![]() However, there are concerns about increasing development outside park boundaries. The entire park is surrounded by four national forests, several adjacent portions of which are designated wilderness areas, thereby providing connectivity with the larger landscape. Approximately 95% of the park is designated wilderness. The property consists of over 300,000 hectares, one of the largest and least fragmented areas in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. ![]() No other area portrays the effects of glaciation on underlying granitic domes as well as Yosemite does. Granitic landforms such as Half Dome and the vertical walls of El Capitan are classic distinctive reflections of geologic history. These geologic features provide a scenic backdrop for mountain meadows and giant sequoia groves, resulting in a diverse landscape of exceptional natural and scenic beauty.Ĭriterion (vii): Yosemite has exceptional natural beauty, including five of the world's highest waterfalls, a combination of granite domes and walls, deeply incised valleys, three groves of giant sequoia, numerous alpine meadows, lakes and a diversity of life zones.Ĭriterion (viii): Glacial action combined with the granitic bedrock has produced unique and pronounced landform features including distinctive polished dome structures, as well as hanging valleys, tarns, moraines and U-shaped valleys. ![]() There is exceptional glaciated topography, including the spectacular Yosemite Valley, a 1 kilometer (1/2 mile) deep, glacier-carved cleft with massive sheer granite walls. Repeated glaciations over millions of years have resulted in a concentration of distinctive landscape features, including soaring cliffs, domes, and free-falling waterfalls. Yosemite National Park vividly illustrates the effects of glacial erosion of granitic bedrock, creating geologic features that are unique in the world. ![]()
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