This year there are seven anniversaries in the Yosemite Mariposa County area of California: the 100th anniversary of Highway 140, which first connected travelers to Yosemite by car; the 100th anniversary of Yosemite Museum, the first structure built as a museum anywhere in the national park system; the the 100th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of iconic Ahwahnee Hotel; the 50th anniversary of Yosemite Resorts; the 40th anniversary of Coyote Fest in Coulterville; the 30th anniversary of Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort; and dual anniversaries for River Rock Inn, marking 135 years since its original 1891 construction and 85 years since its 1941 expansion.

“These anniversaries remind us that Yosemite Mariposa County has always been more than a way station on the road to the park,” said Jonathan Farrington, executive director, Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau. “Whether it’s the highway that first brought travelers here or the small businesses and community traditions that have kept them coming back for decades, this region has built a year-round identity of its own and 2026 is a chance to celebrate that.”

© Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau

In 1926, Highway 140 opened as the “All-Year Highway,” offering a lower-elevation route along Merced River that made year-round travel to Yosemite practical for the first time ever. The highway accelerated Yosemite’s shift from railroad-based travel to the automobile age, nearly doubling park visitation between 1926 and 1927 alone. Today, the route remains a defining part of the Yosemite journey, carrying travelers through Cathey’s Valley, historic downtown Mariposa, and the Wild & Scenic Merced River Canyon on the way into Yosemite Valley. A community centennial celebration took place in September of this year at Mariposa Museum & History Center.

This year also marks 100 years since Yosemite Museum opened to the public. The museum grew out of a 1920s effort to properly conserve a growing collection of Indigenous basketry and other historical objects, funded through the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial and built by the Yosemite Museum Association (today known as Yosemite Conservancy), the National Park Service’s first non-profit cooperating partner. A century later, the museum and its affiliated staff safeguarded more than 5 million objects documenting Yosemite’s natural and cultural history. With support from Yosemite Conservancy donors, the museum marks its centennial in 2026 with a special exhibit, A Century of Heritage.

© Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau

This year also marks 100 years since the cornerstone was laid for Ahwahnee Hotel, one of the National Park System’s most celebrated lodges. Commissioned by the National Park Service to draw year-round visitation to Yosemite, Ahwahnee has hosted presidents, royalty and artists in the century since, and remains a Yosemite Valley icon of National Park Service rustic architecture.

Yosemite Resorts celebrates 50 years of family-owned hospitality, located minutes from Yosemite’s Arch Rock entrance. Since 1977, the family has welcomed travelers through Yosemite View Lodge, Yosemite Cedar Lodge, Indian Flat Campground and a collection of vacation rentals along the Merced River corridor.