Greetings from Yosemite National Park

There is little that compares to the tranquility of the ending day in Yosemite’s Wilderness. The whispering of soft breezes through the limbs of the trees and the filtered, low-angle light reflecting like jewels on the rippling surfaces of alpine lakes, give me a sense of peace like few other things on this earth. These are experiences I have been fortunate enough to have in National Parks since my first backpacking trip at the age of 10 in Grand Teton. My first Park job took me to Denali where my eyes were opened to the vastness of the Alaskan landscape and the true wildness of untrammeled country. After five summers exploring and learning from some of the most challenging and beautiful landscapes I have seen, my Park career took me south to Yosemite. Here I continued to explore Wild places, but began to feel a deep desire to share these experiences with young people that, for whatever reason, do not have access to them. Since 2007, I have been working in collaboration with a variety of youth serving organizations and institutions to break down barriers and create meaningful opportunities for youth to engage in their National Parks. I feel this work as a great honor and a also a great responsibility: to share the places that have given me so much with the young people that will become the next generation of constituents, leaders and stewards of Parks and Wild places.

Sincerely,
Jesse

Yosemite National Park

With its sculpted granite rock formations, towering ancient sequoia trees and spectacular waterfalls, it's no wonder Yosemite is one of the most celebrated national parks in the world.

State(s): California

Established: 1890

National parks represent the best of America. Why do you care about protecting and preserving them? Tell us why parks matter to you!

{{ active ? "Cancel" : "Begin"}}

Success! Thanks for sharing your story with us.

You’ll be notified by email when your story is approved and added to the collection on the My Park Story homepage.

In the meantime, you can share your own story page with your family and friends — and help us spread the word about these priceless memories and priceless places!

Here’s your unique story page link:

{{ storyUrl }}

* indicates Required fields

Click to choose a file to upload

Submitting your story means that you agree to our Terms of Service

More Stories

  • Greetings from Yosemite National Park

    We introduced our daughter to Yosemite National Park when she was 10 years old and the park instantly became her favorite place to go to. We have been a regular visitor of the park since 2012, we did several hikes (easy and hard), broke my leg on one of the…

  • Greetings from Yosemite National Park

    There are pictures of me sitting by Vernal Falls when I was eight. The funny thing is, I don't have a single memory of that hike. So, when my parents told me we were going to Yosemite National Park over the summer, I was excited to experience its magnificence again.…

  • Greetings from Yosemite National Park

    My parents divorced when I was a toddler but I still got to benefit from their shared love for the outdoors. My mom moved us to Northern California when I was 8 and I'll never forget my first visit to Yosemite where we camped for several days. I vividly remember…

Donate

Preserve Our Parks

Make a tax-deductible gift today to provide a brighter future for our national parks and the millions of Americans who enjoy them.

Donate Now