Do climbers eat and sleep along the way? Who were the first people to climb this wall?

In 2013, Yosemite Conservancy is funding a program led by the Yosemite Climbing Association. Park visitors have the opportunity to speak with local climbing experts seven days a week near the base of El Capitan (near the shuttle stop) during the summer season. Telescopes will be available so visitors can have a closer look, while experts provide real-time commentary. This year, climber-steward interns are educating visitors and climbers about Leave No Trace (LNT) practices.

Your support is behind these efforts to educate visitors about rock-climbing and climber stewardship.

Partnering with Yosemite National Park and the Yosemite Climbing Association.

Learn More About Restoring Popular Climbing Trails

Restoring Popular Climbing Trails

Buffalo Soldiers in Yosemite Film

Yosemite's cultural history comes to life.

The story of Buffalo Soldiers in Yosemite is deeply linked to the park’s cultural history, and now thousands of people are getting the chance to see and hear more about it. Park ranger Shelton Johnson portrays the life of a Buffalo Soldier in Yosemite and lends a voice to this hidden history while connecting a diverse audience to the park.

Filming began in 2011 and continued through 2012, with the final 45-minute film scheduled for completion during the summer of 2013. Beautiful high country footage provides the backdrop for accurate portrayals of horses and camp situations as experienced by the Buffalo Soldiers.

Through the continuing presence of diverse stories and media, Yosemite remains a national leader in multicultural outreach and education. Thank you for your commitment to ensuring this place remains a treasure and a tribute to all who have helped shape it.

Partnering with Yosemite National Park, SnowCreek Consort Films, Red’s Meadows Packers, Los Banos Buffalos and Steven Bumgardner.

Junior Ranger Program

Engaging future stewards though Junior Ranger programs.

In 2013, an expanded Junior Ranger program is allowing even more children to participate and learn about the natural world. More Junior Ranger programs will be offered in Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows, and the program is being expanded into Wawona and Glacier Point during the busy summer season.

These programs encourage outdoor exploration, as well as a love of national parks and a healthy lifestyle from an early age. By participating in ranger-led nature walks and completing environmental-activity workbooks, kids can earn their Junior Ranger badge. This year, plastic badges are being replaced with sustainably produced wooden badges that will serve as a model for other national parks.

Thanks to your continued support, there are more programs, more rangers and more children learning about and connecting with the outdoors and Yosemite.

Partnering with Yosemite National Park.

New Trail Information Panels: Yosemite Valley Visitor Center

Visitors find their way through new signage.

Most visitors to Yosemite come for a day trip and need quick and easy access to popular day hikes or sightseeing information in the Valley.

New, large, comprehensive, three-dimensional trail-information panels will provide this one-stop orientation for visitors. Located on the busy pedestrian area in front of the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, these easy-to-read panels will provide quick answers to the most common day-trip questions, including the mileage and difficulty of popular trails, points of interest and safety information.

Park staff and volunteers are always happy to assist with additional questions, but with FAQs answered through these new panels, visitors will experience shorter lines at the Visitor Center and more time exploring the beautiful Valley.

Your support allows visitors to have a more enjoyable trip to the park.

Partnering with Yosemite National Park.

Dayhikes

Day Hikes

Staff Picks

Parks in Focus: Youth Photography Program

Underserved youth connect with nature and build skills.

Parks in Focus provides opportunities for underserved middle-school youth from the San Francisco Bay Area to learn about nature through photography. For many youth, this might be their first visit to Yosemite, their first hike, their first campsite and their first photography lesson. This experience culminates in a photography exhibit at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite Valley.

In 2013, the program is being expanded to accommodate more youth. In addition to a five-day summer immersion trip to Yosemite, students also participate in year-round programs focused on science, nature and outdoor activities. By introducing kids to nature through a camera lens, more youth are being inspired to be healthy-lifestyle role models for their communities.

Thanks to your support, these kids have a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience, giving them a new passion and confidence to make the outdoors part of their lives.

Partnering with Yosemite National Park, Udall Foundation and Ansel Adams Gallery.

Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series

Art & science subjects explored in high country setting.

Located at the northern edge of Tuolumne Meadows, Parsons Memorial Lodge has been hosting a popular summer series since 1992. In July and August, visitors are welcome to join in the many diverse programs offered. The setting (reached via an easy walk through the meadow) is unique; the lodge is one of the earliest rustic stone buildings in a national park and was an important forerunner of National Park Service architecture.

Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series presents speakers ranging from artists and philosophers to research scientists, naturalists and historians. In 2012, the lineup included “Tiny Botanical Treasures of Tuolumne” and the “16th Annual Tuolumne Meadows Poetry Festival.”

With your support, this popular program gives all visitors the opportunity to connect to the park and learn something new in a unique setting.

Partnering with Yosemite National Park.

Restoring the Boulder Garden at Happy Isles

Restoring natural habitat at Happy Isles.

Visitors embarking on Yosemite’s iconic hikes to Half Dome, Nevada Fall or Vernal Fall on the John Muir Trail begin their journey through a boulder garden draped in dark green mosses. Unfortunately, the first half mile has been repeatedly vandalized with etchings of initials, words and symbols into the mosses, exposing the bare granite underneath.

This project is improving the visitor experience by restoring the boulder garden and allowing hikers to experience a more natural, undisturbed wilderness setting. Student groups are helping to identify techniques to encourage moss growth. This provides an opportunity for youth to learn about protecting natural resources. Temporary informational signs will be installed to discourage future vandals, and informative fact sheets are being created.

With your help, we are increasing wilderness value for visitors and restoring beautiful moss and lichen communities.

Partnering with Yosemite National Park and NatureBridge.

Restoring Yosemite’s Iconic Scenic Vistas

Iconic vistas preserved for visitor enjoyment.

Visitors from around the world come to Yosemite to experience the majestic landscapes. Many people take a scenic drive to see the park’s most famous icons from well-known viewpoints such as Tunnel View or Glacier Point. These scenic vistas connect visitors to the beauty and majesty of the park and create wonderful memories in the process.

This project will re-establish key scenic vistas, according to the park’s Scenic Vista Management Plan, by opening up 10 sites where encroaching vegetation has obscured the once-marvelous views. Opening up these vistas gives visitors greater access to safer and environmentally sound locations from which to enjoy the grandeur of Yosemite. These new scenic viewpoints will reduce the need to leave established areas and stop visitors from unintentionally creating social trails and putting themselves in danger.

Together, we are increasing the diversity of scenery and making your visitor experience more memorable.

Partnering with Yosemite National Park.

Read About More Scenic Viewing Areas

Restoring Scenic Viewing Areas 1997-2009

A Class Act: Enhancing Park Stewardship for the Class of 2016