Today we drove north of the Yosemite Valley to see Carlon Falls. The hike follows a stream below the falls. Some times you are close to the stream.
Sometimes you are doing a steep climb.
The hike is strenuous in places, but it is a worthwhile hike. At the end you find a multi tiered falls with several pools that would be great for swimming.
The climb to the upper falls requires a challenging scramble over some large boulders. Depending upon the path you choose, you may need to take a leap or two of faith to get from rock to rock.
The challenge has a nice reward. The best of the falls and the nicest pool are at the top.
The stream takes many paths over the boulders. You can see larger and smaller falls and smaller and larger pools of water in many locations.
You can get a glimpse of the upper falls without the challenging climb.
There are unusual sights as well. These large plants are quite unique in shape and appearance.
The water of the falls also makes some surprising carvings in the rocks when it runs at higher levels.
The lower falls made an interesting shape and reflection as it ran over a very smooth rock.
At the bottom of the set of falls, the stream returns to its normal sparkling flow.
Our trip to Carlon Falls took us outside of Yosemite, so we stopped at the re-enter point to take a photo of a National Park sign that has a different design than most.
Here is one of the many tunnels that are used to get vehicles around and through the mountain passes of Yosemite.
This location is called Tunnel View. It provides a spectacular view of the Yosemite Valley. It is said this is the most photographed place in all of Yosemite.
As we headed south to Wawona, another part of Yosemite, we got to see the result of the fire that came close to ending our trip to Yosemite. We are thankful for all the brave hardworking firefighters that work to protect our forests and parks.
This is a picture of the Clark Cottage at the Wawona Hotel. Our room is on the right side of this photo.
This was our room. The Clark Cottage was built in the 1870’s It is the oldest part of the existing hotel.
We had a great stay at the Wawona Hotel.