Yosemite Falls: Upper and Lower 2004

Yosemite Falls provides one of the most spectacular views in Yosemite National Park. Together, the Upper and Lower Falls plunge 2425 feet to the Valley floor, the tallest waterfall in North America. Yosemite Falls is at its most magnificent in spring when the winter snow melt is at its height.

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, it is America's first national park. Located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, it is home to a large variety of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk. Preserved within Yellowstone National Park are Old Faithful and a collection of the world's most extraordinary geysers and hot springs, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Angel Fall

Yosemite National Park

The geology of the Yosemite area is characterized by granitic rocks and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and then tilted to form its relatively gentle western slopes and the more dramatic eastern slopes. The uplift increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in formation of deep, narrow canyons. About 1 million years ago, snow and ice accumulated, forming glaciers at the higher alpine meadows that moved down the river valleys. Ice thickness in Yosemite Valley may have reached 4,000 feet (1200 m) during the early glacial episode. The downslope movement of the ice masses cut and sculpted the U-shaped valley.