So I got lost on that old road once, I stayed on when I should have moved to the Pohono trail. But looking back, it's actually quite nice and I might want to actually plan to do that trip in the future. What I'm thinking is to actually get up to the peak of the hill once I get around and see the view down to the other side. But It was very dry in October, is there running water anywhere around there around June?
It might be cool to spend a day on the south side, camp at the peak, then move down to the glacier point area, or even just stay farther south as we move east. I haven't spent any time in the south.
The Moon is Waxing Gibbous (75% of Full)
Re: Old Road from Inspiration Point
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November 08, 2010 01:46PM |
November 10, 2010 07:31AM |
Sounds fun. A worthy endeavor imo is to continue along the ridge there
(there's open granite in that area) and hook up with the intermediate
snow shoe trail that heads to Dewey.
Looks like you were off the road on your waypoint. Here's a map from 1910
with the road the way it used to be. We have only followed it a little bit
past Ft. Monroe... so if it really was a road still all the way to your waypoint
can you tell me please. (it would surprise me btw)
Here's the map:
Your waypoint is b/t 4 and 5 on the map almost right on the yosemite grant boundary.
(there's open granite in that area) and hook up with the intermediate
snow shoe trail that heads to Dewey.
Looks like you were off the road on your waypoint. Here's a map from 1910
with the road the way it used to be. We have only followed it a little bit
past Ft. Monroe... so if it really was a road still all the way to your waypoint
can you tell me please. (it would surprise me btw)
Here's the map:
Your waypoint is b/t 4 and 5 on the map almost right on the yosemite grant boundary.
November 19, 2010 07:26AM |
Quote
Dearborn
By chance, do you have any recent images of the old Wawona Road and the Fort Monroe area? I always wanted to hike the old road, but never took the time before I moved to the Yellowstone area.
This is the best I can do for you:
http://picasaweb.google.com/yosemite.chick.on/OldWawonaRd
Somehow I don't even have a photo of "Ft. Monroe". Why? Hmm... well...
it's not a "fort" to start with... it was at one point a "station" along
Wawona Rd... although I haven't been able to find any remnants of
structures... and it's not all that .. uh... impressive...
just a "small" area that is like a million other areas in Yosemite ...
You'd walk right by it without batting an eye.
The most interesting thing near the road is an old water trough. I've
included 3 photos of it in various "states"
Need to go back to Ft. Monroe again to look more... maybe next year...
Enjoy
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/2010 07:39AM by bill-e-g.
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Re: Old Road from Inspiration Point November 19, 2010 11:17AM |
Great photos. Thanks.
About Fort Monroe: The name was a bit of a joke. Monroe was a popular negro stage driver on the line at the time it was being built as a private toll road.
from Wikisource: The company maintained a series of stations on the road for servicing the stages; these were spaced at roughly 4-mile intervals. Within the present park boundaries, the stations were Four Mile Station (the point from which the branch line to the Big Tree Grove departed), Wawona, Alder Creek, Eight Mile station, Eleven Mile Station (sometimes called "West Woods"
, Chinquapin Flat, Grouse Creek and Fort Monroe. Each station had a water source, stables, corral, and a cabin for the keeper. The company ran 6-horse stages at first, later switching to lighter 4-horse rigs. A snow plow was placed in service on the road in April 1876.
See link: Wawona Road
At that time, the park boundaries were such that Wawona and Chinquapin were in private hands, and Ft. Monroe was the south entrance station for the Valley. It was also at the junction between the Wawona Road and the Pohono Trail (That trail has since been routed closer to Inspiration Point, and now includes the remaining part of the old road going down to the Valley. It formerly ended at Fort Monroe). So the "fort" part of the name may have been to twit the government agent at the entrance checkpoint.
One reason that no one hikes the abandoned part of the road west of Ft. Monroe is that it doesn't go up the hill to Cinquapin. Too much granite up there. It took a big switchback down the ridge west of Turtle Dome and thence to a flat spot at Grouse Creek. So you would lose a bit of elevation, and hit the current road near Grouse Creek. See Bill-e-g's map above.
There was also an earlier cabin in the area built by Henry Wilmer and called the Hermitage, which some maps place just above Ft. Monroe and some place at Grouse Creek. It was a major landmark for fifty years or so.
About Fort Monroe: The name was a bit of a joke. Monroe was a popular negro stage driver on the line at the time it was being built as a private toll road.
from Wikisource: The company maintained a series of stations on the road for servicing the stages; these were spaced at roughly 4-mile intervals. Within the present park boundaries, the stations were Four Mile Station (the point from which the branch line to the Big Tree Grove departed), Wawona, Alder Creek, Eight Mile station, Eleven Mile Station (sometimes called "West Woods"
, Chinquapin Flat, Grouse Creek and Fort Monroe. Each station had a water source, stables, corral, and a cabin for the keeper. The company ran 6-horse stages at first, later switching to lighter 4-horse rigs. A snow plow was placed in service on the road in April 1876.See link: Wawona Road
At that time, the park boundaries were such that Wawona and Chinquapin were in private hands, and Ft. Monroe was the south entrance station for the Valley. It was also at the junction between the Wawona Road and the Pohono Trail (That trail has since been routed closer to Inspiration Point, and now includes the remaining part of the old road going down to the Valley. It formerly ended at Fort Monroe). So the "fort" part of the name may have been to twit the government agent at the entrance checkpoint.
One reason that no one hikes the abandoned part of the road west of Ft. Monroe is that it doesn't go up the hill to Cinquapin. Too much granite up there. It took a big switchback down the ridge west of Turtle Dome and thence to a flat spot at Grouse Creek. So you would lose a bit of elevation, and hit the current road near Grouse Creek. See Bill-e-g's map above.
There was also an earlier cabin in the area built by Henry Wilmer and called the Hermitage, which some maps place just above Ft. Monroe and some place at Grouse Creek. It was a major landmark for fifty years or so.
November 30, 2010 05:07PM |
u r welcome
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