We know the outdoors haven’t always been the most inclusive place, so we’re working to create and support initiatives that celebrate the experiences of underrepresented people and to increase accessibility in the park.
United in Yosemite
United in Yosemite is an annual climbing festival celebrating and elevating folks from historically marginalized backgrounds that climb. United in Yosemite is a project of the American Alpine Club and Yosemite Conservancy, and is hosted by Yosemite National Park.
Improving accessibility
As we rehabilitate trails across Yosemite, we ensure that some of Yosemite’s most iconic views have increased accessibility standards. Keep reading to learn more about how one of our newly completed projects improved the area around Bridalveil Fall.
Cultural and historic preservation
People have lived in and traveled through the area now known as Yosemite National Park for millennia. Human stories are woven deeply into the park’s past and present, including in knowledge and experiences passed down through generations or still waiting to be told. We are sharing and learning from Yosemite’s long human history.
Tribal black oaks
The park’s protected landscape supports an astounding array of wildlife, including more than 400 kinds of mammals, birds, amphibians, fish, and reptiles, and provides a haven for threatened and endangered species. Your support can fund projects to study and protect animals that make their seasonal or year-round homes in Yosemite. We’re studying and saving Yosemite’s diverse wildlife, including many threatened species.
Visitor education
Every year, Yosemite’s world-famous landscape and recreational opportunities draw millions of people from around the globe. We provide education, safety and stewardship programs, and other efforts focused on ensuring all visitors have access to safe, enjoyable, and environmentally sustainable experiences.
For more than 100 years, Yosemite Conservancy has been supporting the conservation of Yosemite’s natural resources and helping people develop deep ties to the park. Thanks to generous donors, in recent years, we have provided more than $162 million in grants to Yosemite for more than 850 projects, and more than $200 million in overall support in the past decade alone, including securing matching funds for major projects and in-kind donations of staffing, services, and park-based programming.
Our supporters have made a difference throughout Yosemite National Park. Their gifts have helped restore hundreds of miles of trails, protect endangered animals and millennia-old trees, inspire tens of thousands of young people, and much more. They’ve funded transformative projects at iconic locations — from classic overlooks to world-famous waterfalls — and enriching programs that help visitors grow into passionate stewards of the natural world.