OAKHURST — Ever wondered what there is to do around the mountain area? Come to the Oakhurst Branch Library to hear Judi Hussain explain the plethora of activities this marvelous area has to offer. Judi has been the Visitor Center Coordinator at Yosemite Sierra Visitor Center (now called Visit Yosemite | Madera County) for the past five years, and this weekend she’ll ...

The Conness Lakes are a magical place, especially when there is snow and ice involved. Their glacial fed turquoise waters are amazing! Where: Hoover Wilderness Distance: 4.71 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 10,066′ – 10,787′ Date: July 6, 2016 Maps: Falls Ridge and Buckeye Topogs We headed east on Tioga Road, east of the Tioga Pass entrance to Yosemite to ...

How much snow and ice would we find at the 11,000′ elevation above the Mono Pass Trail? Would those lakes still be frozen over? It was the right time to get up there and check it out. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 12 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 9,596′ – 10,959′ Date: June 29, 2016 Maps: Falls Ridge and June ...

We looked for a hike close by where we could get some exercise and see some views but we didn’t have much time. We came up with a dandy and we saw some critters! Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: About 5.3 miles for the Sentinel Dome Taft Point Loop and about 1.9 miles for the McGurk Meadow. Difficulty: Easy Elevation ...

YOSEMITE — Bears emerged from their dens in March this year and have been active throughout the park ever since. Recent observations have included bears grazing in roadside meadows and along hiking trails. Bear incidents this week have centered on activities by backpackers. Two incidents occurred in the Yosemite Valley Backpacker’s Campground when bears got into food left unattended in ...

I know it is June but we snowshoed up to Gaylor and Granite Lakes, with a side trip to the old abandoned mining town of Dana City in the Tioga Pass area. If the hot weather is getting you down, maybe these pictures will help you cool off. Where: Yosemite National Park, Inyo National Forest Distance: 4.7 Miles Difficulty: Moderate ...

Those colorful harlequin lupines can put on quite the display on this trail but what would they look like this year? We were definitely looking forward to seeing how much water was coming over Alder Creek Falls and the many other wildflowers along this trail. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 13.36 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 4,028′ – 5,845′ Date: ...

YOSEMITE – The cables on Half Dome in Yosemite National Park will be in place and open for the season on Friday, May 27, as scheduled. The cables provide access to the summit of Half Dome, one of Yosemite’s most popular hikes. Visitors are required to have a permit to ascend the Half Dome cables seven days per week. The ...

Tioga Road reopened May 18 and we headed over there as soon as it opened and before it closed temporarily. We were so curious to check out the snow conditions, hoping for iced over lakes and beautiful reflections. We made several stops along the way and wanted to share this report on conditions. Siesta Lake, along Tioga Road, is 7,959′ ...

Glacier Point Road was back open! So we really needed to get up to Ostrander Lake to check out how much snow was up there and we were very curious whether the lake was still iced over. Plus we had a very special critter sighting! Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 12.58 Miles Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous Elevation Range: 6,998′ – 8,613′ Date: ...