Yosemite Campground Gets National Recognition

by the Associated Press
San Francisco Chronicle - February 27, 2003

A walk-in campground in the Yosemite Valley heralded as crucial to the development of rock climbing as a worldwide sport has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Yosemite National Park's Camp 4 received the recognition Feb. 21, park officials said Thursday.

Also known as Sunnyside Campground, the site across from Yosemite Lodge has been used by climbers for decades because of its easy access to the park's towering granite walls.

The site is so beloved by those who have used it over the years that in 1998 rock climbers and environmentalists sued the park to stop plans to construct new buildings in the area.

The construction plans were eventually scrapped, replaced with a proposal to add 30 new campsites, Ranger Deb Schweizer said.

"The climbers opened our eyes to a blind spot," Schweizer said. "The climbing community pointed out that this place has historical significance."

Park officials said Camp 4 played a pivotal role in the development of sport rock climbing at a time when technique and skill were passed on by word-of-mouth -- before the deluge of guidebooks and manuals.

"What makes this dusty little campground so historic and unique is its freewheeling, dynamic spirit and the people drawn to it over the decades," said Linda McMillan, vice president of the American Alpine Club, a rock-climbing organization.

Schweizer said the historic designation came out of a partnership developed between the American Alpine Club and Yosemite National Park following the heated Camp 4 construction issue.

"The entry of Camp 4 to the National Register of Historic Places will stand as an enduring testament to the power of public-private partnerships," McMillan said. "It's an extraordinary example of what people with very different perspectives can achieve by using a process dedicated to respect and mutual success."