The Ottoway Lakes Loop

This is looking down river towards Lost Valley and point 7683.

Bunnell Point

The Ottoway Lakes Loop, September 2004

At the end of the bridge, the trail took a sharp left and entered the Bunnell Cascade section of the trail. Here that canyon narrowly constricts and the trail becomes more engineered out of solid rock. Next to the trail the river constricts to a narrow violent flume early season, a lethal white water rapid. For me this late in the season, it was a flow from pool to pool that eventually flowed over a broad granite lip (THE Bunnell Cascade) into a huge pool.

Merced River in its narrow channel below Bunnell Point.

The trail switchbacked downward steeply at the last cascade and entered a deep old growth forest of Lost Valley below Moraine Dome. This was another 'yosemite' valley with steep sheer white granite walls and cliffs with the quiet green pooling Merced River slowly drifting through the valley.

Bunnell Cascade just invites a dip to cool off in the hot summer.