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The Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center might not be on the top of your Yosemite National Park bucket list but after you’ve walked and hiked and marveled at all of the incredible natural sights the Yosemite Valley has to offer you may feel like you need a place of quiet respite. And if you have young children it’s often hard to find a place of solace for them–especially if you’re visiting the park during summer months when it’s teeming with park goers. Luckily, the less traveled Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center will offer serenity and all you have to do is ride the free valley shuttle to stop 12 across the street from Housekeeping Camp. 

HISTORY OF THE YOSEMITE CONSERVATION HERITAGE CENTER

The Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center sits back from the road and seems unassuming but it’s packed with history, as it was the first permanent visitor’s center in the park. Built in the fall and spring of 1903-1904 by The Sierra Club (the environmental nonprofit founded in San Francisco in 1892 by naturalist John Muir), the building was originally known as the Joseph LaConte Memorial Lodge. LaConte was a Sierra Club member who died of a heart attack on the eve of a Sierra Club “outing” that was a trek from the Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows.

Money for the memorial lodge was gathered by donations from LaConte’s relatives as well as alumni, students, and professors from the University of California and Stanford University. Additionally, all Sierra Club members were taxed $1.00 to be put towards the building.

When the lodge opened it was at the base of Glacier Point in Curry Village. Years later, in 1919, it was moved to its present day location. Photographer and Sierra Club member, Ansel Adams, spent four summers as the lodge’s first seasonal custodian from 1920-1923.

The building was designed by architect John White. He was the brother-in-law of celebrated architect Bernard Maybeck who was a prolific architect during the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century (best known for designing the Palace of the Fine Arts in San Francisco) and professor at The University of California, Berkeley.

The European design of the lodge reflects the stark verticals of the valley in its pitched roof and uses stonework to blend in with the natural granite of its surroundings. Though there is a noticeable difference between the lodge and its counterparts, as it was constructed before national parks focused on “rustic” architecture or parkitecture. When the building was relocated the roof was not correctly lined up with the support beams so look closely and you’ll see that all around the interior they are off kilter. 

When the lodge first opened it was a meeting place for the Sierra Club as well as an information center for park visitors. Books became part of its character quickly as did collections of photographs, dried flowers and other botanical elements, and pinecones. What started with a collection of roughly 50 books is now nearly 2000.

Let me importantly note here that the Joseph LaConte Memorial Lodge was renamed to its present day title in 2016 after much consideration was given to his writings that spoke of white supremacy. The bronze relief of him that once hung above the fireplace was removed and replaced with a wooden Sierra Club etching. Today, the center annually draws over 16,000 visitors from all around the globe and still relies on seasonal custodians from the Sierra Club to serve as its caretakers. 

WHAT TO SEE AT THE YOSEMITE CONSERVATION HERITAGE CENTER

Walking into the Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center you’ll think “well this is certainly cozy.” You’re greeted by an exposed-beam roof, stone walls, and a large fireplace at the far end. There are a couple of exhibits you can peruse before getting to the library. There are books piled on tables and on top of cabinets in between oversized photographs of the magnificent beauty that’s right outside the doors. There is a kettle on the woodburner that’s been moved inside the fireplace and a small clock perhaps reminding you that you have all the time in the world. It’s everything you’d ever want out of a reading library inside a national park.

The reading library that is offered today focuses on natural history, the environment, climate change, and historic people who’ve made an impact in these areas of study. You’ll find books on John Muir, the Miwok tribe who first inhabited the valley, and the high Sierras among many others. There’s no dewey decimal system, books are arranged by topic.

There’s a children’s section on one side of the reading library. It’s loaded with books but also offers coloring activities, blocks, puzzles, a few toys, and an adorable little cabin-like doll house. There are special children’s activities available (my kids colored paper leaves that were then hung on the mantle of the fireplace).

For more interesting reads on Yosemite try Olmsted and Yosemite: Civil War, Abolition, and the National Park Idea by Rolf Diamant, Ansel Adams in Yosemite Valley: Celebrating the Park at 150 by Peter Galassi (this is a gorgeous coffee table book), and Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship that Saved Yosemite by Dean King.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

The Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center is open from Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm May 1st through September 30th. Special (free) evening programs are presented on some Friday and Saturday nights throughout the summer season. Find the center at 9006 South Side Drive. There is a very small pull-up parking lot that can accommodate a few cars temporarily (do not try to park here all day) and bicycle parking. You can also ride the free Yosemite Valley shuttle to stop number 12.

Have you visited the Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center? Let me know in the comments!