Canyon Verbage

Interesting Points along the Way
El Portal - 78 miles from Merced and the eastern terminus of your journey to Yosemite, 2,000 feet above you on the face of a great cliff is a narrow white band which shimmers in the light as you gaze. That is Chinquapin Falls, of Yosemite Valley, fit introduction to the manifold scenic wonders of this great national playground.

Your train comes to a stop beneath the sheltering roof of a rustic station platform. There is a calm and the hushed stillness of the mountains, the sweet, clear bracing air, the scent of the pines. Then quickly aboard waiting stages for the short trip into the floor of the magic valley and to your hotel or cabin.
Barium sacking plant The Barium Mine at El Portal. National Lead operated this mine. It was one of the last major operations in the canyon when the railway closed.