The National Parks Traveller website is reporting that more than 500 Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep are once again in our northern California national parks including Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
From the article:
It took the help of a helicopter, but Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are once again roaming the Great Western Divide that forms part of the border between Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Smith River National Recreation Area (NRA) Restoration and Motorized Travel Management on the Gasquet RD has been released for public comment according to Six Rivers National Forest Supervisor Tyrone Kelley. “We are looking forward to continuing our work with the public, local governments, and Native American Tribes to update the transportation system.”
The Forest will accept comments through June 10 by:
A rockfall in the Hetch Hetchy area of Yosemite National Park has closed the trail to Rancheria Falls east of Wapama Falls.
According to the National Park Service, at approximately 1:30 p.m. on March 31, a large rockfall occurred from the cliff just east of Wapama Falls above the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. The trail was closed just east of the Wapama Creek footbridges for safety purposes. Boulders are preventing access beyond Wapama Falls to park visitors. No visitors were injured in the rockfall.
Roughly 16,000 tons of rock fell from approximately 500 feet above the base of the cliff. Rock debris hit the slope below the cliff, breaking into numerous boulders, crushing trees, and creating a small dust cloud. Fresh boulders completely covered the slope, and many boulders tumbled into the reservoir. Roughly 400 feet of the Rancheria Falls Trail was destroyed in the main impact area.
Hikers can still access Wapama Falls starting from O’Shaughnessy Dam. The trail to Rancheria Falls just after Wapama Falls will be closed until further notice.
YosemitePark has just made a really interesting post about one of the unique camps in Yosemite. From the “A Short History of the Oddly-Named Housekeeping Camp in Yosemite” post:
Located on the Merced River in Yosemite Valley with an unusual name, Housekeeping Camp straddles the line between camping and hotel accommodations and inspires fierce loyalty among park visitors. With amenities not usually found in campsites such as three walls, a canvas roof, beds, electrical lights and outlets, as well as standard amenities of picnic table and campfire ring, Housekeeping Camp is perennially popular with visiting families. Many of these families return year after year to the same units for easy access to the Merced River’s sandy beaches and activities like rafting and swimming. By examining the origin of Housekeeping Camp and its odd configuration and designation, it is apparent that this particular type of Yosemite accommodation has had great influence on the evolution of national park campgrounds as we know them today.
Eugene Buchanan has penned a post over at the Adventure Journal website about the new playground that kayakers and rafters have acquired. From the post:
Kayakers and rafters have a new cliff-lined paddling playground in the heart of Yosemite National Park. While California’s Merced River has long been a hotbed of paddling outside the boundaries of the park, paddlers have now gotten the green light for a coveted section within the park as well. Yosemite National Park recently released its new Wild and Scenic Final Comprehensive Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for California’s Merced River, putting paddling on the same footing as climbing and hiking within the park’s boundaries.
