As we walked the trail towards the base of Lower Yosemite Falls, the temperature was starting to drop. It was a warm day in the Yosemite Valley as my wife Edie and I enjoyed our fourth day in the park, but an arctic blast was approaching. Why was it starting to get so cold on a sunny June day?
Record snowpack
It’s no secret to anyone living in California that this past winter brought record rain and snow to the state. According to the California Department of Water Resources, readings taken on April 3 from 130 electronic sensors placed throughout the state indicated a snowpack water-equivalent that was 237% of normal for the date. And in no place is the effect of all that melting snow more beautifully apparent than in Yosemite Valley.
Rivers overflow
Arriving in Yosemite Valley that morning from our campsite at Camp Wawona, 27 miles to the south, we noticed that the Merced River was overflowing its banks and turning meadows into shallow lakes. After finding a place to park and setting off on foot, we had to wade through three inches of flowing water on a number of footpaths just to cross the valley floor. Looking up at the steep, glacier-carved walls of the valley, waterfalls and cascades were flowing forth from numerous points, even in places where water doesn’t normally flow. Seeing this wonderland of water, I was glad I’d decided to include Yosemite Valley in our plans, even though this trip was meant to be focused on hikes out of the southern part of the park near Wawona.
Tunnel view
One of the many things that the National Park Service did right when planning a park in this extraordinary place is to consciously “stage” the views for maximum effect. An example of this is the stunning view one suddenly sees exiting the Wawona Tunnel when coming into the valley from the south. After driving through the dark tunnel for almost a mile, the arched opening at the end suddenly reveals the iconic view of Yosemite Valley spread out before the visitor like a dream. Opened in 1933, the tunnel was created by boring 4,233 feet through a mountain of granite—a project that took two years to complete. The exit arch of the tunnel was perfectly positioned to, as the park service puts it, “provide a breathtaking introduction to the iconic granite walls that surround Yosemite Valley.”
Likewise, the footpath approach to Yosemite Falls also follows a path designed for maximum visual impact. Rather than approaching from the side, or through a dense forest, the path takes advantage of a narrow break in the trees to approach the falls head on. The immensity of the falls is in full view, dropping a total of 2,425 feet over three separate falls (upper falls 1,430 feet, middle cascades 675 feet, and lower falls 320 feet). The sight of the people below, making their way towards the falls, only serves to highlight the smallness of man in contrast to the grandeur of this landscape. The approach to Yosemite Falls is, along with Tunnel View, among Yosemite’s iconic viewpoints.
Be prepared
One of the mottos I still follow from my Boy Scout days is “be prepared.” Even though there was no rain in the forecast, I had a lightweight rain jacket with me in my daypack. As the trail reached the point where it crosses Yosemite Creek on a footbridge and faces the full onslaught of Lower Yosemite Falls, I could see visitors being blasted and buffeted by heavy mist and cold wind. Men, women and children alike were laughing, screaming, holding onto their clothing, and trying to bear even a minute of the storm-like conditions to get a view of the powerful Lower Yosemite Falls.
Putting on my rain jacket, I headed into the storm and was able to enjoy some time to take in its awesome power, take some photos, and even a short video. Doing these things was difficult with the constant spray of wind and water hitting me, but the rain jacket made it easier to brave it for a little longer. After this exhilarating experience, we joined other hikers down the trail a bit, to take some time to sit in the sun, warm up, and wait for our clothing to dry.
When you come to a fork in the road…
From the Lower Yosemite Falls viewpoint, there are a few different directions you can go. One path heads west and leads to the trail that goes to the very top of Yosemite Falls, a spectacular and challenging full-day hike that we have done a few times in the past. One can also just stay on the Valley Loop Trail going west, to explore the valley floor and head towards the massive granite monolith, El Capitan. The hiker could also head south and join up with the Valley Loop trail along the south side of the valley, perhaps taking on the strenuous Four Mile Trail up to Glacier Point, or the popular Mist Trail up to Vernal and Nevada Falls.
Baseball player Yogi Berra once said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” That saying is good advice in Yosemite, because any choice you make is going to lead to something amazing. We decided to take the Valley Loop Trail east, and walk about 2.5 miles to Mirror Lake. This scenic spot sits right below Half Dome, perhaps Yosemite’s most famous sight.
Choose your consciousness
It was a warm day, around 80 degrees and humid, and yet I found I had to keep my long sleeved sweatshirt on due to all the mosquitoes biting my arms. One of the truisms about Yosemite in the spring is that more water equals more mosquitoes. Edie and I may have been loving all the overflowing waterfalls, rivers, creeks and meadows, but so were the mosquitoes, who need standing water to breed in. As I swatted at and cursed the biting pests, I was reminded of the Indian Guru Swami Sri Yukteswar, who once admonished his student by saying, “Be rid of the mosquito consciousness.” In other words, stop obsessing on your discomforts and letting them disturb your meditation. So I tried to let go of the mosquito consciousness and focus on the Yosemite consciousness, which was much more pleasant.
