50 Best Short Hikes: Yosemite National Park and Vicinity. Elizabeth Wenk
or other creatures.
And my pet peeve: Don’t collect all the rocks in a meadow and launch them into the nearby lake for fun, as this destroys animals’ homes and exposes the roots of meadow plants, potentially killing them.
As for that toilet paper, bring a small zip-top bag to carry your used supplies and drop it in a garbage can at the end of the day. If your walk is long enough to require a toilet pit, carry a small plastic trowel and dig a 6-inch hole at least 100 feet from trails and water.
HETCH HETCHY RESERVOIR
Regional Overview
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is a symbol of the exploitation of a national park landmark, as well as an aspiration that the construction of the O’Shaughnessy Dam was the last time that one of our national treasures is so compromised. Sad as I am not to see Hetch Hetchy Valley as John Muir once did, this is still a location to visit. The bottom 312 feet of the valley are hidden, but the impressive granite walls rise an additional 2,000 feet, and the enormous body of dark-blue water provides a picturesque foreground. If you have never visited Hetch Hetchy, I strongly encourage you to take the walk to Wapama Falls (Hike 3).
The Hetch Hetchy region has a quite different atmosphere from the rest of Yosemite. There is the wonderful feel of continuous granite slabs and domes that dominates northern Yosemite, just with shorter summits; granite outcrops interspersed with drought-tolerant trees and shrubs are everywhere.
The three walks in this section are best done fall through spring, as they are all at low elevation and summer temperatures are sizzling. Lookout Point (Hike 1) is the easiest walk here for younger children, for Poopenaut Valley (Hike 2) includes a steep climb, and Wapama Falls (Hike 3) is a bit long. However, an energetic 8-year-old child would thoroughly enjoy Wapama Falls. Poopenaut Valley is a scenic location and reaching it is a lovely walk, but it is tough, so head there only if your knees and legs request a workout.
1 Lookout Point
Trailhead Location: Hetch Hetchy entrance station
Trail Use: Hiking
Distance & Configuration: 2.8-mile out-and-back
Elevation Range: 4,750 feet at the start, with 560 feet of ascent/descent
Facilities: A water faucet is located to the side of the buildings just to the right of the entrance station, but no toilet is at the trailhead.
Highlights: Fall colors, views to Hetch Hetchy, and a feel for the foothills
DESCRIPTION
This short hike leads to the summit of a small granite dome from which you can view Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and its surroundings—one of the few at this elevation that provides an expansive vista. Take the walk in the late afternoon for the best lighting. Also wonderful are the fall colors: the orange oak leaves and tall yellow grass.
THE ROUTE
Departing from the southern edge of the ranger’s compound, locate a small trail disappearing south into a stand of tall incense cedars and Jeffrey pines. Just beyond is an unmarked X-junction where you turn left; straight ahead leads to Lookout Point by a much longer route. Heading left, you now parallel a broad turn in the Hetch Hetchy Road—a little frustrating to watch the cars as you walk, but there is no parking where the trail finally diverges from the road (0.5 mile from start).
A partially burned oak tree
The trail switchbacks up a slope that was burned once about 20 years ago, and sections again in 2008; tall black snags dot the landscape, intermingled with black oak trees that escaped. A small stream flows through here in spring, providing moisture for an excellent wildflower display. In fall it is a landscape of tall yellow grass, seed heads, and coloring oak trees.
Where the slope ends, you enter a nearly flat and quite lush valley. The narrow trail continues between burnt trees. Ferns, tall scrubs, and seedlings thrive, all growing rapidly with the forest canopy removed. Soon you reach a T-junction (1.1 miles), where the trail straight ahead leads to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, while you take the left-hand fork to climb up Lookout Point. The trail leads first north and then west to ascend the northern side of the small granite dome (1.4 miles). Like so many of Yosemite’s domes, a beautiful stunted Jeffrey pine emerges from a crack on the summit.
View to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir from Lookout Point
From the summit, especially with late-afternoon lighting, you will be treated to an aerial view of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the granite peaks to the north, a view usually obtained only by climbing difficult-to-reach summits such as Kolana Rock. In spring Tueeulala and Wapama falls will be obvious white streaks on the rock face. It is also simply a nice summit from which to take in the topography and vegetation of low-elevation western Yosemite, for there are few locations with views in this part of the park. When you have finished gazing about, return to your car the way you came (2.8 miles).
TO THE TRAILHEAD
GPS Coordinates: N37° 53.592′ W119° 50.478′
Turn north from CA 120 onto Evergreen Road. This junction is located 1.1 miles west of the Yosemite entrance station at Big Oak Flat and 22.5 miles east of Groveland. (Note the sign with the current schedule for Hetch Hetchy day-use hours to avoid waiting behind a closed gate 15 minutes down the road.) After winding along Evergreen Road for 7.2 miles, you reach a T-junction with Hetch Hetchy Road. Turn right (east) and drive past Camp Mather, beneath a tall gateway, and past a gate that is locked each night. Beyond the T-junction, 1.3 miles later, you reach the Hetch Hetchy entrance station; here you are required to register your car. Park your car by the side of the road just beyond the entrance station and begin your walk on the southeastern side of the road.
2 Poopenaut Valley
Trailhead Location: Hetch Hetchy Road
Trail Use: Hiking
Distance & Configuration: 2.4-mile out-and-back
Elevation Range: 4,595 feet at the start, with 1,280 feet of descent/ascent
Facilities: No facilities are at this trailhead, so be sure to fill your water bottles at the entrance station. Water and toilets are located at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, an additional 4 miles down the road.
Highlights: Solitude, sandy banks and chilly swimming holes, and a steep climb
Tuolumne River in Poopenaut Valley
DESCRIPTION
This often-overlooked trail provides a beautiful, albeit steep, introduction to lower-elevation Yosemite. Best suited to the cooler months, the trail leads down a steep forested trail to the Tuolumne River. In fall you can enjoy beautiful beaches and swimming