One of the crown jewels of the National Park System, Yosemite National Park is a must see for the camper, backpacker, or anyone who appreciates the outdoors. Yosemite National Park is located in the central Sierra Nevada of California and lies 150 miles east of San Francisco and only a six-hour drive from Los Angeles. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, and biological diversity.