Image of the day

Captured by
Terry Wood

Jupiter (clearer) Nov 5th 2023 w/Mewlon 180c

My Account

New to Astromart?

Register an account...

Need Help?

Sequoia National Park - Tokopah Falls

Started by flusk, 05/28/2011 12:15AM
Posted 05/28/2011 12:15AM | Edited 05/28/2011 12:30AM Opening Post
Lest y'all think I only visit Yosemite, on Tuesday I took a day trip to Sequoia for the purpose of hiking to Tokopah Falls. BTW, from Fresno, there are three national parks within easy day-trip distance: Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia. Among our major cities, only Seattle is similarly blessed. Otherwise, there isn't much more for Fresno to brag about. smile

Tokopah Falls is Sequoia's biggest and best waterfall. It is a 1200-foot-high series of falls and cascades that sits at the upstream end of a glacially carved valley. Tokopah takes the outflow from several small lakes on the plateau above and feeds the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River. I have done this hike three times in the past, but always mid- to late-summer when the flow is well past its prime. Since we had a 180%± snow pack this winter, I was determined to see Tokopah flowing full this year.

The trail starts in Lodgepole Campground at an elevation of about 6800 feet. The trail is short (about 1.7 miles each way) and not too steep (only about 600 feet of elevation gain going in; but you get it all back coming out, right? smile ). The only down side to Tuesday's hike was that about half of the trail is still covered in snow, which made it hard to follow. Fortunately, you can't really get lost in a canyon. Most of the hike follows the creek through the forest, but near the end the trees stop and you enter another world, one of mostly bare granite cliffs and expansive views.

I hope you enjoy this short travelog. The first photo shows a snow-free portion of the trail in the foreground and The Watchtower in the background. The Watchtower looms 2000 feet above the valley floor.

Fred

Attached Image:

flusk's attachment for post 53458
Posted 05/28/2011 12:16AM #1
Here is one of the prettier places along the creek.

Attached Image:

flusk's attachment for post 140860
Posted 05/28/2011 02:24AM #2
Fred Lusk said:

BTW, from Fresno, there are three national parks within easy day-trip distance: Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia. Among our major cities, only Seattle is similarly blessed. Otherwise, there isn't much more for Fresno to brag about. smile

Fred

Hey no fair!

From OC it's only 4.5 hours to Sequoia NP, 2 hours to Joshua Tree NP, 2 hours to Channel Island NP, 4.5 hours to Death Valley NP, 3 hours to Mojave National Preserve, 4 hours to Lake Meade National Recreation Area, 7 hours to Yosemite NP and 7.5 hours to Grand Canyon NP. Of course you need good traffic to make the times listed above.