The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and Falls

An arm of the drowned "yosemite" valley, the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. One of the great tragedies of the Sierra wilderness. Far down the canyon you can see the pointy Kolana Rock. Note the difference between the north slope (left) and the south slope (right).

Endless Switchbacks

The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and Falls, June 2004

All good things must come to an end, and I had my rest, pictures, food and views. There had been plenty of small streams along the trail, so water was not a problem. So finally, too soon, we packed up and headed out.

Morrison Creek and trail. This location is higher up the trail than the photo above this image. Below where Morrison Creek nears the trail, many small switchbacks are encountered that follow the creek closely for a good distance before breaking away for the view seen in the picture above this one.

The trail continues its wooded descent for another half mile and 140 feet of loss before breaking out to a rocky area with open limited views (as seen in the picture of the previous page). We passed through a level area where Morrison Creek joins the trail and where people obviously evidentially camp, although I saw no fire rings. The fire rings probably come and go, and I did not look too hard for any. The nearby large tall rocky hills and monoliths would provide great perches for great views of the Tuolumne canyon, such as point 6856.

While following Morrison creek, occasionally a nice view down the creek is encountered. Note the Dogwood tree in full bloom. Its now near 6000 feet, and the flora is changing.

At his point the trail begins the main plunge into the Tuolumne Canyon, beginning with a section of small tight thigh punishing switchbacks that shed about 900 feet of elevation over less than a half mile. That is a serious rate of descent. Fortunately, the way is fairly shaded and Morrison Creek provides entertainment with its frothy noisy rapids and falls.

After losing the 900 feet, the trail takes a left turn west into the open to get the view as seen at the top of this page before heading back towards Morrison Creek.