Yosemite Photos, Video and News

Yosemite National Park Quarter Ready for July 26 Release

Yosemite National Park comprises over 760,000 acres of central California, reaching eastward towards the Sierra Nevada mountain range. While not the first designated site, it was central to the national park idea, thanks to the work done by Galen Clark and John Muir. Clark, along with others, advocated for the area to be protected, which culminated with an Act of Congress which created the Yosemite Grant in 1864. This was the first time federal power was used to protect a wilderness area, providing the precedence to later designate Yellowstone as a National Park. Recent efforts to protect and preserve the natural beauty of the site include the installment of two all-electric buses, as well as plans to restricting gas-powered traffic only to guests registered at Yosemite Valley hotels.

Yosemite National Park Quarter

The Yosemite National Park Quarter reverse shows El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation. It is one of the most popular locations in the park due to its diverse climbing routes and its year-round accessibility. Another rock formation within the park known as the Half Dome appeared with John Muir on the California State Quarter in 2005.