Yosemite Sierra Inn Attractions & Destination Guide

El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granitemonolith extends about 3,000-foot (900 m) from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was named "El Capitan" by the Mariposa Battalion when it explored the valley in 1851. El Capitán ("the captain", "the chief") was taken to be a loose Spanish translation of the local Native American name for the cliff, variously transcribed as "To-to-kon oo-lah" or "To-tock-ah-noo-lah". It is unclear if the Native American name referred to a specific Tribal chief, or simply meant "the chief" or "rock chief". In modern times, the formation's name is often contracted to "El Cap", especially among rock climbers.The top of El Capitan can be reached by hiking out of Yosemite Valley on the trail next to Yosemite Falls, then proceeding west. For climbers, thee challenge is to climb up the sheer granite face; there are many named climbing routes, all of them arduous.

Groveland has always been an important stop on the highway to Yosemite but really grew in the early 1900s with the development of the Tuolumne River Hetch-Hetchy water project for the city of San Francisco. Groveland is adjacent to the Stanislaus National Forest and is known for the historic Iron Door Saloon, the gated community of Pine Mountain Lake which boasts its own local newspaper called The Pine Mountain Lake News and the nursery/gallery/general store Mountain Sage.The community of Big Oak Flat was founded by James D. Savage who began mining the area about 1851. In some works, Savage is credited as discovering the Yosemite Valley about 1848. He is also identified as one of the first persons of European ancestry to enter the valley, (March 27, 1851). Others of European ancestry may have seen the valley as early as 1833.Groveland is also home of the Tioga High School Timberwolves and the Tenaya Elementary Warriors.Groveland was originally a gold rush town and then became a sleepy farming community until the San Francisco Hetch Hetchy water project made it their headquarters and built a railroad yard and hospital for the work crews (both now gone). From 1915 till 1935 Groveland was a boom town supporting seven hotels, 10,000 residents and much activity. When the work crews left the town again became a minor stop on the way to Yosemite until the Boise Cascade company built the Pine Mountain Lake community with a first class golf course, an airport and lake and staked out 5000 lots. This development has since grown from a summer home area to a retirement community to a thriving neighborhood with year round families, boosting the once sleepy Groveland to a travel and vacation destination in its own right.Groveland is the main town on the Highway 120 route to Yosemite National Park, and boasts numerous lodging and restaurant businesses. The local Community Park features picnic tables, BBQ pits, a skate park and basketball court area, children's playground, bandstand and lawn seating for music and summer Movies in the Park events, public toilets and parking, and the Groveland Museum and Library. There is free Wireless Internet in the park area, provided by a joint effort between Hotel & Cafe Charlotte and the Groveland Community Services District.In addition to lodging and eateries, local businesses include a Grocery Market, Pharmacy, Medical Clinic, Emergency Services, Fire Department headquarters, and many boutique gift shops. There are places to buy tire chains in the winter, as well as snow shoes and other winter equipment, plus camping and backpacking supplies during the summer months. Local tour guide companies offer custom "they drive you" trips into Yosemite Valley, and local White Water Rafting companies offer trips on the Tuolumne River nearby.

Half Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar rock formation.  The granite crest rises more than 4,737 ft (1,444 m) above the valley floor.  Half Dome is nearly as whole as it ever was. The impression from the valley floor that this is a round dome which has lost its northwest half is an illusion. From Glacier Point or from Washburn Point, Half Dome can be seen as a thin ridge of rock oriented northeast-southwest, with its southeast side almost as steep as its northwest side except for the very top. Although the trend of this ridge, as well as that of Tenaya Canyon, is probably controlled by master joints, 80 percent of the northwest "half" of the original dome may well still be there.

Hetch Hetchy Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in California. It is currently completely flooded by O'Shaughnessy Dam, forming the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The Tuolumne River fills the reservoir. Upstream from the valley lies the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. The reservoir supplies the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct. The damming of the valley in the 1920s, and the creation of a reservoir, were at the time, and since, a major environmental controversy in the Western United States.The Hetch Hetchy Road drops into the valley at the O'Shaughnessy Dam, but all points east of there are roadless, and accessible only to hikers and equestrians.

Mariposa Grove  is a sequoia grove located near Wawona, California, United States, in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. It is the largest grove of Giant Sequoias in the park, with several hundred mature examples of the tree. Two of its trees are among the 25 largest Giant Sequoias in the world. The Mariposa Grove was first visited by non-natives in 1857 when Galen Clark and Milton Mann found it. They named the grove after Mariposa County, California, where the grove is located. The Giant Sequoia named Grizzly Giant is between probably 1900–2400 years old: the oldest tree in the grove.  In 1932, park officials claimed it as the fifth largest (by volume) tree in the world, but other trees were subsequently found to be larger. It has a volume of 34,010 cubic feet (963 m3), and is counted as the 25th largest tree in the world. It is 210 feet (64 m) tall, and has a heavily buttressed base with a basal circumference of 28 m (92 ft) or a diameter of 30 feet (9.1 m); above the buttresses at 2.4 m above ground, the circumference is only 23 m. Grizzly Giant's first branch from the base is 2 m (6 ft) in diameter. Another tree, the Wawona Tree, had a tunnel cut through it in the nineteenth century that was wide enough for horse-drawn carriages and early automobiles to drive through. Weakened by the large opening at its base, the tree fell down in a storm in 1969. Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress on June 30, 1864 ceding Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley to the state of California. Criticism of stewardship over the land led to the state's returning the grove to federal control with the establishment of Yosemite National Park. The Mariposa Grove Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Welcome to Beautiful Pine Mountain Lake19228 Pine Mountain DriveGroveland, CA 95321(209)962-8600Discover Pine Mountain Lake. Many of our facilities including our 18 hole Championship Golf Course, Restaurant & Lounge, Stables and Campground are open to the public. We are a unique private community close to Yosemite National Park, nestled into the natural landscape of the pines, oaks and mountains of Tuolumne County, Groveland, CA.Pine Mountain's lake consists of 202 surface acres with 6 miles of it being shoreline. Lakefront homeowners may have their own access to floating docks, beaches and sea walls. Other homeowners can enjoy the lake from one of three swimming beaches, picnicking and fishing areas. They are the Main Marina, Dunn Court Beach, the Lake Lodge and from Fisherman's Cove (fishing only). A water taxi shuttle operates between the four locations during the summer.The Marina store is located conveniently at the Marina. Aside from taking care of boat registrations, launching, and docking, owners and guests can enjoy various types of boat rentals. The Marina Lakeside Café is open daily from May through September.Pine Mountain Lake also offers a premier championship Gold Country Golf Course. It is available for public play and tournaments. After a long day on the greens, everyone can enjoy The Grill Restaurant and 19th Hole Lounge since they are open to the public. Other activities include tennis courts, a heated swimming pool, a full service Equestrian Center that offers trail rides, special excursions, play days, and children's horse camps, along with total care stalls, corrals, and paddock rentals for your horse. The Equestrian Center is open to the public.Campground sites are available for property owners, guests and the general public. There are also many hiking and walking trails.The airport at Pine Mountain Lake is owned and operated by Tuolumne County. On-site facilities include fuel and parking.  While Pine Mountain Lake is home to many full-time and part-time residents, vacation rentals are available to the public through local property management offices.