Yosemite National Park turning 150 years old

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (KFSN) -- Yosemite National Park is now just days away from celebrating a major milestone, and rangers are expecting a big crowd for the event.

The giant sequoias that stretch hundreds of feet into the sky over Yosemite inspire more than a million people to visit Mariposa Grove each year. They also inspired President Abraham Lincoln to sign an unprecedented piece of legislation on June 30, 1864, in the midst of the Civil War. The Yosemite Grant protected these trees, as well as Yosemite Valley, and paved the way for our national parks.

"This is the first time in the history of the world that a piece of land has been set aside for all people for preservation," said Yosemite spokesperson Scott Gediman. "It truly is the beginning of the National Park movement, incredibly significant not only for the park, but for California, for the nation and for the world."

In fact, that's why National Park rangers across the country have giant sequoia cone emblems on their hats and belts.

"It's amazing that there are so many people who come to see what they've put into place so long ago," said Jamie Brinkman of Stockton.

Now, Yosemite is inviting visitors to celebrate the 150th anniversary of that historic day -- starting with a 10 a.m. groundbreaking ceremony Monday at Mariposa Grove. It's the first step in a restoration project to remove the parking lot, tram roads, and gift shop to make the area more natural.

"We've got great speakers lined up. We've got Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsome, Congressman Jim Costa, Congressman Tom McClintock, we're going to have the horse patrol," said Gediman.

The parking lot will be closed, so visitors are asked to carpool and take shuttles that will be available near the Highway 41 entrance and in Yosemite Valley. Afterward, you can head to the visitor center area on the Valley floor for a full day of festivities.

"We're going to have booths, our friends from the California State Parks are going to have historical vehicles, the Ansel Adams gallery will be giving photo walks," said Gediman. "We're going to be having re-enactors in historical costumes, and we're going to have activities for the kids."

That's also where a second ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. Rangers say be sure to arrive early and leave plenty of time for a celebration of the park's past, present and future.

The Park Service is planning to celebrate the completion of the Mariposa Grove restoration project on August 25, 2016. That's the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.