Mirror Lake
This body of water is a seasonal lake, and is a remnant of the vast glacial lake that once filled most of Yosemite Valley at the end of the last ice age. Just like the valley itself did thousands of years ago, Mirror Lake is slowly becoming a meadow with a river running through it, due to sediment buildup. On this spring day though, Mirror Lake was in fine form, with enough water for kids to wade in, adults to swim in, and for a family of ducks to paddle in. And the view of Half Dome from here was stunning. It’s a good place to stop and take a break, and many hikers were doing just that. After a leisurely picnic lunch here, we slowly made our way back through the valley to our parking spot, enjoying the afternoon light on the walls of this incomparable valley.
Wawona, land of the big trees
Although we greatly enjoyed our day in Yosemite Valley, the focus of this trip was the southern part of the park, an area we haven’t explored as much over the years. Back in January I had booked a campsite for four nights at Wawona Campground—booking for campsites starts up to five months in advance, and they usually sell out quickly.
Believed to be derived from the Native American word for “big tree” (woh-woh-nau), the name Wawona was inspired by the sound of the spirit animal of the sequoias, the owl. During our three full days of hiking in this area, one of the highlights was a day spent in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. This grove is the largest of the three groves in Yosemite National Park—the others are the Tuolumne Grove and the Merced Grove—and contains approximately 500 mature sequoias. Multiple loop trails of varying lengths lead to various points in this ancient forest, with most passing the Grizzly Giant, one of the oldest and largest trees in the grove. Thought to be over 2,000 years old, this tree has a diameter of about 30 feet at its base, and rises to over 200 feet. One of the most impressive aspects of giant sequoias is not necessarily their tallness (redwoods can be taller) but their immense volume and thickness. As they rise above the forest floor, their trunks don’t taper much, and remain thick way up into the canopy. This makes them the largest trees in the world by volume.
Something for everyone
Whether you want to take a short hike and spend just one or two hours in the Mariposa Grove, or have six or seven hours to spend on a more complete experience—including the panoramic view from Wawona Point (altitude 6,800 feet)—this grove has something for everyone. There’s even a wheelchair-accessible path, along with a special accessible parking lot for those with a disabled parking permit. With trails like the Big Trees Loop, Grizzly Giant Loop, Mariposa Grove Trail, Guardians Loop, and Perimeter Trail, this large grove entices the hiker with many compelling choices to see these ancient giants, and experience some peace and solitude along the way.
Having packed a lunch and plenty of water, Edie and I planned to make a day of it. We meandered from trail to trail, enjoying being among the oldest trees on earth and making our way up to Wawona Point for lunch. Since getting there involved a 7.5-mile roundtrip hike and 1,200 feet of elevation gain, we had left most of the crowds behind at that point, and only a small, hardy group remained to enjoy the view from this spectacular perch.
Chillin’ at Chilnualna
One of the main inspirations for staying at the south end of the park at Wawona was to be able to do the Chilnualna Falls hike. This strenuous trail involves a six- to eight-hour, nine-mile round trip hike with 2,500 feet of elevation gain. It is described by the National Park service as such: “Chilnualna Falls, pronounced “Chil-noo-al-na,” flows all year, with peak flow in May. It is a strenuous hike, but well worth it for its views of the falls and Wawona Dome. Chilnualna Falls comprise five large cascades sliding through and over large granite formations above the Wawona basin—water here is fullest in spring and early summer. This strenuous trail allows for you to view the Chilnualna Falls cascades in many locations along the hike and also rewards you with expansive views overlooking Wawona during your uphill climb.”
We were on the trail by 9 a.m. and back at the parking lot by 4:30 in the afternoon. It was indeed a strenuous hike, but in terms of scenery and quality of the trail, it was everything it was cracked up to be and more. Truly one of Yosemite’s great hikes. It’s amazing that after 39 years of hiking and camping in this park, we’re still experiencing places we’ve never been to before.
Yosemite never disappoints
It was a good feeling to wake up next to the fast-moving South Fork of the Merced River at our campsite on Friday morning and know that this was our fifth day at Camp Wawona. We’d arrived on Monday and seen many neighbors come and go, but we were still there, albeit heading home soon. The constant “white noise” of this river had been our daily companion over the week, blocking out all other sound and soothing us to sleep each night. Soon enough we’d be back to our home in Alameda—which we love—but the soothing sounds of the river would be replaced by the less pleasant sounds of constant traffic and fire engines on Grand Street. We’d arrive home refreshed and renewed by Yosemite though, as we have been so many times before over decades. Long after we’re all gone from this earth, new generations will be getting that same inspiration and renewal from Yosemite, and hopefully will continue to do so for all time.
America’s best idea
As documentary filmmaker Ken Burns so eloquently stated in his 2009 PBS series The National Parks—America’s Best Idea, “The story is an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical; that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not just for royalty or the rich, but for everyone.”
If you go
A trip to Yosemite involves some advance planning. For lodging or camping, start thinking about making reservations up to six months in advance. You can also try logging onto recreation.gov or calling (877) 444-6777 to inquire about possible availability due to cancellations. Note that arriving on weekends in the summer could involve long lines at the entrance gates (one to two hours). Plan ahead, pack your patience, explore other parts of the park other than Yosemite Valley, and know that a trip to this incomparable land is always worth the effort.
For official information on Yosemite National Park, start with the park service website.
Contributing writer Steve Gorman has been a resident of Alameda since 2000, when he fell in love with the history and architecture of this unique town. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Steve-Gorman.
