Sierra News Online News from the communities in and around Yosemite National Park

News from the communities in and around Yosemite National Park

I got a sneak preview of the newly revamped Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park after it has been closed to the public since Spring of 2015. 250 acres with nearly 500 mature trees is a must see if you are visiting Yosemite. Reopening this Friday, parking at the Mariposa Grove Welcome Center and taking a shuttle up to Mariposa ...

Sally and I needed a break from weedeating and we escaped over Tioga Pass, camping along roaring Lee Vining Creek. Relaxing and reading were my goals but I walked back through history up to the Poole Hydroelectric Plant. Where: Inyo National Forest, Aspen Campground Elevation: 7,490′ Date: June 4-7, 2018 Maps: June Lake Topog Dog Friendly? Yes Sally and I headed ...

Some of us snowshoed, some of us hiked and all of us postholed and sank through the spring snow on our way up to beautiful frozen lakes in the Tioga Pass area with blue sky and white puffy clouds to add some sparkly to the day. Where: Yosemite National Park, Inyo National Forest Distance: 4.98 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: ...

Whatever you have wanted to ask about my recent horse camping trip with Hondoo Rivers and Trails but were afraid to ask is what this blog is all about. We sure did ride across some beautiful country in Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park and adjoining lands but there it takes a lot to make this happen. I cannot begin to address the ...

My dog Sally and I took a drive across Tioga Road to see what the snow conditions were and knew that you would like see what we saw. A very small lake called Siesta Lake (7,987′ elevation) is along the south side of Tioga Road and I like to stop to see beautiful morning reflections. The lake delivered! Olmsted Point ...

You know me. Nothing like an an adventure on horseback, riding through that beautiful country in Utah, pretending I am a cowboy or an Indian or an outlaw! I signed up for a horseback adventure to cover an area that I hadn’t been before–Capitol Reef National Park in south central Utah. Let me start by sharing some information about Capitol ...

Imagine a copper strike in the middle of nowhere, so huge that it warranted building a railroad 60 miles long to it to haul all of the bounty out. It could even be the Lost Spanish Mine! With other people’s money, imagine what could be accomplished! Where: Death Valley National Park Date: February 28, 2018 We visited many places on ...

Our plan was to take a blooming Dogwood adventure in Yosemite Valley. First stop were the Half Dome Village dogwoods, then the Mirror Lake Loop dogwoods and the finale was the pink dogwood near the employee housing but we also had a few surprises along the way with a trail issue and some romantic critters. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: ...

Wildflowers were celebrating Earth Day at the Striped Rock Conservation Preserve, one of the Sierra Foothill Conservancy’s special areas that you can only visit with one of their docents. Where: Sierra Foothill Conservancy, Striped Rock Conservation Preserve Distance: 4.49 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 1,720′ – 2,160′ Date: April 22, 2018 Maps: Ben Hur Topographic Quad Dog Hike? No I ...

Frogs were singing and turtles were basking on logs at the Stockton Creek Nature Preserve where I learned how to identify some of our local amphibians and reptiles with the Sierra Foothill Conservancy. Where: Sierra Foothill Conservancy, Stockton Creek Nature Preserve Distance: 2.21 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 2,250′ – 2.406′ Date: April 15, 2018 Maps: Ben Hur, Buckingham Mountain ...