More than 120 color photographs depict this jewel of the Sierra Nevada.

The beauty and the grandeur of Yosemite National Park beckon 4.1 million visitors each year. Some are rock climbers, come to challenge Yosemite’s granite. Some, en route to the backcountry, come for solitude. But by far the greatest number come to experience the view from the valley. Author Kenneth Brower details the captivating variety of Yosemite’s plants and animals. He chronicles how rivers of ice shaped the valley and relates the saga of the park through its first one hundred years. Despite concerns about crowds of visitors straining park resources, Brower remains optimistic. He writes, The message of Yosemite is not how badly the park is run, but how well.