Add to favorites Examiner Bio

Oh, Ranger! Why is Yosemite National Park in flames?

Yosemite Valley, with its polished granite domes, chiseled ridges, towering waterfalls and alpine meadows, “Is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.” (Ansel Adams) Or at least it should be, except when it’s shrouded in smoke from the Grouse Creek (three miles southwest of Yosemite Valley) and the Harden fires (thirteen miles north of Yosemite Valley).  Currently visitors to the park can see Yosemite’s majestic, glacier sculpted, granite cliffs and the soaring peaks of El Capitan and Half Dome veiled in a diaphanous smoky haze. The lightning strike fires, which have been burning steadily since early June, have heralded a premature summer migration of wildlife away from the tree lined valley and into the High Sierra. The fires have also obscured popular panoramic valley vistas, bisected well traveled hiking trails and deeply disheartened landscape photographers. Unfortunately, visitors to the park will continue to see smoke along the roads for some weeks to come. Trail closures are still in effect in a number of areas including Smith Meadow to White Wolf and Aspen Valley to White Wolf. Yet fire remains an indispensable element in the natural growth and development of the park, destroying and simultaneously renewing. Although some trees will inevitably succumb to a wildfire, the Sequoia’s eighteen inch bark often acts like a suit of armor, retarding the flames, as evidenced by the Clothespin tree in the Mariposa Grove or the Boole Tree in the Sequoia National Forest further to the south.

In spite of the obvious problems posed by the smoke, and the poor air quality, there is no denying the beauty of the Yosemite Valley. “The walls are made up of rocks, mountains in size, partly separated from each other by side canyons, and they are so sheer in front, and so compactly and harmoniously arranged …that the Valley…looks like an immense hall or temple lighted from above. But no temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite.” (John Muir). The park has a somewhat convoluted history and, were it not for an accident of history, could have been America’s first National Park (that honor ultimately went to Yellowstone). On June 30^th 1864, President Abraham Lincoln paved the way for the creation of Yosemite National Park when he signed the Yosemite Grant ceding control of the Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias to the State of California. On October 1^st 1890, the US Congress officially set aside 1500 acres of land surrounding the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to create the Yosemite National Park. Finally in 1906, the Valley and Sequoias were formally absorbed into the National Park.

Yosemite National Park is open year round and can be reached from the east via Highway 120’s Tioga Pass (the pass is closed in winter) or from Fresno to the south via Highway 41 and from the west via Highway 140 from Merced. There are five main sections of the park to explore: Hetch Hetchy & and The Poopenaut Valley, The Yosemite Valley, The Tioga Road which encompasses Siesta, May, Tenaya and Cathedral Lakes, Tuolumne Meadows and the Tioga Pass;  the Glacier Point Road; and Wawona and the Mariposa Grove. Even Penelope Pitstop in her Compact Pussycat could not drive Yosemite in a single day. Give yourself at least two to three days to cover the Yosemite Valley, Tioga Road, Glacier Point and the Mariposa Grove and an extra day if you want to visit the O'Shaughnessy Dam or hike in Hetch Hetchy.

Glacier point’s 3,214 foot elevation provides a stunning overlook of Half Dome and the Yosemite Valley. It is located thirty miles (a one hour drive) from the valley floor. The road is closed at Badger Pass from November to May. If you prefer to hike, the Four-Mile Trail will take you 4.8 miles from the Yosemite Valley floor to Glacier Point in 3-4 hours.

Wawona is located just a few miles from the park’s South Entrance and 36 miles from Yosemite Valley. Its 19^th century buildings, including the famous Wawona Hotel, are surrounded by pine trees, grassy meadows and a golf course! The campground at the village will accept RV’s up to 35 feet in length (reservations are required from June 20-September 28). Sites include a fire pit or grill and a food locker (no hookups).There are restrooms and tap water at this site and a dump station on Forest Drive.

By contrast, the Tioga Road is a glorious, high altitude, 39-mile scenic drive through Yosemite’s pine covered High Sierra. This road passes Siesta Lake and crosses Yosemite Creek. If you turn here, you will find a nice, though non-RV accessible (Campers OK) campground located on this paved spur of the Old Tioga mining road (this is a dead end road). Even in early July, you could still see a few saprophyte crimson Snow Plants beneath the pines. The road descends through a thick pine forest and marshy meadows carpeted with wildflowers until it reaches the campground. Here you can take a picnic in solitude on the far side of the condemned bridge by the sparkling waters of the Yosemite Creek. Continue back on the main highway where you can detour to take the May Lake Trail or carry on until you reach the deep aquamarine waters of Lake Tenaya, nestled beneath Pywiack and Polly Domes. Drive in the shadow of the lofty peaks of Mount Hoffman and Mount Watkins and the granite domes of Medlicott and Fairview and then watch the valley broaden into the sub-alpine Tuolumne Meadows (the campground at Tuolumne Meadows will accept RV’s up to 35 feet). You can stop at the Visitor Center before continuing to Dana Meadows and the Tioga Pass Entrance before the road begins its descent to Mono Lake.  RV’s, especially those with tow vehicles, should always check for the latest vehicle restrictions before entering or exiting the park on the Tioga Road.

