Yosemite Less Traveled – Autumn Gems in Mariposa County
Mariposa County
Yosemite is best known for its trees,
Tenaya Lake, Tuolumne Meadows, Lake McSwain, Merced Grove. These are just a few of the less traveled locations in and around Yosemite National Park. Most visitors rarely take the time to venture out from the Yosemite Valley floor and explore these awe-inspiring environments. As a result, these Mariposa County destinations that feature bountiful sky, blue water, and giant sequoias are less visited especially in the autumn months, offering more room to explore on your own or with friends and family.
The surrounding towns share a similar feel. Fish Camp, Wawona, Coulterville and Mariposa are loaded with history and cultural significance and situated within a few miles of extraordinary nature. Each locality also presents the opportunity to go deep into the area’s history, whether you’re interested in Gold Rush lore, the conservation efforts of John Muir and others, or the Chinese workers who laid the infrastructure for this area.
With the exception of granite monoliths and wildlife, Yosemite in autumn is best known for its trees ― giant sequoias to be specific. There are three extant groves of giant sequoia in Mariposa County, the Mariposa Grove being the largest and, not surprisingly, the most visited. The Merced Grove is the smallest cluster, but what you lose in total number, you gain in a peaceful atmosphere. Add in the three-mile loop trail along the historic Coulterville Road, the first entrance into Yosemite, and Merced Grove becomes a well-earned opportunity to meditate with few distractions among the 3,000-year-old sentries. The downhill 2.5-mile walk to the Tuolumne Grove’s two dozen arboreal statues is the perfect leg stretch after arrival in northern Yosemite. Autumn offers perfect hiking weather – warm days and cool nights.
the giant sequoias.
Not far away, the Hetch Hetchy Valley is as vast as a sequoia grove is compact. What they do share is limited visitation that serves to enhance the calm ambience. John Muir called Hetch Hetchy“a grand landscape garden” long before the O’Shaughnessy Dam was constructed to create the reservoir. A visit to Hetch Hetchy offers a window into what, at the time, was one of America’s great conservation debates. Creating your base camp in Buck Meadows is an excellent launch point for exploring Hetch Hetchy and the park’s northern reaches.
Lake McClure is a smaller human-made body of water that is considered an angler’s paradise, with reliable spotted and largemouth bass, in addition to well-stocked trout. Casting from a tributary like Cotton Creek or Piney Creek is another wonderful way to spend the day. Rainbow, brown and brook trout are also stocked in Lake McSwain, a true trolling lake with a 10-mph speed limit. Not your everyday rainbow, the largest catch here was 17.5 pounds and 34 inches!
Tenaya Lake hosts the spectrum of outdoor recreation we associate with a natural alpine lake. Located on Tioga Road between Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows at 8,150 feet above sea level, Tenaya Lake is a must-visit for kayakers, non-motorized boaters and swimmers who appreciate some “refreshment” from their dips. Autumn isa perfect time to visit as the area is inaccessible in winter.
Swimmers will find storied swimming holes along the Merced River Canyon, a protected “Wild and Scenic River” bordered by the Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests. “Trailgating” is very much a thing in Yosemite, so pack a picnic along with plenty of water and set off into the canyon for the day’s adventure among hillside poppies and Muir’s water ouzel, aka the American Dipper, a songbird that stands pumping its tail in the middle of the Merced, from where it dives to capture larvae from the underwater air pockets.
Like the astounding geologic history in the Yosemite area, human history here can be quite fascinating. Fish Camp, the closest town (population 93) to any park entrance, draws its name from the Miwuk Nation, who used the area as a fishing and trading site for millennia. The Yosemite History Center, located in Wawona, takes visitors through the history of this area from the early pioneering settlers. The Center’s Chinese Laundry exhibit is an example of the park’s renewed efforts to share its complete multi-ethnic history.
IIn 1864, Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant, placing Yosemite under the protection of California, a courageous decision given the astounding natural resources found within the valley. An Act of Congress designated Yosemite as a National Park in 1890. The surrounding area was already very well known all over the world after gold was discovered in the streambeds near what was eventually called Coulterville after George Coulter, the town’s first merchant and hotelier. This historic town is comprised of 42 buildings, all listed on the California Register of Historic Places.
Coulterville’s Northern Mariposa County History Center reveals the storied history of this classic western pioneer town, from colorful characters to the haunted Hotel Jeffery, where President Theodore Roosevelt once bedded down. As with anywhere in Mariposa County, nature is around the next corner in Coulterville, specifically the drive up to Greely Hill, a fabulous vista point to scope out the Central Valley and the Sierra Range.
The ghosts continue to fly in the county seat, Mariposa. Home to the most extensive amenities in the region, the town of about 1,200 people features several dining and lodging options as well as three diverse museums, including the new Yosemite Climbing Association Gallery and Museum. You don’t have to scale El Cap to appreciate the alpinist history here. The California State Mining & Mineral Museum holds more than 13,000 artifacts, from historic equipment to a kaleidoscope of the world’s gems. The living history Mariposa Museum & History Center brings the Gold Rush and late 19th-century society to life.
In addition to all the cultural offerings, Mariposa County’s towns provide perfect base camps for exploring Yosemite National Park, like the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, located just inside the park’s south gate. Wilderness is always full of discovery, but when you have a little more space to explore like in Mariposa County, you’ll have more time to uncover and appreciate your own gems.
Tuolumne Grove
HETCH HETCHY
Merced grove
coulterville
Merced river
canyon
Wawona
Mariposa grove
Mariposa
Fish camp
Tenaya lake
LAKE McSWAIN
LAKE McCLURE
A quiet cathedral grove of 20 trees along the historic Old Coulterville Road Trail.
Merced grove
An ideal canyon for hiking and scenic drives chock-full swimming holes.
Merced river
canyon
A historic site in the California Gold Rush with a ghost in town to prove it.
coulterville
Steps from the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and the Yosemite southern entrance.
Fish camp
A full authentic western town experience with museums, restaurants and lodging.
Mariposa
An angler’s dream and home to popular paddling too.
LAKE McCLURE
LAKE McSWAIN
Old-fashioned fun, like swimming and fishing in a pristine setting.
Tenaya lake
500 dazzling Sequoia sentries including the 2,700-year old “Grizzly Giant.”
Mariposa grove
A historic hamlet rich in local lore. Don’t miss the new Chinese Laundry exhibit.
Wawona
The “forgotten” section of Yosemite is a less traveled waterfront playground.
HETCH HETCHY
High alpine meadows and lakes at their finest.
Toulumne grove
Click on the map to discover more
Lake McClure is a body of water that is considered
an angler’s paradise.
Yosemite History Center takes visitors through
the history
of its area
An angler’s dream and home to popular paddling too.
Yosemite national park
Tuolumne Grove
HETCH HETCHY
Wawona
Mariposa grove
Tenaya lake
LAKE McSWAIN
LAKE McCLURE
Mariposa
Fish camp
coulterville
Merced river
canyon
Merced grove
Water
Towns
Groves
