Yosemite National Park dots the eastern side of central California It is one of three national parks sitting within the Sierra Nevada range Cutting through these mountains two main rivers divide the park into three parts The Tuolumne River runs through the north The Merced River crosses the south Merced River 6
Tuolumne River Yosemite National Park Merced River California Yosemite National Park 5 miles 5 kilometers 7
Yosemite’s Beginning and Beyond In the 1870s environmentalist John Muir started writing about the need to protect the Yosemite area He continued writing until Congress listened and created a national park in 1890 His view of Yosemite as a temple of granite was not original For generations Native Americans from Miwok tribes had valued the land Miwok 8