In the seven square mile Yosemite Valley, a quarter mile hike to the 600 foot high Bridalveil Falls is almost obligatory. However when the park is busy, this trail can become heavily congested. There is limited parking outside the main car park which fills quickly.  The hike to the 317 foot high Vernal Falls (1.5 miles) and the 594 foot Nevada Falls (3.4 miles) is prettier and more impressive, although considerably more demanding. Other hikes include the Lower (0.75 mile) and Upper Yosemite Falls (3.6 miles), the Mirror Lake Trail favored by photographers for  the reflections of Mount Watkins that can be seen on the lake surface (1 mile to the lake) and the Panorama Trail (8.5 miles). Alternatively, you can attempt the 10-12 hour, 16.8 mile climb up Half Dome or take a less strenuous option and watch the climbers on the 7,569 foot high granite face of El Capitan from the valley below! In the evening, you can see climbers roping up and sleeping on the Salathe Wall of El Capitan. There is a 26 mile, two hour Valley Floor Tram Tour that departs throughout the day from Yosemite Lodge and a daily Grand Tour that covers the Mariposa Grove, Glacier Point and the Valley. There is a free shuttle service within the Yosemite Valley, and similar services between Wawona and the Yosemite Valley and between Wawona and the Mariposa Grove. The Upper (35 feet), Lower (40 feet) and North Pines (40 feet) campgrounds in Yosemite Valley will all accept RV’s. RV’s over 12 foot high will need to check tunnel clearances very carefully before entering the park.

The park has over 800 miles of hiking trails and an additional eleven miles of cycling trails within Yosemite Valley. Climbing, rafting, swimming, fishing, horseback riding and cycling are all popular activities within the park. When hiking, be sure to carry water, use sunblock and carry mosquito repellant. Mosquitoes are especially prevalent in the meadows and streams of the High Sierra. If you accidentally stray off the trails be very cautious and look out for snakes, cougar and bears.

The beauty of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and The Poopenaut Valley is easily the equal of its southern Yosemite neighbor. You enter the valley on a narrow paved road that meanders through sweeping pine forests bordered by Kolana rock formations and granite cliffs. Tall red firs stand like sentinels above the purple lupines that crowd around their base like supplicants. Grassy meadows filled with tree stumps and glorious swathes of multi-colored wildflowers stretch towards the horizon. And yet there is an inexplicable sense of loss in this place. Of something truly beautiful that we once held tightly within our grasp but somehow let slip away, “The fir woods are fine sauntering-grounds …but finest in autumn when the noble trees are hushed in the hazy light and drip with balsam; and the flying, whirling seeds, escaping from the ripe cones, mottle the air like flocks of butterflies.” (John Muir). And then you see it, the massive 312 foot high concrete face of the O'Shaughnessy Dam, completed in 1923,stands before you as a permanent testament to the foolishness and greed of our forefathers, “That anyone would try to destroy [Hetch Hetchy Valley] seems; incredible; but sad experience shows that there are people good enough and bad enough for anything. …These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and, instead of lifting their eyes to the God of the mountains, lift them to the Almighty Dollar. Dam Hetch Hetchy! As well dam for water-tanks the people’s cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man.” (John Muir). Visitors to Hetch Hetchy today can still marvel at the beauty of the Tuolumne River as it winds gracefully through the valley below and wonder at the beauty of the 900 foot Tueeulala Falls and the neighboring 1300 foot Wapama Falls. You can cross the dam, go through the tunnel and take the five mile hike to Wapama falls or descend on the strenuous three mile trail into the Poopenaut Valley below the dam. You can camp at Mather Campground or stay at the Evergreen Lodge. The Hetch Hetchy road is not suitable for vehicles over 25 feet.

Yosemite National Park Map (PDF)

Yosemite National Park, PO Box 577, Yosemite NP, CA 95389. Tel: 1 (209) 372-0200

The Yosemite Institute, PO Box 487, Yosemite, CA 95389. Tel: 1 (209) 379-9511

Campground Reservations Tel: 1 (877) 444-6777

Yosemite Lodging Reservations or Tel: 1 (801) 559-5000

Yosemite Valley Tours Tel: 1 (209) 372-1240

Wawona Stable Rides Tel: 1 (209) 375-6502

Tuolumne Meadows Stable Rides Tel: 1 (209) 372-8427

Yosemite Dog Kennels Tel: 1 (209) 372-8348

Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau Tel: 1 (559) 683-4636