High Sierra Topix

have they actually put a bridge there? haven't been in a long time, used to be a very large downed tree spanning the south fork, planed flat on top surface--perfectly safe.

Yes, they put in a very sturdy bridge in 2006-7. It's quite high above the river so they obviously designed and built it to withstand spring flooding. It's definitely not as fun to do as the old large tree/log jam, but with the bridge it's a lot easier to stop in the middle and appreciate the view up and down the river.

Here's the bridge at Upper Paradise:

Even up north here, one July 4 weekend, I was hiking over snow the whole time, could not even make the parking area at Hay Meadow in the Caribou Wilderness. Elevation was around 6400.
Duane