Yosemite National Park Off The Beaten Path Tips by chewy3326 Top 5 Page for this destination

June Lakes Loop Roads / Drives Review

June Lakes Loop, south of Lee Vining off US 395, is a 16-mile road leading pass four lakes under Carson Peak. The scenery along this road is okay, but not quite as spectacular as Tioga Rd. Also, there is a large amount of development near the June Lakes Village. The two most beautiful lakes on this drive are June Lake and Silver Lake; the other two are Grant and Gull Lakes. A good number of waterfalls can be seen from this drive.

To reach the starting point, take Hwy 120 down from Tioga Pass, then US 395 south, and you'll reach the beginning of the drive.

Mariposa

Mariposa is a town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada that usually thrives off its position on Hwy 140, one of the principal routes into Yosemite Valley. In 2006, a large rock slide covered the road between the town and the park; pretty soon, it became empty. We passed by Mariposa on our way to Oakhurst and the South Entrance of the park. It is a typical Gold Country town, with souvenir shops and a very western-looking main street (Hwy 140).

Hwy 108 over Sonora Pass Roads / Drives Review

Although not half as spectacular as Hwy 120 over Tioga Pass (Tioga Road), Hwy 108 over Sonora Pass allows you to see some classic Sierra scenery of snowcapped peaks, meadows and rivers. From its junction with US 395, Hwy 108 follows the Walker River through its winding river, then begins to climb steeply up towards Sonora Pass. The road is curving and has steep grades (26%); this is not the place to take your RV or trailer. From there, it meanders through meadows and forests to reach 9628 foot Sonora Pass, California's second highest automobile pass. It descends from Sonora Pass, with some good scenery; then it fades out into an aspen forest and heads downhill into the foothills. Along the way, you should stop to see the Columns of the Giants and also the Dardanelles. Count at least 2 hours on the drive between Bridgeport and Sonora.

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Roads / Drives Review

Hetch Hetchy is about a 1.5-hour drive from Yosemite Valley, via Big Oak Flat Road, Evergreen ROad, and then the Hetch Hetchy Road to the valley. Hetch Hetchy means 'grass'; it once referred to a valley filled with forests and meadows and surrounded by grand rocks and thundering waterfalls that rivaled Yosemite Valley. However, the city of San Francisco decided Hetch Hetchy would be a convenient location for a dam that would supply water and power to the city, and in 1913, the Raker Act passed Congress allowing this once-beautiful valley to be flooded and turned into today's Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. John Muir loved Hetch Hetchy Valley very much, and fought against the construction of the dam in what was probably the first major environmental dispute in American history; after the bill was passed, Muir's spirit faltered and he died a year later. The O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1921, and has made the reservoir you see today. However, the fight's still on to restore Hetch Hetchy to its original condition, led by organizations like Restore Hetch Hetchy and the Sierra Club.

Website: http://www.hetchhetchy.org

The Dead Sea of California Mono Lake Review

Just a few miles east of the Tioga Pass Entrance is Mono Lake, an ice age relic now 700,000 years old. Tufa is scattered around this alkaline Great Basin lake. For a good part of the 20th century, Mono Lake was home to one of the greatest environmental conflicts in American history; the struggle of the Mono Lake Committee (led by the late David Gaines) against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. In the 1940s, the LAWDP began diverting water from creeks flowing into Mono Lake. This eventually lowered the level of the lake, threatening the wildlife and the beauty of the region. The Mono Lake Committee led a court battle against LADWP, and in the 1980's, courts ordered the water level of Mono Lake to be raised. Today, Mono Lake is rebounding, and also hauntingly beautiful. Since you've made it to Yosemite, there's no reason you shouldn't visit Mono Lake.