Hike to Wapama Falls - Yosemite National Park

Thursday, August 03, 2017, I enjoyed a hike to Wapama Falls, in the Hetch Hetchy area of Yosemite National Park, along with my brother Michael, and my brother-in-law Greg. A good time was enjoyed by all!

Photo: Looking into Hetch Hetchy Valley, not far after crossing the dam, and going through the tunnel. Gee, what would Hetch Hetchy Valley look like if it wasn't inundated under 400 feet of water? At least the liberal citizens of San Francisco are happy, as they have damned the Tuloumne River, and have enjoyed crystal clear drinking water, and water to fill their swimming pools for nearly a century. OK, I'm finished with my political rant.

Photo: After you cross the dam, go through the tunnel, and hike about a mile, you encounter a trail junction, which is well-marked by a typical welded Yosemite sign. Go to the right, young man, or else you may wind up at Young Lakes or beyond, which is many miles from Wapama Falls.

Photo: Mr. Ground Squirrel relaxes on a granite boulder, as I easily take his photo, with my 20-power zoom lens. On this late Thursday morning in early August, the temperature was in the low 90's, as the dam at Hetch Hetchy is only at the 3600-foot level, and Wapama Falls is only a couple hundred feet higher.

Photo: From the west end of the dam parking lot to Wapama Falls, it's a 2.75 mile hike, with a 500-foot elevation gain, which equals an easy, hour and a half hike. Your reward is Wapama Falls, which splits into five falls as it spills into Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The hike from the dam to the falls is hot and dry, but when you reach the falls, you're rewarded with mist, sometimes drenching, which "naturally" lowers the temperature by at least 30 degrees.

Photo: My hiking buddies, Michael Rench and Greg Wilson, at the second bridge at the base of Wapama Falls, before it joins the reservoir.

Photo: The wonder of Wapama Falls, up-close and personal. The falls splits into five separate branches as the hiking trail crosses it, on the way to Rancheria Creek, Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite Valley, and beyond. I marvel at the beauty of Wapama Falls.