--- title: Vintage Yosemite: Breathtaking Photos of a National Treasure description: Color photos that gloriously support the famous assertion that, collectively, the national parks comprise "America's best idea." canonical: https://time.com/3669035/vintage-photographs-yosemite/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-08T13:53:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:06:11.813Z og:title: Vintage Yosemite: Breathtaking Photos of a National Treasure og:description: Color photos that gloriously support the famous assertion that, collectively, the national parks comprise "America's best idea." og:url: https://time.com/3669035/vintage-photographs-yosemite/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta298cccf5deac20a/69877a062dce0138539dcf80/140626-yosemite-04.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: Yosemite 1962 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Vintage Yosemite: Breathtaking Photos of a National Treasure twitter:description: Color photos that gloriously support the famous assertion that, collectively, the national parks comprise "America's best idea." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta298cccf5deac20a/69877a062dce0138539dcf80/140626-yosemite-04.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Vintage Yosemite: Breathtaking Photos of a National Treasure from 1962 > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Jun 8, 2014 1:53 PM UTC  Children walk on a spit of rocks at Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park, 1962. Children walk on a spit of rocks at Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park, 1962. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Jun 8, 2014 1:53 PM UTC On June 30, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, establishing Yosemite Valley and [Mariposa Grove](http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/mg.htm) as America’s [“first protected wild land for all time,”](http://www.nps.gov/featurecontent/yose/anniversary/about/) while also creating the very first California state park. The Yosemite National Park that we know and love today was not established until October 1890 — but it’s still remarkable to consider that, in the midst of a civil war that threatened to destroy the nation, Congress and Lincoln had the foresight, and the guts, to protect natural treasures, in perpetuity. Here, LIFE.com presents a series of photos made in the park in 1962 by LIFE’s Ralph Crane. Looking at these pictures, one would be hard-pressed to disagree with the famous assertion that, collectively, the national parks comprise [“America’s best idea.”](http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/)  LIFE Magazine  Hiker at Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park, 1962. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Yosemite Valley, a crown jewel of scenic treasure, has been preserved largely because of a pioneer's love half a century ago. Naturalist John Muir fought for a Yosemite National Park so things like the great granite shoulder of El Capitan (left) and Bridalveil Falls could be held in public trust for more than a million annual visitors. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Campers make an early morning breakfast at their site in Yosemite National Park, 1962. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Children walk on a spit of rocks at Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park, 1962. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tourists float on a raft in the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, 1962. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A horseback ride in Yosemite National Park, 1962. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Yosemite Falls at Yosemite National Park, 1962. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Hikers beneath a rainbow formed by mist from Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park, 1962. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park, 1962. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  "Firefall" -- burning hot embers spilled from the top of Glacier Point at Yosemite National Park -- was a nightly tourist attraction for years, until the Park Service ordered the owners of the Glacier Point Hotel to put a stop to the dramatic, but highly unnatural, proceedings. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Father and son (unwisely) feed a deer, Yosemite National Park, 1962. 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