With the mammoth wildfire still burning in Yosemite National Park, it seems fitting to talk about one of the things that firefighters are working so tirelessly to protect - Hetch Hetchy. We visited Hetch Hetchy while we were vacationing in the high country of Yosemite National Park this summer.
Hetch Hetchy is the name of a valley that once was in Yosemite. In 1923 a dam was built to hold back water from the Tuolumne River that ran through the valley. Hetch Hetchy is now a reservoir that provides fresh drinking water to the people who live in San Francisco and the surrounding bay area.
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| photo by dturner |
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| photo by dturner |
Our day trip to Hetch Hetchy included a 5 mile hike to Wapama Falls. It was one of my favorite hikes in Yosemite. The trail is moderate at times, but is very well marked and maintained.
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| photo by dturner |
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| photo by dturner |
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| photo by dturner |
The views from the hiking trail are amazing. The huge granite monoliths are remarkable, and there are beautiful wildflowers and manzanita trees lining the trails.
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| photo by dturner |
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| photo by dturner |
Wapama Falls is not a huge waterfall, but it is definitely an amazing one. We filled out water bottles with some water near the bottom of the falls...it was ice cold and awesome! The mountain water that fills the Hetch Hetchy reservoir is very clean and pure.
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| photo by dturner |
There is a lot of history surrounding Hetch Hetchy...and a lot of controversy. There are many people that want to see the O'Shaughnessy Dam removed and the Hetch Hetchy valley restored to its original state. No matter where I stand on the controversy, I am glad that I got to visit Hetch Hetchy. It is an amazing place for sure!
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