California National Parks of the Sierras - Trip Report - Day 5
Day 5 - Sunday 6/24 – Transition day to Yosemite and exploring the Mariposa Grove.
Once again I was up early, as were our neighbors the mule deer out behind the lodge. I went out for a walk around the grounds at 6:00. This quickly became my morning ritual and it was a great time to get out for a stretch of the legs in the cool morning air. I had the trails to myself…well, as far as humans go. There were always are variety of critters along these trails, plus all the birds flitting about and singing. These short walks each morning were a highlight of the trip for me.
In addition to the mule deer I saw from the room, I saw three more along the trail. I think that one pair was a doe with last season’s fawn, as the youngster kept running up to mom and mom was trying to shoo her away. I also saw more quail and several other birds including a Stellar’s Jay by the lodge. And of course there was a herd of ground squirrels.
Here’s a video of one of the mule deer having breakfast; again, turn up the volume to hear the birds in the background.
We had the full buffet this morning. The French toast was great and the variety of fresh fruit was outstanding again. We really enjoyed our time at Wuksachi. Since it is a newer facility, it did have all the comforts of home. While I tend to shy away from TV and wifi while on vacation, it was nice to be able to get details on the weather each day (wifi is available in the lodge). Plus the setting was very nice and also convenient to some of the main attractions in the park. There is a very relaxed vibe to the place and it never seemed to be very crowded. The only thing that was really missing was a porch with a view and comfy chairs from which to enjoy a drink in the evening. Here are my lodging and dining reviews for Wuksachi Lodge.
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We were all packed up and ready to roll just before 9:00. The smoke from the prescribed fires had gotten worse, so the distance views from the General’s Highway were very muted. I think it worked out well that we decided to skip the return to Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon – too smoky for good vistas and really too far to do with the time that we had today. We did stop briefly at the Grant Grove Visitor Center, and I was able to get a shot of the Sequoia entrance sign (the signs are my “passport” stamp for the Parks). Then it was on to the Wawona in Yosemite via Fresno.
We only made a couple of quick stops along the way between Sequoia and Yosemite….we wanted to get to the park in time to do some exploring this afternoon. First we had to get some gas, so we stopped at a Chevron on route 41 just north of Fresno. Lynn said the rest room was disgusting; worst she ever saw! We stopped in one of the little bergs along 41, Coarsegold, I think, for snacks (ahhh, milk chocolate Flipz…one of my favs for traveling). This is a nice stretch of road. Traffic was light, folks were driving the speed limit, the scenery was pleasant and there were a good number of places to stop along the way for food and snacks. Even with the stops and generally not being in a hurry, we still made it to Wawona by 1:00. The only real delay that we had was at the entrance gate for Yosemite where there was a slight back-up. There was a sign that indicated a 20-30 minute delay, but it was really only about 10. We did witness a “stupid human trick” or two during the delay. For whatever reason, folks were getting out of their vehicles and walking/running alongside the slowly moving traffic. Not sure why this was going on, but it was not exactly the safest thing to do.
We got lucky at Wawona. First of all, we got a parking spot…probably the last one in the lot. But more importantly, we were able to check in early (check-in was scheduled for 5:00). But our room was ready, so we unloaded, and were ready for our next adventure by 1:40. We opted to head to the Mariposa Grove. We also decided that the best plan was to hop on the park shuttle from the Wawona general store, as it looked to be short on parking near the grove and Wawona was the overflow anyway.
We caught the 2:00 shuttle and were at the grove about 2:30. The bus was packed. I reckon about half the folks walked into the grove and the other half took the tram through the grove. We bought the trail brochure and started hiking up the hill through the grove. It was a ZOO along the trail from the trailhead to the Grizzly Giant but then the crowds diminished dramatically as most folks turned back to the trailhead. We had the trail to ourselves for most of the rest of the day. Another example of folks not abiding by the rules and we saw several folks carrying out the huge cones from the sugar pine. This was a common theme on all the popular trails through the groves. At one point we saw a group of Indian women, dressed in the colorful saris, each carrying one of the cones. I hope they ran into a Ranger on their way out.
Great hike! The trail is paved just past the Grizzly Giant, then turns to dirt, but it is in very good shape and generally wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side in most places. However, there were many areas of exposed roots and rocks, so be careful of the trip hazards.
We went up to the Fallen Tunnel Tree via the California, tunnel and clothespin trees and the museum. The trees and the views were amazing. We walked around the short nature trail (adjacent to the museum) on the return trip. We saw several birds along the trail, and of course ground squirrels. A few ravens in addition to the song birds. A Western Tanager provided a colorful escort for a short while, but he stayed just out of range of the camera. There were also a couple mule deer bucks near the start of the trail, plus Abert’s and grey squirrels and some butterflies along the nature trail loop. We came back down the hill via the outer loop and were back at the shuttle stop at 5:50 and delivered at the Wawona at 6:20.
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I really enjoyed the hike through the Mariposa Grove, particularly the area between the museum and the Fallen Tunnel Tree. While the trees are not quite as massive as those in the Giant Grove (but they are still really BIG) there seemed to be more accessible clusters of sequoias along the trail. This was as close as I have gotten to the forest shot I’ve been looking for. I probably included most of the details from the hike here in the TR, but here’s the link to the review of the Mariposa Grove for completeness. I also plotted this hike on EveryTrail.
We had dinner at the Wawona. No issues with seating, it was not crowded at all. The meal was good but not great. I had the blackened sea bass, which was quite tasty, although the barley pilaf was extremely bland. Lynn did like the shrimp scampi. We split a crème brulee for desert (remember that trend I mentioned?) As with the rest of the meal, the dessert was good but not great (the sugar crust was too think and too brunt).
Porch time until bed time. We discussed the plan for tomorrow. I think I’ll try to sneak in 9 holes of golf, as long as I can get out first thing in the morning. I talked to a few guys coming off the course this afternoon and they all liked the track and said it was in good shape. Might as well play, since it is the oldest course in the Sierras and I think the only golf courses in a National Park. Then my thought is that we should head up to Glacier Point and hopefully hike Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Lynn is not yet convinced.
We watched a DVD for a while before lights out (we bring a portable DVD player when visiting the parks since there is usually no TV; Lynn uses the TV as a sedative), which was not long after our hike this afternoon. We had earbuds so that we would not disturb our neighbors as the walls are rather thin. The guy in the next room was a real snorer, so if you are a light sleeper, you might need earplugs when staying at Wawona.
Here are some photos from our activities today, focused primarily on the hike through the Mariposa Grove.
Skip to: Days 1 and 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7 - Day 8 - Day 9 - Days 10 through 13.
Return to:
California 2012 Trip Report Intro Page.
We went there in... 2012.
Travel Timeline.
Trip Report list.
Return to:
California 2012 Trip Report Intro Page.
We went there in... 2012.
Travel Timeline.
Trip Report list.