 The 1 @,@ 189 sq mi ( 3 @,@ 080 km2 ) park is roughly the size of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and contains thousands of lakes and ponds , 1 @,@ 600 miles ( 2 @,@ 600 km ) of streams , 800 miles ( 1 @,@ 300 km ) of hiking trails , and 350 miles ( 560 km ) of roads . Two federally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers , the Merced and the Tuolumne , begin within Yosemite 's borders and flow westward through the Sierra foothills , into the Central Valley of California . Annual park visitation exceeds 3 @.@ 5 million , with most visitor use concentrated in the seven @-@ square @-@ mile ( 18 km2 ) area of Yosemite Valley . 
