  Constant improvement of the roads makes Yosemite more and more readily accessible. Every class of accommodation is provided for the comfort of the tourist. But the National Park Service has carried the idea of service to a still higher point in providing a free nature-guide service. In other words, the visitor is encouraged to avail himself of the offices of an interpreter in the form of a trained ranger-naturalist who can answer his questions and reveal the many fascinations of nature which abound on every side. To enjoy fully a national-park trip, one must learn to read the trails. During the summer season a splendid program of lectures and nature-guide service is offered to visitors. One should plan to take advantage of the lectures and trips listed below which are available only during the long summer season. During winter months the modified program consists mainly of lectures at the hotels and the museum. The more the visitor knows about the park and its wildlife the more he will enjoy his stay. This service is maintained by the Government and is free to the public. Nature walks from Camp Curry each morning (except Sunday). Special bird walks at 8 o’clock each Wednesday morning. Auto caravans each day at 9:30 a. m. and 2 p. m. (except Sunday) to points of special interest on the floor of the Valley. These start from museum, visitors using their own cars. Each day (except Sunday) there is an all-day hike to Glacier Point, Vernal and Nevada Falls, Eagle Peak, Tenaya Canyon, or Half Dome. At the evening camp-fire program at Government Camp No. 14, Camp Curry, Yosemite Lodge, and the Ahwahnee Hotel there are short talks on wildlife. Short talks on the geology of Yosemite Valley are given several times each morning and afternoon in the museum. Each week a naturalist leads a party on a 7-day hike into the spectacular high mountain region of the park, starting from Happy Isles at 7:30 o’clock each Monday morning. Make reservations in advance at the museum. A junior nature school for children is conducted during the summer. The bears are fed every evening at 9:30 o’clock at the bear pits, and a short talk is given on animal life of the Yosemite. Groups or organizations may procure the services of a naturalist by applying to the park naturalist at the museum. MUSEUMThe park museum, in New Village, a gift to the Nation from the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, is a spacious and appropriately designed building in which are housed a large number of exhibits loaned or contributed by park enthusiasts. These exhibits are appropriately displayed in rooms devoted to the following major fields: Geology, birds and animals, Indian history, trees, and flowers. The museum grounds have recently been beautified by plantings of native wild flowers and shrubs, a project made possible by a gift from Marjorie Montgomery Ward. Flower lovers will find this garden a great aid in identifying flowers that they have seen along the roads and trails. An Indian exhibit is conducted back of the museum daily during the summer by inhabitants of the local Indian village. The museum also contains a library well supplied with scientific and historical books and periodicals, all of which are available to visitors. Naturalists at the museum are at the service of the public to answer questions and to instruct regarding the park and its wildlife. In late spring azaleas grow in profusion in Yosemite Valley. YOSEMITE FIELD SCHOOL OF NATURAL HISTORYA 7 weeks’ course in field study of Sierra Nevada natural history is offered by the Yosemite educational staff to students who have completed at least 2 years of college work. Emphasis is placed upon field methods, and the course is designed to avoid duplication of work offered in universities and colleges. RANGER-NATURALIST OUTPOSTThe development of the park areas above the rim has inevitably brought with it the establishment of branch-museum and ranger-naturalist service at several focal points of interest. The Glacier Point Lookout is located on the most famed scenic point on the rim. Powerful binoculars enable visitors to bring the Sierra’s great peaks to their very feet. A flower show is maintained, and a ranger-naturalist on duty conducts a service of field trips and lectures which correlate with those offered from the Yosemite Museum. At Mariposa Grove the old log cabin originally built by Galen Clark and replaced by the State in 1885 has been reconstructed. This is now equipped as a museum telling the complete story of the Big Trees. A ranger-naturalist is stationed here to lecture, make guide trips to famous trees, sell publications, and give accurate information. At Tuolumne Meadows a ranger-naturalist is stationed during July and August to conduct field trips, organize more strenuous mountain-climbing expeditions, keep up an exhibit of local interest, and lecture at evening camp fires. Guide maps, and topographical maps may be obtained from the ranger-naturalists, who will be glad to assist visitors desiring to know more about the park. |
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