Food for thought! These large pileated woodpeckers were seen foraging on an incense cedar tree in search of ants, beetle larvae, termites, and other insects. Leaning their heads far from the tree and pulling back with their legs, these...

Timelapse showing smoke from the prescribed fire (and a few snowstorms afterward).

Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are the rarest mountain sheep in North America. After the population dropped to around 100 animals in 1995, this unique sub-species was listed as an endangered species. In the spring of 2015, these charismatic...

Can we save the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog from extinction? Human introduced non-native species (fish and fungus) have been causing the frog to go from the most abundant amphibian in the Sierra Nevada to critically endangered....

Since the glaciers retreated around 15,000 years ago, rock fall has been the major force of change in Yosemite Valley. Geologists work to understand this force of nature in order to protect the millions of visitors who come here each year.

El Portal, a small town off Highway 140 on the southwestern boundary of Yosemite National Park, had its humble beginnings in 1885 as a “company town”—mining, logging, railroad, and then tourism. These industries brought not only workers...

From the Milky Way to the moon, the beauty of Yosemite is on display 24 hours per day. During the full moon of the the spring and early summer, lunar rainbows, also known as moonbows, can be seen on many park waterfalls.

There are over 3,000 meadows in Yosemite National Park, but they only cover 3% of the area of the park. They make up for this small percentage by providing habitat for a wide variety of plant and animal species.

Yosemite National Park is famous for its spectacular glacially carved landscape. Although glaciers have come and gone many times in the past, there are still two active glaciers near Yosemite's highest peaks.

From the Milky Way to the moon, the beauty of Yosemite is on display 24 hours a day. During the full moon of the the spring and early summer, lunar rainbows, also known as moonbows, can be seen on many park waterfalls

Hydrologist Jim Roche manages Yosemite's water quality monitoring program and works to protect the park's water resources, including two Wild & Scenic rivers: the Merced and the Tuolumne rivers.

One of the most transformative youth programs in Yosemite is the Adventure Risk Challenge program, an innovative literacy and leadership program for high school youth, linking wilderness to academics, adventure to leadership,...

Throughout the Sierra Nevada, high flat plateaus are found at elevations around twelve and thirteen thousand feet. These isolated sky islands are the home to unique plant communities that are found nowhere else.

Yosemite is trying to send less trash to the local county landfill, which is filling up quickly. You can help!

The Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project seeks to determine the range of Pacific fishers in the Sierra National Forest. To attract and record fishers, scientists placed bait in front of remotely-triggered cameras set to flash at...

“We walk through [a story] as we walk through a forest.” Join storyteller, poet, and former Park Ranger Jay Leeming for a journey through the wild landscape of stories, to the place where the past and future meet in a moment of delight...

A time lapse study of people and nature in Yosemite National Park.

In early spring, Pacific tree frogs (also known as Pacific chorus frogs) gather in Yosemite Valley’s moist meadows, looking for love. When the sun goes down, the party begins. Male frogs call loudly in an effort to attract females,...

Park Ranger Shelton Johnson and National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis encourage you to visit one of America's 393 national parks. (2:53) (Scroll down for more videos)

The 2013 Rim Fire was, at the time, the largest forest fire in California history, and the largest fire in Yosemite history. Burning 400 square miles, the speed and size of the fire was unprecedented. As these unnaturally large fires...

Sitting on the crest of the Sierra Nevada, Tioga Pass is a gateway to Yosemite's past. In 1880, a gold and silver rush erupted here, and miners flocked to Tioga Hill in droves.

Explore the Tuolumne River from its glacial headwaters at 13,000 feet down through Tuolumne Meadows and into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. Scientists and rangers describe the power this river has on the landscape and on the people...

Only a small fraction of career firefighters in the United States are women. The California Conservation Corps and the National Park Service are working together to change that with support from the National Park Foundation. In 2021, six...

Yosemite National Park ranger Shelton Johnson portrays a Buffalo Soldier in this 5.5-minute video (courtesy of Hearst Castle Theater at the San Simeon State Historical Monument in California). In this clip of the theatrical production,...