TL;DR
Check out one of the least visited areas of Yosemite . Starting from Wawona, its a steep (but not as steep as the valley) up to the top of Chilnualna Falls. This is great as a 8 mile day hike or as a short leisurely out and back backpacking trip. There’s very little water access until you reach the top of the falls. Pay attention to water levels, especially during the spring and summer. Permits can be reserved using Yosemite’s online permitting process or at one of the Wilderness Permit Stations. We did this trip in September as a 1-nighter.
Thoughts
Ah, but this was supposed to be a Pohono trip wasn’t it??? Apparently mother nature had other plans. Storm closure of Glacier Point Road forced us to swap our itinerary. While it is possible to hike up 4 mile trail to Glacier Point, the group we were with wasn’t up to the task.
Luckily, Chilnualna Falls trailhead is rarely full. We were able to get enough permits for our group and successfully rearranged our trip. Pohono, hopefully, we’ll see you in 2020.
The minimum distance from a trailhead you have to hike before camping in Yosemite, is 4 miles, so that became our goal. Coincidentally, its 4 miles to the top of Chilnualna Falls so we were aiming for a just a bit past the top. This trip was intended to be an intro to backpacking for multiple friends so we were trying to do something a little easier than the brutal 15 mile days we’ve been doing as of late. It was a nice break for us as well. However, anything in Yosemite is going to have a decent amount of elevation gain, this one being no exception. Its about 2000ft of gain over those 4 miles
The hike up to to the top of the falls cuts away from the creek so there isn’t all too much to see other than some nice glimpses of the surrounding granite domes, ya know, if you’re into that sort of thing like I am. We took frequently breaks and enjoyed the surprisingly warm weather. Night temperatures were supposed to dip below freezing so we were enjoying it while it lasted.
We stopped at the top of the falls to enjoy the view. Already, a cold breeze was beginning to pick up. We meandered a bit further, past the fork in the trail. The ranger had said there should be some established sites past the top of the falls with some fire rings. How rare it is we get to enjoy a fire in the backcountry.
It didn’t take too long to find a good site that would fit all of us plus had a good fire ring. The wind felt like ice at this point and I was ready to put some layers on. Once camp was set up we decided to explore a bit downstream. Since it was fall, the creek flow was slow but steady. We scampered across the exposed rock, following it down to subsequent pools that would have been amazing swimming holes if the temperature wasn’t plummeting.
After our explorations we built our fire and settled in for snacks, dinner, and a round table reading from this young adult Goosebumps-esque National Parks themed book called “Ghost Horse” my friend gave me as a gag gift. The night was everything great about backpacking with friends. The minute we finished, snowflakes started falling down from the black sky, followed quickly by hail. There was a flurry of goodnight’s as we doused the fire and headed for our tents. Right as we were settling inside, a flash of lightning lit up the tent followed by a crash of thunder. What timing indeed.
The next day was a slow moving morning. D and I still operate in long distance mode so we were up at sunrise, ate breakfast rather slowly, and then waited around for the rest of the group. Despite the slow pack up, it was a mad dash back down the trail to the car. Group trip accomplished. We got to see whats up above Chilnualna. I had been wondering for a while what’s back there. Based on maps, there’s a pretty expansive wilderness area and it sounds like hardly anyone goes. Sometimes its also nice to have this leisurely trips. To enjoy some of the little luxuries we don’t always get on our, shall we say “more exhausting” trips.
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