No target shooting or motorized vehicles or power tools! That's serious.by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thanks for the positive feedback! (Sorry for the delay in responding, but we were in Cedar Grove...not a data connection to be had!)by balzaccom - General Discussion
Good idea. About the closures, I mean.by balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Yes, but this year that will only be possible if you arrive before 6 a.m or after 4 p.m. "A reservation is required to drive into or through Yosemite during peak hours Alert 1, Severity closure, A reservation is required to drive into or through Yosemite during peak hours A reservation is required to drive into or through Yosemite National Park from 6 am to 4 pm daily. This temporary sby balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Great news! Now all you need is a permit...by balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Yep--the campground chart for available campgrounds lists Tamarack Flat as opening "June?" White Wolf is "July?" And Yosemite Creek is "June? " It appears that they WILL open this summer, once the work there is completely. We'll have to check back often to see when they actually open. On Recreation.gov these are all listed as First come, first served, so no reby balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yep. Caltrans reports that there are no closures on Highway 108. Sonora Pass is open!by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Hi Spinozarte I doubt that Sonora Pass, or Ebbetts Pass on Highway 4, will be open by the 15 of May. But you can check this quite easily via the California Highway conditions website: https://roads.dot.ca.gov/ And this website focuses specifically on the high passes of the Sierra; https://snowbrains.com/caltrans-update-says-they-hope-to-open-tioga-pass-ca-for-memorial-day-weekend/by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Nice interview by the book editor: https://napavalleyregister.com/entertainment/books/the-book-beat-paul-wagner-wine-marketer-to-mystery-author/article_7dd50aea-ca40-11ec-97bf-afd71fa675b6.htmlby balzaccom - General Discussion
Thoughts on living outside... www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-confounding-politics-of-camping-in-americaby balzaccom - General Discussion
"Afterwards, it's not "you do what you want". Specifically, the rule is "Hikers may not backtrack from one trailhead to another trailhead on any night of their trip (either partially or fully) unless exiting at their entry trailhead to end their wilderness trip" Hmmm. So how does one complete a through hike? I'm not questioning the accuracy of your source material,by balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
The freeway sections of 108 were originally built as part of a plan to have 4 lanes all the way to Dodge Ridge. They built the easy sections when they got funding, but have never solved the funding issues for the sections through Sugar Pine/Miwok Village. Those involve more purchase of private property along the way. They added another section of freeway below Twain Harte in the last coupleby balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
We are expecting two storms this week that should bring rain to Yosemite, and snow down to about 6,000 or lower. Not sure how that would affect a trip to Rancheria Falls, for example, unless the bridge over Wapama Falls is closed...Lake Vernon, on the other hand, will probably get some snow during the storms. That would probably cover the trail--not enough to make walking really hard, but cby balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Lots and lots of reasons, Dave. And we have reasons to go back again. We want to visit more of the pueblos themselves, once they are open. Most were closed due to concerns about COVID, which hit those communities very hard. But we also have hikes in Bandelier and Gila Cliffs that we want to do...by balzaccom - General Discussion
That's great news. I remember the ugly story of a few years ago, when some yahoos jumped into the water and created havoc. Nice to see the fish doing well. But I did have a question about this line in the story: On this count, Brandon Senger, Supervising Fisheries Biologist for Nevada Department of Wildlife, counted a surprising number of young fish below the surface. Did he see any aboby balzaccom - General Discussion
We're just back from a two-week adventure through Arizona and New Mexico. The primary focus was a few pueblo and petroglyph sites, but since we were in the area, we took in a a few other things as well. We began with a couple of days in Joshua Tree, hiking around the Black Rock Campground (a first for us) and then staying at Cottonwood the second night. From there we visited Casa Grande inby balzaccom - General Discussion
"We shouldn't be encouraging trips like this. This is an obvious use of a loophole. The OP wanted to go somewhere else and doesn't want to go to Illilouette, an area they nothing about and which is in a different direction than they want to go for an extra night. It is only because of a quirk in geography and of the permit system that it is possible with some jumping of hoops. Instead of goiby balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
We're just back from another adventure in Death Valley, with a stop in the Pinnacles on the way down. We hiked Condor Gulch there, saw a couple of condors roosting and camped overnight--waking up to ice on the tablecloth in the morning. Ahem, DAY TWO: We made it to Stovepipe Wells in time for a Zoom call (sigh) and then enjoyed the tightly packed gravel parking lot they call a campground. Itby balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Hard to imagine what the conditions would have to be to get the open again...by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
It's shaping up to be another dry, dry summer ..by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Important to note that these dams do not provide water for agriculture or assist with flood control. They were purely created for hydroelectric power...and no longer effective in that role.by balzaccom - General Discussion
1. RPP is a high place. When usually is there no snow covering the trail. Was thinking of reserving in early Aug but might go later if there's snow. Too soon to tell right now, but unless we get a lot more snow, you should be fine in August. 2. Trail conditions are how? Is there generally route-finding required or is the tread evident? Only experience hiking is in state/regional-parks wheby balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I won't be able to tell you until July. That's when our first permit starts. But I think you are right---makes no sense to offer walk-up permits in a park that requires a reservation to get in the gate...by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yep. We had a little snow down at 3700 feet. And temps tonight should go down to below 20F.by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Cool! Love to hear what you think of it...by balzaccom - General Discussion
Wonderful set of photos here from Ansel Adams, curtesy of the Guardian. John Muir maybe coined the phrase "the range of light" for the Sierra Nevada, but nobody captured its essence better than Adams. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2022/feb/17/ansel-adams-rare-photographs-in-stunning-hi-definition?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Otherby balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
If you have reservations for lodging inside the park you should be fine. I wonder how they handle the situation with lodging like the new Rush Creek--which is just outside of the park. I know they have a shuttle that goes into the park each day, but don't know what you would do if you didn't want to take the shuttle...by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I spent Saturday with a trail crew outside of Yosemite, working to remove trees and maintain trails in the Sierra National Forest. Just wondering how many here do anything similar....and if anyone else would like to join the crews around Mariposa? A short summary of the crew here: https://www.backpackthesierra.com/post/more-mariposa-trail-crew-actionby balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Bones of the Earth, the second in my series of mystery novels set in the High Sierra and featuring ranger Dan Courtwright is now published. You can find it at the Napa Bookmine, the Mountain Bookstore in Sonora, and of course, you can always get these on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Paul-Wagner/dp/B09R96CDCR?language=en_US Hope you enjoy the read! PWby balzaccom - General Discussion
Really nice report. We've got this on our list of places to visit this spring. Now you've made us even more determined to get to it. We are big fans of Obata's artwork--really beautiful stuff.by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion