First Waterfall

Distance: 8.2 miles
Elevation gain: 2,300 feet
Difficulty: Moderately strenuous
USGS Topo Maps: Wawona; Mariposa Grove
More information: www.nps.gov/yose

Directions: From the south entrance to the park (16 miles north of Oakhurst on highway 41), drive 4 miles on Wawona Road to the town of Wawona, and take a right on Chilnualna Falls Road.  Drive 1.7 miles and park on the right side of the road.  Cross the road and access the single-track trail.

The hike: Located in the southern part of Yosemite, Chilnualna Falls offers solitude not often found in the more popular areas of the park.  The trail ascends parallel to Chilnualna Creek, and gives hikers great views of three different waterfalls.  The first happens almost immediately.  The trail ascends a steep staircase next to the cascade.  Following this, it switchbacks to a meadow, half a mile in.  Here, views of nearby Wawona Dome (elevation 6,897) open up.  False trails lead to the left and right; the main path crosses the meadow (seemingly diverging from the main trail) into a grove of tall pines.  If you find yourself descending, you have taken the wrong direction.  (Guess how I know!)

Lower Tier of Chilnualna Falls

On the Trail

The trail continues at a lesser grade through the pines, through another meadow and then begins some more switchbacks.  At about two miles in, a clearing offers great views of Wawona Dome, and soon afterward, the lower tier of Chilnualna Falls can be seen.  The trail continues along the south face of the ridge, with great views of the valley below, eventually climbing another stone stairway to reach the lower tier of the falls.  From there, you continue to the ascent to a trail junction.  Here, you can scramble down the rocks to Chilnualna Creek and see the upper tier of the falls, which cascade down a series of six drops into a clear pool.  If you are careful, you can get close to the waterfall and enjoy great views of the valley as well.

About the author:
David Lockeretz is an avid hiker based in Long Beach, CA.  He is the founder and chief author of L.A.’s newest hiking blog, www.nobodyhikesinla.com.  When not found on the trails, he is a musician and music educator, founder of the music instruction networking site www.findmymusicteacher.com.  He can be contacted at nobodyhikesinla@yahoo.com.

In full disclosure we were doing this hike in one day so we took the Palm Springs tram to the start of the hiking trail and did not hike all the way from the base (tram drops off at around 8000 feet). That being said this is a advanced trek that encompasses about 15 miles round trip and an overall elevation gain of close to 4000 feet (with gains and losses) before reaching the summit at 10,834 feet.
We arrived early at 9 AM and boarded one of the first trams up the mountain. This ride will cost you about 20 bucks round trip, but it worth it for the spectacular views of the beautiful mountain side, the desert below and the lush forest at the top.

When you arrive at the base of the trail you are greeted with an amazing contrast that is not seen in many hikes around Southern California. From a stark desert with little green at the base to a full forest complete with tall pines and lush streams. The ranger station also has a sign that greets you as you start your journey stating “May the peace of the wilderness be with you.” This is fitting, because of how rough the trail can be there is not many people you bump into during this hike. Along the trek there is a break in the trees that drops you in a beautiful meadow with lush grass stretching for at least 300 yards. It seems out of place in the surroundings but is large enough to be seen from the summit and is a perfect stop to refuel before heading up into the steeper part of the trek.

From there you hit the 4 mile mark and pass the last stop for fresh water before you return from the summit (another 3 miles each way). The elevation is around 9500 feet and you can start feeling the thinner air, but the trek is so beautiful the air can be disregarded. You pass many huge rocks (this hike is well known for its rock climbing) and wooded areas before reaching a clearing and starting the series of switchbacks that go on for about a mile and a half and lead to the summit.

The last mile and a half are especially grueling, having already put around 5 miles on your body astark change in elevation as well as thinner air leads to a slower climb to the summit. Through this area you see many people stopping to regain their breath and the switchbacks seem to get longer and longer. When you finally reach the base the summit the views are amazing but there is still trees blocking them from being fully realized. Next you must climb up about 100 feet over rocks and snow to reach the actual summit of the mountain. Many people do not venture all the way up as the snow makes the rocks slippery but its hardly worth putting in the full trek to not reach the summit. When you finally get above the rocks the views are breath taking. On a clear day you can see all the way to the ocean (which is around 120 miles).

We took about an hour to refuel and rest before making the trek back down, but I would highly recommend you make this journey if you are in the area as it is the second highest point in Southern California (500 feet shorter then San Gorgonio), and a very doable day hike for those that are in the shape to handle it.

Click to download the complete map of the hike

Author Bio
Josh Mc is an outdoor enthusiast most at home without a roof over his head. He works for the outdoor retailer OutdoorPros.com and writes for the Outdoor Blog OPAdventureTeam.com

Peak of Mt. San Jancinto

I first saw Mono Lake on a family trip in 1991 to Yosemite.  I was amazed at the white stalagmites shooting out of the water. As I looked out over the lake the mountains rose behind me and the desert beyond the lake.  It was a truly magical experience.  I returned a few years later to work in Yosemite National Park for the summer and I chose to enter through Tioga Pass (West of the park near the Lake) so that I could see Mono Lake once again.  I attended a presentation at the visitor center given by a NASA scientist.  NASA was sending mini submarines deep into the lake to study the dying lake.  By better understanding the death of the lake they hoped to learn more about water that once existed on Mars.  After the presentation I found a secluded spot at the edge of the lake and watched the day turn to night.  The colors over the desert and lake were beyond description.  It was humbling.

California has one of the most interesting and unique landscapes in North America but the population boom is destroying the beautiful state.  California is known as an environmentally active state, but unless they stop the influx of illegal immigrants and work harder to save their state everything will be reversed.  I do hope that California is able to save their state and become and example to us all, but I fear that it is a losing battle.  A battle, however, that must be fought…