Yosemite Valley is a glacier-carved granite trench about 1,200 m above sea level. Toggle the glacial polish bands to see how the ice sheet smoothed the lower walls, and the Yosemite Falls marker on the north wall.
Published figures: valley floor about 1,200 m elevation, about 12 km long and 1.6 km wide; El Capitan rises about 1,100 m above the floor; Half Dome rises about 1,444 m above the floor at Tenaya Canyon; Yosemite Falls drops about 739 m in three tiers.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Everything renders on your device with WebGL.
Yosemite Valley 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows Yosemite Valley in cross-section: a flat, glacier-carved floor about 1,200 m above sea level, El Capitan's sheer granite face rising on the north wall near the west entrance, and Half Dome's rounded-but-sheared profile standing at the valley's eastern head.
The valley's U shape is the signature of repeated Ice Age glaciers: an older, narrower V-shaped river canyon was widened and deepened as ice sheets ground through it, leaving steep, smoothly polished lower walls and a broad, flat floor. The Merced River still winds along that floor today, and the trimline where the old ice surface once stood is still visible on the real cliffs - toggle the glacial polish bands to see the schematic version of that boundary here.
- Toggle the glacial polish bands to compare the smoothed lower walls against the weathered rock above
- Toggle the Yosemite Falls marker on the north wall
- Read valley, El Capitan, Half Dome, and waterfall figures in the panel
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Published value |
|---|---|
| Valley floor | about 1,200 m (4,000 ft) elevation; about 12 km (7.5 mi) long, about 1.6 km (1 mi) wide |
| Valley walls | rise about 900-1,200 m (3,000-4,000 ft) above the floor |
| El Capitan | summit about 2,307 m (7,569 ft); rises about 1,100 m (3,600 ft) above the floor, near the west entrance |
| Half Dome | summit about 2,695 m (8,846 ft); rises about 1,444 m (4,737 ft) above the floor at Tenaya Canyon |
| Yosemite Falls | total drop about 739 m (2,425 ft) in three tiers - the tallest waterfall in the park |
| Protected since | 1864 Yosemite Grant (signed by Lincoln); Yosemite National Park established 1890; UNESCO World Heritage Site 1984 |
For another glacier-shaped landform, open the Perito Moreno Glacier 3D Explorer, or compare a different kind of sheer rock face at the Uluru 3D Explorer.
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached.
This is an educational approximation - the valley profile, cliff placement, and river path are schematic teaching cues, not survey terrain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Yosemite Valley shaped like a U instead of a V?
Repeated Ice Age glaciers ground through an older, narrower V-shaped river canyon, widening and deepening it into today's broad, flat-floored U-shaped trough.
How tall is El Capitan?
Its summit sits about 2,307 m (7,569 ft) above sea level, rising about 1,100 m (3,600 ft) above the valley floor near the west entrance - one of the largest single granite monoliths on Earth.
How much higher is Half Dome than the valley floor?
About 1,444 m (4,737 ft) at Tenaya Canyon, with a summit elevation of about 2,695 m (8,846 ft). Its northwest face is famously sheer and near-vertical.
How tall is Yosemite Falls?
Its total drop is about 739 m (2,425 ft) across three tiers, making it the tallest waterfall in Yosemite National Park.
When was Yosemite Valley first protected?
Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant on June 30, 1864, protecting the valley and the Mariposa Grove under California state trust - an early precedent for the national park idea. Yosemite National Park itself was established in 1890, and the valley became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
Is this a scientific terrain model?
No. It is an educational explorer using published figures - the valley profile, cliff placement, and river path are schematic teaching cues, not survey terrain.