This past week we had a family reunion in Monterey, California. We decided to see some national parks on the way. Our first park was Yosemite. We have been there before and are hiking Half Dome in October but Yosemite is huge and you can see different things on many visits. We hiked to Taft Point and Sentinel Dome. Both hikes are just a little over 2 miles round trip and they start at the same trailhead. Both views are even more amazing than you can tell from pictures. Don't miss these hikes. If you head to Glacier Point, you will see the trailhead on the way. We didn't do Glacier Point, but have heard that there are a lot more people, with essentially the same view. The parking lot at Taft Point/Sentinel Dome is small and so plan on getting there early or taking the shuttle. (Our cousin did the same hike the next day and took the shuttle. She said it took forever to get up in the shuttle.)
As a funny side note, there is a pit toilet at the beginning of the trail. While we waited our turn, a lady came out and said "don't use it unless it is an emergency". She came out with a bag with a toothbrush and toothpaste and started looking for a sink to wash her hands. She was shocked that the toilet was just a hole in the ground. As you are aware when you are hiking in most national parks and/or national forests, you are just glad when there is a bathroom. Most hikes that do not start at visitor centers will have pit toilets or nothing. We just thought it was humorous that she was expecting to have running water.
As a funny side note, there is a pit toilet at the beginning of the trail. While we waited our turn, a lady came out and said "don't use it unless it is an emergency". She came out with a bag with a toothbrush and toothpaste and started looking for a sink to wash her hands. She was shocked that the toilet was just a hole in the ground. As you are aware when you are hiking in most national parks and/or national forests, you are just glad when there is a bathroom. Most hikes that do not start at visitor centers will have pit toilets or nothing. We just thought it was humorous that she was expecting to have running water.
Next we headed to Sequoia and Kings Canyon, it was our first visit to both places. We did just short hikes along paved trails in both parks. We did do one hike to Moro Rock that a friend suggested. It is only about a half mile round trip but the view is amazing. If you are scared of heights you will not want to do this one. Stairs are carved into the rocks as you climb to a 360 degree view. There are railings, but just past the railing are steep drop-offs. The other hikes we did were to General Sherman Tree (the largest tree in the world) and General Grant Tree (the second largest tree in the world) and then just a stop along the road for Grizzly Falls (no hiking required). There are some other falls in Kings Canyon that we would like to do, but it was getting pretty hot when we made it to that canyon and so we're saving them for next time.
We also did a short stop to Pinnacles National Park. It is one of the newest national parks. There are two entrances which are not connected. You can go in the west or the east entrance. We went in the west because it was closer to our destination of Monterey. It was really hot and most of the hikes were longer than we wanted to do in the heat. There are hikes to caves as well. We would like to go and do a hike called Bear Gulch on the east side the next time. There are not a lot of views without doing some hiking and, from what we read, the peak season for this park is in the winter because of the hot temperatures in the summer. The caves are also closed periodically in the summer because of the nesting bats. Another one to save for next time. |
We ended in Monterey where we drove to Big Sur on Highway 1. Unfortunately, the hike we wanted to do in Big Sur was past the point where the highway was closed. We wanted to see a waterfall that empties right onto the beach in Julia Pfeiffer State Park. Again, next time. Instead, we stopped at several pullouts along the highway and explored cliffs and beaches and the famous Bixby Bridge. We also drove along 17-Mile-Drive which had fun things to see and awesome houses, including the Lone Cypress which is the most photographed tree in America. We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row. We walked along the beach each morning and enjoyed spending time with our extended family.
Stay tuned for many more hikes to come next week as Melinda and Elisa travel with their sister Teri up to Canada. We will be experiencing as many of the Canadian National Parks as we can get to as they are all free this year. Happy hiking everyone!!