Natural Features and Ecosystems

Yosemite National Park is home to an awe-inspiring landscape that is grand and majestic. Due to the various ecosystems that are found throughout the park, it is a constant source of interest for geographers, hydrologist and geologists.

Geology

The Yosemite National Park has a glaciated landscape that is adorned with underlying rocks, creating the captivating scenery of the park. The park features a variety of rounded domes, jagged peaks, u-shaped canyons, moraines and waterfalls which create a striking mix of landscape in the park.

Hydrology

The park is home to the tallest waterfall of North America, the Yosemite Falls. The flow of water has shaped the landscape of this area quite significantly while the spring floods have altered the shape of the land quite a few times. A lot of areas of the park feature snowfall during the winter season every year, another important source of water for the falls and connected lakes.

Geography

Understanding the geography of Yosemite National Park is a complex procedure due to the wide area of the park and the extremely varied ecosystems that exist throughout the park. Using complex GIS systems, researchers understand various aspects of the geography that prevails in the park to come up with future management needs and predict outcomes for visitors.

Wilderness

Almost 95% of the total area of the Yosemite National Park is considered to be wilderness, i.e. an area that is unchanged by the people or by any type of construction work. In this area of the park, you would not be able to find roads, cars, electricity or any other modern convenience.