Hetch Hetchy and Tuolumne Meadows are remarkably different regions located on opposite sides of the park. Hetch Hetchy is on the park's western border and can be reached by taking the turnoff just outside the park's Big Oak Flat Entrance. Tuolumne Meadows is on the park's eastern border, just inside Tioga Pass, and is inaccessible by motor vehicle during the winter. (Tioga Rd. is the road that leads to the meadows.)
Hetch Hetchy is home to the park's reservoir, passionately opposed by the famed conservationist John Muir and reviled by environmentalists to this day. Many believe that losing the battle over the reservoir exhausted Muir and hastened his death. Muir passed away in 1914, a year after the bill was signed to fund the dam project. Construction began on the dam in 1919, and it was completed in 1923. The reservoir provides San Francisco with drinking water; the dam generates a bit of electricity for the city as well.
South of Hetch Hetchy are two large stands of giant sequoias. The Merced and Tuolumne groves offer a quiet alternative to the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees in Wawona. Both groves are accessible only on foot. The Merced Grove is a 4-mile round-trip walk that begins about 4 1/2 miles inside the Big Oak Flat Entrance. Although the trees here don't mirror the majesty of the Mariposa Grove, the solitude here makes this a real treat for hikers. The Tuolumne Grove (about 25 trees) can be reached by a 1-mile hike (2 hr. round-trip).
To get into Yosemite's high country, go about 1 1/2 hours east along Tioga Road, which is closed in winter between Big Oak Flat and Tioga Pass. (You'll need skis or snowshoes to access this area during the winter.) This subalpine region is low on amenities, making it the frequent haunt of those who enjoy roughing it, but even cushy-soft couch potatoes can enjoy the beauty up here. Glistening granite domes tower above lush green meadows, which are cut by silver swaths of streams and lakes. Many of Yosemite's longer hikes begin or pass through here. The high country is explored at length in chapter 4. There are some worthwhile sights here for anyone willing to venture away from the valley masses.
Olmsted Point, located midway between White Wolf and Tuolumne Meadows, offers one of the most spectacular vistas anywhere in the park. Here the enormous walls of the Tenaya Canyon are exposed and an endless view stretches all the way to Yosemite Valley. In the distance are Cloud's Rest and the rear of Half Dome. To the east, Tenaya Lake, one of the park's larger lakes (and an easily accessible one), glistens like a sapphire.
About 8 miles east of Tenaya Lake is Tuolumne Meadows, a huge subalpine area surrounded by domes and steep granite formations that offer exhilarating climbs. The meadow is a beautiful place to hike and fish, or just to admire the scenery while escaping the crowds of Yosemite Valley. Facing to the north of the meadow is Lembert Dome at about two o'clock, and then working clockwise, Johnson Peak at seven o'clock, Unicorn Peak at eight o'clock, Fairview Dome at ten o'clock, and Pothole Dome at eleven o'clock. Up the road is the central region of Tuolumne, where you'll find a visitor center, campground, canvas tent-cabins, and a store. Continue east to reach Tioga Lake and Tioga Pass.
Alpenglow--You're in for a real treat if you position yourself with a view of the mountains and granite outcroppings around sunrise or sunset. The light of the rising and setting sun casts a rich, brilliant pink glow (known as alpenglow) on the landscape. This is a terrific time for photographing the area.
