Yosemite, the US's third National Park and more recently a World Heritage Site, is also one of the most popular National Parks in the USA, with over four million visitors per year. From the floor of the half-mile-wide main valley featured in this model rise a number of impressive formations: Yosemite Falls' 2400' three-stage waterfall, El Capitan's sheer 3300' cliff face, and Half Dome, which rises 4700' from the valley floor. Bridalveil Fall, a picturesque 600' waterfall, originates from a ravine that has already fallen 2000' before plunging to the rocks on the valley floor, but then becomes a wide stream braiding through the forest before reaching the Merced River. One of my favorite places on Earth, Glacier Point, offers a panoramic view over the main valley some 3200' below. This piece, though centered on the main valley, includes all of the aforementioned sites plus over 170 square miles of the surrounding area. We hope that, as you run your fingers across this impressive terrain, you will find lonely sharp peaks and hidden valleys, and be inspired to seek them out in person.

Model scale is 1:217400
Model covers an area approximately 13.5 by 13.5 miles
Altitudes covered: 3280' to 9931'
There is never any vertical exaggeration in TinyMtn models.

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Click here for other 4" models.

TinyMtn models look best in the default "White Strong and Flexible" material, which is also the least expensive material. When you receive the model, there may still be Nylon dust on it from the printing process. Use either an airbrush, canned dust blower, or a soft old toothbrush to remove this dust. Do not get the "White Strong and Flexible" material wet, and don't prime it or use any oil-based paints on it. You can safely seal it with Polycrylic or a similar water-based clear spray sealant. Read more about this popular material here.

The "Frosted Detail" material will show more detail, but is semi-transparent and has an uneven surface texture when unpainted (due to the orientation of the model when Shapeways prints it). It may show up feeling a little greasy and with small crystals in crevasses. Clean those off by soaking the model in warm (but not hot) soapy water and brushing with an old toothbrush. To get the surface to an even matte finish, spray with a few light coats of sandable primer (white automotive primer works), and then do a baking soda grit-blast.

These models have been optimized for the above materials, and are not offered in other materials for strength or cost reasons. If you need one in another material, please contact us and we'll try to accommodate your request.

(C) 2013 TinyMtn (TM)
Model created using GDAL, NetPBM, Gmsh, Carve, MeshLab, and other custom software
Source of digital elevation data: U.S. Geological Survey
The USGS home page is http://www.usgs.gov/