This was our first time in Yosemite. And we were advised told that Spring was the best time to go, with the mighty waterfalls in full flow as they get fed by the melting of the snow and the wild life coming out to play. We would have sunny days but with snow on the mountain tops. I grew up in South-east Asia where we only have one season – sunny or wet all year round so this was such a treat. But we certainly got a lot more than what we bargained for!
Picture perfect!
We had never been hiking before, so we went with recommendations and chose a resort near Groveland closest to the Yosemite National Park’s Big Oak Flat Road entrance on Highway 120. But a few weeks before we were to visit, we were informed by the resort that the entrance to the Yosemite Valley was shut! Now, Yosemite Valley is where all the action is. Everyone heads to this glacial valley in the Yosemite National Park. With the best trails and being surrounded by high granite summits like Half Dome and El Capitan, and boasting the tallest waterfall in North America, the Yosemite Falls, it was the go-to place in Yosemite. But California had recently been battered by storms all Winter and the highways and roads into Yosemite from the West entrance needed mending. We were sorely disappointed but after careful thought, decided to go ahead anyway. We didn’t want to give up seeing a different side of Yosemite we would otherwise not see if we had only focussed on the Valley. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the Tuolumne and Merced Groves of Giant Sequoias were still open and there was plenty to do for the two full days we had there.
We kept checking the weather report to make sure that we brought the right things. We knew that we were staying at an elevation of at least 5000 ft and that it was a good few degrees colder than the Bay Area so we knew to dress warm. But nowhere in our research did it mention hiking through snow. There were snow on the tips of the mountains sure, but we weren’t planning to go that far up! Without knowing what to expect, we threw everything in the boot of the car including flip flops, swimsuits, hiking boots, thick woolly sweaters and some shorts for good measure! Something for all the seasons and you know what? We weren’t disappointed!
When we first arrived at our resort, there was snow on the ground and a definite chill in the air. It looked like it had snowed the day before but the sun had come out and a lot of it had already melted away. We shivered around the fireplace, excited and daunted by the hikes, and wondered whether we had brought enough to keep us warm.
Our view from the dam
The next day, we woke up to blue skies and clear ground. What little snow there was the day before had melted away in the night and the morning took on a decidedly warmer feel. Not knowing how long the blue skies would last, we decided that our first hike would be at the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and O’Shaughnessy Dam which provides water to the 2 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area. Even though they weren’t the tallest in North America, Hetch Hetchy housed the Wapama Falls, where you could literally walked across a bridge under the falls. If the spray was strong enough, you could get a shower from it! The drive to Hetch Hetchy was longer than expected as more roads were shut for repairs. We didn’t mind though as the views of the granite cliffs were simply stunning. We couldn’t keep our eyes off them which made it hard to drive! When we got there, it was already turning out to be a hot day and we were soon stripping off trying to cool down. We walked across the dam which had an amazing view of the waterfalls. You didn’t have to go anywhere if you didn’t want to. On one side were the mountains and reservoir and on the other, the sheer drop of the dam down to a river below.
Lunch spot!
To start your hike at Hetch Hetchy, you went through a long, dark, damp tunnel in the rocks. It would be about a mile to get to the first waterfall. The trail is easy to medium and great for beginners (which is what I am). As it was Spring time, some parts of the trail were muddy and others overrun with water so waterproof hiking shoes or boots are highly recommended as I soon found out! Along the way, the weather got warmer, and my feet and hair (damp from the waterfall spray!) dried quickly. By lunch time the sun was overhead, and we had stripped down to our t-shirts. We found a spot high up away from the main trackers to have lunch. We would have gone for a swim if permitted. Summer had arrived! We sat lounging in the sun, recovering from our morning hike. It was a pretty easy hike and in total we took about 5 hours from start to finish. We didn’t however hike all around the reservoir, with an 8 year old in tow. But we could easily have done so if we didn’t have to leave.Our next hike didn’t start with bright blue skies though. The weather wasn’t so forgiving the next day. It was dark and grey, as if Fall was approaching. As we left for our next hike there was a drizzle of rain coming down onto our windshield. We wondered if it was going to be rain from hereon and lamented about the bad weather. It seemed as if Winter was on its way again. But we decided to press on.
This time we headed out to Tuolumne Grove, which houses the giant sequoias including the infamous Dead Tunnel Tree. The winds had picked up and we were bundled up in winter clothing. I put on my hat and gloves. We shivered in the car and cranked the heat up.
We decided to enter the Yosemite National Park at the Big Oak Flat Road entrance to go to Tuolumne Grove and drove 8 miles in, with the elevation rising up to over 6000 ft. The rest of the road was shut but we could get as far as the Grove. The higher we got, the more snow we saw piled up along the sides of the road, until snow started falling from the sky at about 6300 ft. By the time we arrived at the car park, it looked like Winter never left: everywhere was covered in a blanket of white. We couldn’t believe our eyes. We laughed with incredulity and kept touching the snow to make sure it was real. Every which way we turned, there was snow all around. It wasn’t “bad” weather after all!
Snow on our hike down to the Grove
Dead Tree Tunnel
Uprooted tree
Our hike down to the entrance of the Grove was covered in snow and ice, but just as we arrived at the entrance, the sun came out and we heard the drip-drip-drip of snow melting. (Again, I wished I had waterproof hiking shoes!) We saw birds coming out and the big gray clouds retreating. The floor of the forest was bathed in sunlight. Spring was on its way again. On the ground, snow gave way to pine needles, birds came out seeking food and the sun warmed us up while we hunted for a spot for lunch. We shed our outer layers as we munched on our snacks. After an hour of exploring the Giant Sequoias, we decided to hike back up to our car, moving from Spring to Winter once more. This hike took a little over three hours and through three seasons.
And there you have it – we had four seasons in two days at Yosemite. We were thrilled and awed by it all and even though we didn’t make
it to Yosemite Valley (this time) we couldn’t have been more pleased with our trip. We would definitely be coming back again to explore more parts of this wonderful American national park.