Yosemite Valley Chapel - Lincoln's Gift and a Moving Church

Photo: Almonroth, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)

A stop on Yosemite Valley, a free self-guided tour.

This wooden chapel with its pointed bell tower was built in 1879, just 15 years after the law that first protected this valley. On June 30, 1864, in the middle of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant, handing Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias to California to be protected for public use. It was the first time the U.S. government set aside land specifically for preservation, and it set a precedent for the national parks to come.

Visitors soon followed, and the California State Sunday School Association built this chapel at the old Lower Village, near the foot of Sentinel Rock and the Four Mile Trail. When that settlement faded, the chapel was moved to this spot in 1901. It is one of the oldest buildings in the valley and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Peek inside if the door is open, then look up at the granite spire of Sentinel Rock high above.

Getting here: Continue east on Southside Drive about half a mile. The chapel sits beside the road with a small parking area.

Did you know?: The chapel was designed by San Francisco architect Charles Geddes and built by his son-in-law, Samuel Thompson.

Photo op: Step back toward the meadow and frame the chapel's bell tower against the dark cliffs behind it.

Nearby: No facilities at the chapel. Restrooms, food and water are in Yosemite Village, a few minutes ahead.

More on Wikipedia: Yosemite Valley Chapel · Yosemite National Park · Abraham Lincoln · Mariposa Grove

Yosemite Valley Chapel - Lincoln's Gift and a Moving Church

Stops on this tour