Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984, the 1,200-square-mile Yosemite Park (three and a half hours east of San Francisco) is renowned for its dramatic waterfalls, giant sequoia trees, granite cliffs and deep valleys. John Muir, the key crusader in getting this land designated as a national park, wrote, “No temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite.” The park spans across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada and attracts around 4 million visitors each year.