Wonderful Photos of Yosemite National Park in the Late 1960s

Yosemite National Park is a national park in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers 759,620 acres (1,187 sq mi; 3,074 km2) in four counties – centered in Tuolumne and Mariposa, extending north and east to Mono and south to Madera.

Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity. Almost 95 percent of the park is designated wilderness. Yosemite is one of the largest and least fragmented habitat blocks in the Sierra Nevada.

Its geology is characterized by granite and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and tilted to form its unique slopes, which increased the steepness of stream and river beds, forming deep, narrow canyons. About one million years ago glaciers formed at higher elevations. They moved downslope, cutting and sculpting the U-shaped Yosemite Valley.

These wonderful photos were found by Past of a Stranger that show Yosemite National Park in 1969.

Big Trees Museum (Galen Clarks Cabin), Yosemite National Park, 1969

Cathedral Spires, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Deer and Giant Sequoias, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Firefall, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Forest Path, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Hall Dome from Foot Bridge, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Hall Dome from Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Hall Dome from Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, 1969

High Country from Washburn Point, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Jeffrey Dome, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Meadow in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Mirror Lake (Tenaya Creek), Yosemite National Park, 1969

Sunrise over Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Superintendent’s Bridge on Merced River, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Upper Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Upper Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Valley View with Merced River, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Wawona Tunnel Tree, Yosemite National Park, 1969

Wawona Tunnel, Yosemite National Park, 1969