Yosemite National Parks History Of Natural Disasters

Underbrush and pine needles are fuel when lighting strikes in the High Sierras. A Yosemite fire often makes the national news. Most fires occur in the summer and fall months here in Yosemite National Park. The weather is hot and dry and fires can sometimes consume hundreds of acres at a time.

Mother nature always has the final say in how the Yosemite National Park weather plays out. Every so many years, the rains come down and this valley gets flooded. The last major flood here was in 1997. Before that it was 1955. But 1997 was by far the worse flood that Yosemite had ever seen.

A rockslide in Yosemite National Park is not unusual. When chunks of granite fall they close hiking trails, roads, topple hundreds of years old trees and close cabins and campsites down. They happen dozens of times each and every year.

If you get lost in Yosemite, the Yosemite Search And Rescue Team will go on a man hunt to find you. The men and woman on the Yosemite Search and Rescue Team are some of the very best in the world. They are trained extensively to climb and repel the mountains, the waterfalls and the granite cliffs. This team goes on over 200 rescue missions each and every year.

It looks like snow floating in the river...but it's not! Frazil ice is small frozen water crystals or frozen mist from the waterfalls. It resembles slush and it floats on the surface of the water. You will find it in the Yosemite Creek here in Yosemite in the months of March and April. The snow cone build up at lower Yosemite Falls and Frazil Ice are a part of Yosemite National Parks history.

Here are some fun and interesting facts about Yosemite National Park. Take a look and see if you knew any of this information!