Yosemite Valley Pictures: A VirtualTour

By Betsy Malloy, About.com Guide

The first non-natives to see the Yosemite Valley were probably the Joseph Walker Party, the first explorers to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains going west in 1833. In 1844, an entrepreneur named James Hutchings organized the first tour to the Yosemite Valley and before long, a toll toad was built and a small settlement sprung up. This little chapel stands near the location of that early settlement, all that's left besides a non-native sugar maple tree that turns brilliant orange in the fall.

It's a popular place for weddings and Yosemite's oldest building. Read more about it.