 Access to the park by tourists improved in the early years of the park , and conditions in the Valley were made more hospitable . Tourism significantly increased after the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869 , but the long horseback ride to reach the area was a deterrent . Three stagecoach roads were built in the mid @-@ 1870s to provide better access for the growing number of visitors to Yosemite Valley . 
