Sierra Sprawl

Yosemite National Park's 1963 Master Plan contained some scandalous news: Yosemite Valley, hub of the American conservation movement, had become "almost urban in character." The postwar visitation boom brought traits typical of the Western metropolis: traffic, crime, and even occasional smog. But the valley's urbanization was only part of the story. Like many cities of the American West, the park sprouted its own hinterlands. While suburbs are generally considered detrimental to downtowns, the valley's satellites were meant to save the park's core.