The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range situated in Western United States, which includes Yosemite National Park. Here are 20 surprising facts about the truly incredible region.

1. According to a recent U.S. Geological Survey, the region of the Sierra Nevada Mountains provides evidence of ongoing mountain building, meaning that technically they’re continuing to be built. The range is growing by about a millimetre each year. The shape of the mountains are influenced by the shifting of tectonic plates beneath the surface of the Earth.
2. The Sierra Nevada stretches 400 miles (650 kilometres) from Fredonyer Pass in the north, to Tehachapi Pass in the south.
3. The name Sierra Nevada is Spanish for ‘Snowy Mountains’.
4. Archaeological excavations place the Martis people of Paleo-Indians in the Sierra Nevada during the period of 3,000 BCE to around 500 CE.
5. The Sierra Nevada’s most common nickname is the “Range of Light”. This description comes from the unusually light-coloured granite found on the mountains, exposed by glacial movements.
6. Surprisingly the mountain range is considered geologically young because it started to emerge from the earth only around 5-20 million years ago.
7. One of America’s most famous lakes, Lake Tahoe, is found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The lake is 1,000 feet deep.
8. 15% of the Sierra Nevada is listed as designated conservation land. It is home to giant sequoia trees, which grow up to heights of 7,000 feet.
9. Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the region, with an elevation of 4,421 metres (14,505 feet).
10. The Sierra is home to three national parks (Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia).
11. The gold nuggets found in January 1848 on the American River (near present-day Placerville, California) ushered in an international gold rush (known as The California Gold Rush), which occurred in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada until 1855.
12. The John Muir Trail is one of the most popular hiking routes in the region. It was funded in 1915 and finished in 1938. The trail passes through Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.
13. 26 wilderness areas lie within the Sierra Nevada.
14. The Sierra Nevada is home to a lot of interesting animal life. Black bears inhabit a large portion of the range, as does the more reclusive grizzly bear. The mule deer and the mountain lion also live in the foothills.
15. Many animal species are in decline, however. And there are said to be only 50 Sierra Nevada Red Foxes remaining.
16. The Sierra Nevada region incorporates more than 25% of California’s entire land area.
17. 60% of California’s total annual precipitation – in the form of rain and snow, falls in the Sierra Nevada.
18. Yosemite Falls, found in the Sierra Nevada, is the tallest waterfall in the United States, and has a vertical drop of 2,425 feet.
19. The climate of the Sierra Nevada is impacted by California’s Mediterranean climate, although higher elevations can experience an alpine climate.
20. General Grant tree in Grant Grove, Sierra Nevada, is the world’s third largest tree and is believed to be 3,500 years old.

From breathtaking waterfalls to huge mountains, there is so much untouched nature and wildlife to explore across the incredible Sierra Nevada.

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