The early trails of Yosemite largely followed those of the Miwok and Paiute natives who traveled routes into Yosemite Valley and across the Sierra Nevada Mountains to trade. Their primary routes were the northern and southern branches of the Mono Trail. Sheep ranchers brought their flocks into Yosemite's high meadows from both the east and west following one of the branches of the Mono trail. Troops from the U.S. Calvary detachment stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco were assigned the seasonal duty of protecting the newly established Yosemite National Park beginning in 1891. The calvary was instrumental in building Yosemite's early trail system - first in response to sheep incursions in the region surrounding the park and then to expand the system for visitor use. Early visitors finished their trip into the valley on horseback down either the Pohono or Oak Flat trails.
Open the Early Trails story map. Explore the trails both geographically and in the words of explorers and visitors.
1) You can use the scale bar at the bottom of the map to estimate distance in miles along any path on the map. Just click on the bar to switch from kilometers to miles. Estimate the distance traveled by Yosemite natives across the northern part of the Mono Trail.
2) The first trip across the Sierras by European explorers was led by Joseph Walker and described by Zenias Leonard, a member of the party. The Joseph Walker layer in the map is a “best guess” about the path these explorers took based on the limited, and sometimes contradictory clues, in Leonard’s text. Follow along the Walker route on the map. Assuming that the map is reasonably accurate explain where the Walker party would most likely have seen into the Merced River Canyon of which Yosemite Valley is a part.
3) The entry of Major Savage's group into Yosemite Valley was recorded in the journal of the company's doctor, Lafayette H. Bunnell.
The doctor described the company's descent into Yosemite Valley down the Pohono Trail, opposite El Capitan, on the trail pictured in the Thomas Hill painting above. Imagine that you were part of the first company of Europeans to descend into Yosemite Valley. Use the various map tools, the Bunnell journal, and Hill's painting and write your own description of the descent from the rim of Yosemite Valley to the valley floor.
4) The second expedition into Yosemite during the Mariposa Indian Wars was led by Captain John Bowling. Boling's group entered the valley to find that the Yosemite Indians had fled to the northeast across the Sierras. Turn the Mariposa Indian War layer in the map and zoom in on the trails to use as you read Captain Boling's report of his pursuit of the native group from Yosemite Valley to Tenaya Lake.
Use the map and write your own short report describing the route up out of valley to the lake discussing the topography of the route. Include descriptions of the terrain, highlights of the geography along the way, elevation gain, and distances involved. Remember, you can zoom in and use the map controls to move across the Yosemite terrain following Captain Bolling.
5) Today tourists enter Yosemite Valley by car or bus where formerly they came by horse drawn stage and before that on horseback or on foot. Select the Early Tourist Routes and read James M. Hutchings’ description of the first tourist party he led into Yosemite Valley along the Coulterville Road through Crane Flat and down the into the valley in 1859.
Hutchins says that the party rode nine miles from Crane Flat before coming to the “Stand-Point of Silence.” Use the map and compare the descent from the “Stand-Point of Silence” to the valley floor with Hutchin's' description.
6) John Muir was the first to write about the use of the high meadows surrounding Yosemite Valley as summer range for sheep based on his experience as a shepherd in his first summer in the Sierras in 1869. By the 1890s overgrazing posed a serious threat to the Yosemite watershed. Calvary units operating out of headquarters in Wawona and from patrol stations throughout the Yosemite region tried to eliminate the practice. Display the Calvary Trails layer in the map and open the Calvary reading to see the May 5, 1898 article from the New York Times describing the situation.
Imagine that troops from the 4th Calvary caught up with you and your sheep in Virginia Canyon. You are led west out of the park on the trail north of the Tuolumne River Canyon and your sheep north out of the park where they are turned loose. How far back across the park do you have to travel in the effort to gather your flock? How long do you suppose the trip would take on foot?