Where does the water from Yosemite come from?
Yosemite Creek is entirely fed by melting snow and it drains an area of nearly 50 sq miles. The creek is what supplies the water source for Yosemite Falls, and at peak volume in late spring, a total of 2,400 gallons per second go over the lip of the upper fall.
What river runs through Yosemite?
Merced River
The Merced River was designated as a part of the Wild & Scenic Rivers System in November 2, 1987. From its source on the south side of Mount Lyell at 13,114 feet, through Yosemite Valley, to its end in the Lake McClure Reservoir, the river flows through exceptional scenery.
How a wildfire restored a Yosemite watershed?
student in environmental engineering at UC Berkeley. Her simulations and measurements indicate that small gaps in the tree canopy created by wildfires have allowed more water from snow and rainfall to reach the ground, while also reducing the number of trees competing for water resources.
Is there any water in Yosemite?
Yosemite has a variety of surface water features, some of which are a major attraction for park visitors. The Tuolumne and Merced River systems originate along the crest of the Sierra Nevada in the park and have carved river canyons 3,000 to 4,000 feet deep.
What feeds Merced River?
In the dry season, groundwater provides the only base flow to the river. In addition, the river is fed by dozens of high Sierra lakes, the largest of which include Merced Lake, Tenaya Lake, Ostrander Lake, the Chain Lakes, and May Lake.
Why might Yosemite Park have so many high waterfalls?
Many waterfalls have been created by glaciation where valleys have been over-deepened by ice and tributary valleys have been left high up on steep valley sides. In the glacially gouged Yosemite Valley in California, the Yosemite Upper Falls tumble 436 m (1,430 feet) from such a hanging valley.
Where does Yosemite end?
San Joaquin RiverMerced River / Mouth
Did Yosemite burn down?
Approximately 4,689 acres were burned in the El Portal Administrative Site, Yosemite National Park, and Stanislaus National Forest.
Why are trees burned in Yosemite?
Fire and smoke are as much a part of the Yosemite ecosystem as water and ice. Every year, thousands of lightning strikes occur within park boundaries, igniting vegetation made tinder-dry by Yosemite’s long, hot summers.
Are there swimming holes in Yosemite?
Yosemite National Park offers a range of swimming opportunities—from rivers and lakes to our family-friendly pools, which are the only swimming places in Yosemite with lifeguards. River and lake swimming is at-your-own-risk. Life jackets are strongly recommended—especially for children.
Can I drink Yosemite tap water?
Is your water safe to drink? Our water is perfectly safe to drink, bath and swim in, but we recommend that you bring bottled water for drinking, due to the fact that our water has a high mineral content.
Why is Yosemite dry?
Areas east of the Sierra, like Owens Valley, are drier because this moisture has been “wrung out” as it traverses the range, in an effect called a rain shadow. Yosemite Falls generally peaks in late spring (left), during the snowmelt pulse, and dries up in late summer (right), before fall storms arrive.