MIDPINES, Calif.—A destructive wildfire near Yosemite National Park burned out of control Sunday and has grown into one of California’s biggest blazes of the year, forcing thousands of residents to flee remote mountain communities. Some 2,000 firefighters were battling the Oak Fire, along with aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions that included steep terrain and…

A wildfire threatening some of the world’s oldest giant sequoia trees in California’s Yosemite National Park expanded five-fold over the weekend as smoke prompted air quality alerts throughout the park and obscured views of its famed scenery. As of Monday, the blaze had scorched 2,044 acres of timber and brush at the southern end of…

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif.—California firefighters gained ground Monday in the battle against a wildfire that poses a threat to a grove of giant sequoias and a small community in Yosemite National Park. The Washburn Fire on the western flank of the Sierra Nevada had scorched about 3.6 square miles but was 25 percent contained as…

Firefighters are taking measures to protect the 3,000-year-old Grizzly Giant, an iconic sequoia in Yosemite National Park, as the Washburn wildfire continues to grow. In a video posted by the agency, a sprinkler system can be seen spraying water around the 209-feet Grizzly Giant, the most renowned giant sequoia in Yosemite National Park and the…

By Felicia Alvarez From Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES—Yosemite National Park officials are asking for help identifying the people behind an incident that left 30 sites tagged with graffiti last month. Officials put out a call on social media Sunday asking the public to help identify those responsible for the vandalism. Park rangers received multiple…

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike. —John Muir Glimpsing a photograph of California’s iconic Yosemite Valley, it is easy to understand why millions of people from around the world make the pilgrimage to…

Last year, my son Kyle and I were invited to join a climbing expedition with my good friend and client, Joe, and his son, Sam. Joe has been training Sam in hopes that he’ll become the youngest person to ever climb the famed El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical wall in Yosemite Valley that most consider…

SAN FRANCISCO—Two brothers from San Francisco say they have set a record for the longest highline ever walked in both Yosemite National Park and California, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Earlier this month, they and a group of friends spent nearly a week stringing a single, 2,800-foot-long line from Taft Point west across a series…