Yosemite National Park's sheer granite walls and breathtaking waterfalls inspired John Muir to campaign for this California landscape to be preserved as public lands for all to enjoy, launching the creation of the American National Park System. For many, a visit to Yosemite to view this landscape may be the trip of a lifetime. But what if there were a similar landscape that was culturally distinct from Yosemite? Would it also inspire the trip of a lifetime? In China, two national parks, Huangshan and Jiuzhaigou, claim landscape every bit as breathtaking as Yosemite: Huangshan with sheer granite mountains and Jiuzhaigou with incredible waterfalls. But these three parks have more in common than landscape, as all three are sister parks. In a relationship similar to sister cities, citizens promote cultural and commercial ties between geographically and culturally distinct areas. Yosemite has a third sister park in Chile: Torres del Paine National Park located in Chilean Patagonia. All four parks are designated as World Heritage Sites.
For the last two years, the Yosemite Conservancy (formerly the Yosemite Association) has hosted a trip to Yosemite's sister parks in China through the Outdoor Classroom program, exploring the natural history of China's parks. Led by YC's Resident Naturalist Pete Devine, the trip allows a small group of Americans (and others) to visit these remote areas and gain deeper insight into the role that National Parks play in world societies. Pete also presents his experiences in Huangshan and Jiuzhaigou as part of the summer program series hosted free of charge every year at the LeConte Memorial Lodge, the Sierra Club's home in Yosemite Valley. Since the cost of travel to China may preclude a visit for some, the program at the LeConte Memorial Lodge provides park visitors with an overview of Yosemite's sister park relationship, as well as insight into travel to China. In 2010 the Yosemite Conservancy's trip to China takes place September 23 through October 4, and as of this writing there was one spot left in the tour maximum of 15 travelers.
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