Hike, climb or park yourself in Yosemite National Park, California

WHEN Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant in 1864, he could not have foreseen that the gesture would spark an environmental renaissance across America, resulting in 59 stunning National Parks today.

Nor could he have predicted the sage decision by Aer Lingus in April to establish direct flights between Dublin and thirsty San Francisco, which ironically has an Irishman to thank for the bulk of its water supply. Yosemite is perhaps unusual in that O’Shaughnessy Dam is one of the few obvious incursions by humans into an otherwise relatively untouched natural paradise.

It’s not just burnt out yuppies that will cherish the 1,100 square miles of Wi-Fi free wilderness at this World Heritage Site. Visitors constitute a melting pot of outdoor enthusiasts and cultures, but not African-Americans apparently. Well, so said Oprah back in 2010, when she filmed a TV special at the park to encourage future visits. As I discovered on my own family trip, the same can be said of the Irish.