Yosemite Mountaineer's Cabin

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Yosemite National Park's Pioneer History Center is often overlooked in favor of its more famous attractions. In the 1950s and '60s, officials decided to restore much of the park to a pristine wilderness state by relocating many original pioneer buildings to create a village-like setting. The Mountaineer's Cabin originally served as George Anderson's winter residence – the Scottish mountain guide who first conquered Half Dome. Anderson drilled holes into the granite face, making it possible for others to climb up the steep and smooth slab, thereby creating Yosemite's most popular route and its primary aid climb. During the six-month climbing season, over 50,000 hikers tackle this route annually. Summer holiday weekends would sometimes draw more than 1,000 hikers per day before a permit system was put in place.