In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant that protected the Yosemite Valley in California’s Sierra Nevada from development; 26 years later, Yosemite National Park was established in 1890, another 26 years before the National Park Service was established in 1916. Since then, millions of people have visited the 1,200-square-mile park (in 2015, more than 4.1 million people visited), with its cascading waterfalls, deep valleys, soaring rock walls, sweeping meadows, giant sequoias, vast wilderness areas, hiking and horseback riding trails, rivers and streams for fishing, and so much more. With so much to see and do, we checked in with Luke Holderfield, outdoor recreation manager with Rush Creek Lodge, for tips (in no particular order) to make the most of your visit. Yosemite National Park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
For the complete article, visit USAToday.com/Travel.