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 the majesty of El Capitan and the glorious Bridalveil Falls. I remember the trees. The enormous amount of trees. That is the trip that single handedly gave me my own love of nature. I remember studying John Muir in school, even wrote a book report about him. We continued exploring the area for the following 4 years, heading to the ocean, Monterey Bay and the Sequoias. We even lived in the Sierra Nevada Mountains for 2 years. Those places are amazing in their own right but Yosemite is different. It stays inside you, shapes you, grounds you. I moved back to the Chicago area when I was 12. After high school, I took a pause in visiting the parks while life happened but would visit occasionally as finances and time allowed over the years. Now, things have changed. If there is anything positive about the pandemic, it brought nature back to the forefront for me. I visited my local preserves 2-3 times a week, even through the winter. I have always gone when I needed the break, searched for re-grounding or to release some stress but this past year has been different. It’s a part of me again. I find myself reflecting on and being so thankful for my short time at Yosemite 40 years ago. How it has stuck with me after all of these years. There’s a spark again. My family and I will leave for a trip to GSMNP next week which I plan to be the first of many as I teach my own kids about the gifts of these parks. Someday I’ll get back to Yosemite, where it all started.

Sincerely,
Christina

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

“While Yosemite was my first experience, it wouldn't be my last. My dad had moved to Colorado and I spent my summers and holidays with him there from the age of 10. We spent weeks on end at RMNP, he adored that place and I grew to love it. I imagine that was his Yosemite as it was for me. It gave him a kind of peace that I could even sense as a kid. I support the parks because of their natural healing abilities. Their non-discriminatory accessibility. Their infinite availability. Most of all, we owe it to the people who worked so hard to preserve them for me, for my kids and generations to come. ”

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

    I don't have a photo so you will have to use your imagination. Our oldest son was 3 and it was his second camping trip. This was in late September. We had never been to Yosemite so we were very excited. It was dusk when we pulled into the Valley…

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