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Hike · Hetch Hetchy to Lake Vernon trailhead

Hetch Hetchy to Lake Vernon Trail

Distance
7.0 mi
Vertical
2,700 ft
Summit
7,910 ft
Difficulty
Strenuous

The trail begins at the parking lot below O'Shaughnessy Dam, the controversial 1923 concrete arch that flooded the lower Hetch Hetchy Valley to supply water and power to San Francisco — a valley John Muir called the twin of Yosemite Valley and fought to save. The path crosses…

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About Hetch Hetchy to Lake Vernon Trail

The Hetch Hetchy to Lake Vernon Trail in Yosemite starts from the parking lot close to the O'Shaughnessy Dam at the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, and goes to Lake Vernon through the Yosemite Wilderness. Staying overnight requires a wilderness permit which can be obtained at the Hetch Hetchy ranger station or reserved online.

Summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir filling the lower valley between Kolana Rock and the opposite cliff.
King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lake Vernon set in a basin of pale glaciated granite at the trail's high point.
Alessandro Vernet · CC BY 2.0
Granite cliffs of the lower Hetch Hetchy valley along the trail's first miles.
King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0
The reservoir surface mirrors the granite walls of the drowned valley.
Blake Carroll · CC0

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