Yosemite Museum

Explore the cultural history of Yosemite Indians and watch daily traditional demonstrations, tour the art gallery, or take a self-guiding tour through an outdoor Indian Village, at the Yosemite Museum.

The Yosemite Museum has displays that interpret the cultural history of Yosemite’s native Miwok and Paiute people from 1850 to the present, demonstrations of stone tool making, basket-weaving, beadwork, and traditional games.

In front of the museum is a cross-section of a giant sequoia tree that visitors can touch and a re-creation of an umacha, a Miwok and Paiute cedar bark house. Behind the Yosemite Museum, follow a self-guiding accessible trail through the re-constructed Indian Village of Ahwahnee, and learn about the significant plants and structures. Interpretive rangers are available to provide additional information.

The gallery is open periodically and often exhibits art pieces from the Yosemite Museum collection and other artists.

The primary collection was donated in 1925 and consists of American Indian baskets valued at between $10,000 and $15,000 (in 1925 dollars). The Yosemite museum encourages visitors to view the exhibits chronologically, beginning with geological exhibits describing the formation of the Valley and proceeding through time to the stage coaches that brought early visitors to the park. The museum is open year-round and offers special exhibits. Visit the Yosemite National Park website for more information.

Take a Virtual Tour using the links above.