Hidden within the high country of Yosemite National Park are some history-rich ghost towns/Yosemite Nature Notes.

Though most visitors to Yosemite National Park visit the famous valley and then head elsewhere, there's a lot to see in the park's high country, particularly if you like ghost towns.

Sitting on the crest of the Sierra Nevada, Tioga Pass is a gateway to Yosemite's past. In 1880, a gold and silver rush erupted here, and miners flocked to Tioga Hill in droves. Today, the ghosts of these miners work can be seen in the stone walls of Dana Village, rusty machinery at Bennettville, and the log cabins of the Golden Crown Mine. Even today's popular Tioga Road was once a simple wagon road built to access the wealth of minerals that were never found.

Sit back and enjoy a few minutes touring these ghost towns, virtually, thanks to Steven M. Bumgardner and his video cameras, with support from Yosemite's staff geologist, Greg Stock, and Ranger Yenyen Chan.