A wide variety of trees are represented in Yosemite due to the various elevations and forest zones. In the lower elevations, at approximately 1800 feet, you will find the foothill woodland zone. Here it is hot and dry with little snowfall in the winter. You will find mainly blue oak, interior live oak, and gray pine.

Beginning near the 3,000 foot level, one will find the lower mountainous forest zone, which is hot and dry in the summer but cool and moist in winter. The accumulation of several feet of snow during the winter is not uncommon and can stay on the ground for several months. The diversity of tree species found in this zone make this a beautiful and interesting forest to explore. The lower mountainous forests are found along the western boundary of the park and include trees such as California black oak, ponderosa pine, incense-cedar, and white fir. Yosemite’s giant sequoia groves including the Mariposa, Merced, and the Tuolumne Groves are also found within this vegetation zone.

The upper mountainous forest begins at higher elevations near 6,000 feet, where the climate is characterized by short, moist, cool summers and cold, wet winters. Snow begins to fall in November and may accumulate to depths up to six feet and remain until June. Pure stands of red fir and lodgepole pine are typical of this forest. Jeffrey pine, which has bark that smells like vanilla and the picturesque western juniper can also be found in this zone.

The subalpine forest near 8,000 feet, where the climate is cooler with a shorter growing season due to long, cold, and snowy winters, replaces the upper montane forest. Accumulations of three to nine feet of snow are typical. The western white pine, mountain hemlock, and lodgepole pine are found in this forest