Hetch Hetchy Valley🥰

Hetch Hetchy Valley is a dramatic glacial valley and reservoir area in the northwestern corner of Yosemite National Park. It combines Yosemite-scale granite scenery and waterfalls with one of California’s most historically significant water-supply projects. What people say Scenery is the main draw: towering granite walls, reservoir views, waterfalls, and seasonal wildflowers create a landscape often compared with Yosemite Valley. Quieter character: Hetch Hetchy is commonly presented as a more secluded alternative to Yosemite Valley. Spring is especially striking , when Wapama and Tueeulala Falls descend from the surrounding cliffs. What it's like The valley centers on an eight-mile-long reservoir behind the 430-foot O’Shaughnessy Dam , surrounded by granite formations and wilderness. Hiking is particularly appealing in spring and fall ; summers can become uncomfortably hot. Walking, backpacking, birdwatching, and fishing are among the principal activities. Good to know Access is unusually restricted: Hetch Hetchy Road operates only during daylight hours, and winter weather can cause closures or chain requirements. There is no public transportation into this part of the park. Swimming and boating are prohibited because the reservoir supplies drinking water. Pets are also prohibited on the dam and hiking trails. The reservoir is the primary water source for roughly 2.7 million Bay Area residents . Its creation followed a major preservation-versus-development controversy; Congress authorized the project through the Raker Act in 1913, and the first phase of O’Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923.