TR: Rancheria Falls/Le Conte Point kids trip
Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 6:11 pm
We had a great 3 day/2 night trip to Rancheria Falls June 18-20, with my 9 yr old twins and a friend with slightly older kids (he'd never taken them backpacking before, my twins and I have done 3 trips in previous years). Weather was great, low to mid 70s most of the time, though Sunday was slightly warmer. We walked in to Rancheria Falls (6-7 miles) on Friday, where we camped 2 nights. The trail was very busy with people doing the Vernon Lake loop and day hikers out to Rancheria Falls. Wapama Falls was impressively damp, Rancheria Falls even more of a torrent.
Most of the good camp sites were taken when we got there at 5pm. We ended up at the far end of the various sites under the trees where it was extremely buggy. Lots of repellent needed, but even then the kids were getting bitten. Everyone was tired as well, so we all turned in pretty early.
Next morning we climbed up Le Conte Point as a day hike. We went up the trail all the way to the col then out along the ridge and didn't see anyone all day. Flowers were extremely impressive, we even saw (and almost trod on) a grouse and her chicks. The ridge was fun, very easy off trail walking and wandering up and around the various rock outcrops. The view from the top was also stunning.
On the way back, we cut off at the low point of the ridge and went down and round the various cliffs to reach the trail slightly lower down. All very straightforward, though it would have been very hard to find the right way to go up. About a 5-6 mile day hike in the end. When we got back to Rancheria Falls we found that the best campsite, on the rocky ridge near the lower falls, had been vacated that morning, and no-one had found it, despite at least half a dozen groups having arrived that day. We swiftly moved camp and had a much better evening, because the wind kept the bugs down to a manageable level even at sunset. A truly memorable place for our campfire and s'mores, with a great view down Hetch Hetchy.
On Sunday morning we hiked out a lot more quickly than we had hiked in, with the kids incentivized by the prospect of ice cream at Camp Mather. Wapama Falls was completely drenching this time, due to the warmer weather, and the dam sluice was open, creating an enormous cascade below the day use parking. Arrived back at the dam in only 3 hours of walking and then headed back to the Bay Area for a Father's Day dinner. A great trip, and a really beautiful time of year to be up there.
Most of the good camp sites were taken when we got there at 5pm. We ended up at the far end of the various sites under the trees where it was extremely buggy. Lots of repellent needed, but even then the kids were getting bitten. Everyone was tired as well, so we all turned in pretty early.
Next morning we climbed up Le Conte Point as a day hike. We went up the trail all the way to the col then out along the ridge and didn't see anyone all day. Flowers were extremely impressive, we even saw (and almost trod on) a grouse and her chicks. The ridge was fun, very easy off trail walking and wandering up and around the various rock outcrops. The view from the top was also stunning.
On the way back, we cut off at the low point of the ridge and went down and round the various cliffs to reach the trail slightly lower down. All very straightforward, though it would have been very hard to find the right way to go up. About a 5-6 mile day hike in the end. When we got back to Rancheria Falls we found that the best campsite, on the rocky ridge near the lower falls, had been vacated that morning, and no-one had found it, despite at least half a dozen groups having arrived that day. We swiftly moved camp and had a much better evening, because the wind kept the bugs down to a manageable level even at sunset. A truly memorable place for our campfire and s'mores, with a great view down Hetch Hetchy.
On Sunday morning we hiked out a lot more quickly than we had hiked in, with the kids incentivized by the prospect of ice cream at Camp Mather. Wapama Falls was completely drenching this time, due to the warmer weather, and the dam sluice was open, creating an enormous cascade below the day use parking. Arrived back at the dam in only 3 hours of walking and then headed back to the Bay Area for a Father's Day dinner. A great trip, and a really beautiful time of year to be up there.