Fantastic trip despite waiting in traffic for an hour and a quarter to get to the Wawona entrance station. To be expected of course on a Memorial Day weekend. Found the last two parking spaces in the lot and hit the trail ~11:00. Beautiful hike right from the start with views of Wawona Dome and Chilnualna Falls.
The closest sites were taken so we looked for a crossing of the unnamed tributary creek that comes in from the North. Fording was possible for adults but not safe for the youngest in our party (7 and 10 years old) so we found a big tree that had fallen across the creek just upstream from the ford. We found a beautiful campsite just uphill to the left of the trail. The kids discovered evidence that this campsite had been used for hundreds of years before our arrival. There were several pounding holes for grinding acorns and other foods.
We had our share of wildlife sightings in addition to the bear. We shared our campsite with a young buck who kept strolling around the area and a marmot. We also saw a Western Tanager. But the biggest surprise was discovering that the Sierra I'd been hiking in for about 30 years was home to scorpions. When I moved a rock I found something unusual moving beneath it. It was a very young scorpion with the tell-tale curved tail and pinchers.
The wildlife we were glad NOT to see was mosquitos. There were very few throughout the trip.
Would highly recommend during cool weather as it gets hotter here than many of the alternatives.
After a lunch break a couple of miles in, we saw a cinnamon colored bear, probably a big cub, running back and forth across the trail. After making much noise we continued on up the trail. Creek crossings were fairly easy until we got to the top. TR: Chilnualna Falls - May 26 - 29, 2023
- bthsieh
- Topix Novice
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 1:43 pm
- Experience: N/A
- Location: Sunnyvale, CA
TR: Chilnualna Falls - May 26 - 29, 2023
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
- fpb56
- Topix Acquainted
- Posts: 54
- Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2019 11:35 am
- Experience: Level 3 Backpacker
Re: TR: Chilnualna Falls - May 26 - 29, 2023
Nice report
- c9h13no3
- Topix Fanatic
- Posts: 1327
- Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:19 pm
- Experience: Level 1 Hiker
- Location: San Mateo, CA
Re: TR: Chilnualna Falls - May 26 - 29, 2023
Yeah, I'd venture this was about right for an early season trip to keep it pleasant. Well done
"Adventure is just bad planning." - Roald Amundsen
Also, I have a blog no one reads. Please do not click here.
Also, I have a blog no one reads. Please do not click here.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot], Bishop_Bob, bravefanla, Gazelle, Google Adsense [Bot], middleweight_marmot and 14 guests