California Photo Scout

Hetch Hetchy Moonrise

Discover Yosemite’s best-kept secret, Hetch Hetchy Valley.

John Muir once described Hetch Hetchy as “a wonderfully exact counterpart” of Yosemite Valley. It is a funny twist of nature to create a valley this close to Yosemite Valley that looks so much alike. Today the infamous O’Shaughnessy Dam blocks the flow of the Tuolumne River, flooding the entire valley with 300 feet of water. The San Francisco Bay Area needs the dam to satisfy its insatiable hunger for power and water. A lot of controversy surrounds the dam and the accompanied destruction of a pristine valley within the borders of Yosemite National Park.

Despite the controversy, Hetch Hetchy is a fantastic destination for day hikes, backpacking and of course, photography. One of the easiest and by far the most popular day hike is the 5 mile round trip to Wapama Falls. The falls plummet 1400 ft from the northern cliffs of the valley, an impressive sight, although not easy to capture in photographs. The easy and pleasant round trip hike offers good views of the dam, the reservoir and the falls.

The reservoir leads to fantastic opportunities for photography. Imagine an entire Yosemite Valley standing on a mirror surface.

I cannot help admiring the remarkable engineering accomplishments of such an immense undertaking and the determination people showed at the turn of the century to accomplish such mammoth projects like O-Shaughnessy Dam. Comparing it to the quibbles of modern day projects and the projected costs of necessary repairs on the Bay Bridge, I must bow to the people constructing the dam.

Only a tiny fraction of visitors to Yosemite come here, although I believe that number will increase rapidly in the near future as crowds simply spill over into this fantastic place. There is also a slight chance that one day the reservoir may be drained to restore the valley.

Visit this little known corner of Yosemite today and claim your photographs.

How to get there

The Hetch Hetchy turnoff (Evergreen Road) from Highway 120 is at  37°48′54.02″N 119°52′31.16″W just outside Yosemite, west of the Big Oak Flat Entrance Station (Hwy 120). The exit is clearly marked, but you need to pay attention since there is only a single sign.

Hetch Hetchy Parking Area(click to enlarge)

On this first map, I have marked some good spots for photography near the main parking lot.

Hetch Hetchy Wapama Falls Hike (click to enlarge)

On this second map, you can see the trail destination of Wapama Falls in relation to the parking lot. The distance from the dam to the falls is approx. 2.5 miles.

GPS position

37°56′47.18″N 119°47′15.13″W

How to photograph Hetch Hetchy and Wapama Falls

Hetch Hetchy O'Shaughnessy Dam

The drive into the valley is just as exciting as the drive into Yosemite Valley from Highway 120. The narrow winding road suddenly reveals a view of immense beauty.  I immediately was awestruck by the beauty of this sight and had mixed feelings about the dam. Although this man-made lake destroys the valley floor beneath it, the water provides a unique opportunity to photograph this magnificent valley presented on a mirror. The reservoir is beautiful in its own right. In the photograph at the start of this page, I was even able to capture the reflection of the moon as it rose above Kolana Rock. I took this photograph from the dam, which doubles as the main viewpoint into the valley and the spot where you can watch the sun set (obey the closing hours listed below).

Wapama Falls

You can photograph the dam either from the parking lot west of the dam or from the trail to Wapama Falls and Rancheria Falls. Both views give you a unique perspective. The side light, illuminating the trees, drew my attention during the late afternoon, as I returned from my hike. I stopped briefly, set up my tripod and took the photograph above. The lighting in the canyon at this time of the day is dim, requiring a tripod or a lens with image stabilization (IS,VR,VC,OS).

A tripod is a good idea for other reasons. In fact, I took all images on this page with the help of a tripod. This allowed me to shoot in relative darkness (first two images), slow the flow of the water in the third image and compose the high dynamic range photograph shown below. I struggled to get a decent composition of Wapama Falls. I ended up climbing underneath the footbridge and almost fell down a crevasse, but I was not too happy with the results. The waterfall is too large for any useful composition from this close distance. I found the compositions from the opposite shore more interesting.

Wapama Falls Footbridges HDR

Fortunately, Dani pointed out a pleasing composition looking back towards the footbridge. With the low winter sun forcing me to shoot against the light, I decided on a wide-angle composition to take advantage of the star streaks they create. Deliberately including the sun, I took three photographs and combined them in Photomatix.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Currently the entrance gate hours are:

• 7am to 8pm for April
• 7am to 9pm May to Labor Day
• 8am to 7pm Day after Labor day to October 31
• 8am to 5pm November to March 31

You need to obtain a wilderness permit for overnight backpacking trips. Plan sufficient time to return to the entrance gate, the punishment for tardiness is severe. Upon your entry, the ranger will hand you a numbered parking permit and will note your license plate and the number of people in your party to ensure everyone returns safely from their trip and leaves in time.

Time required

We hiked to Wapama Falls in under one hour, passing other hikers. You are on the safe side if you schedule 3 hours hiking time (90 minutes each way) and about 1 hour for photography at the falls and on the trail.

Equipment

• Tripod
• Cable Release
• Split ND filter
• Bear Spray (find it at the Bass Pro Shop in Manteca or other outdoor stores)
• Bear Bells
• Mosquito Spray
• Sun Lotion
• Water (it gets hot on the trail as the water reflects most of the sunlight back at you)
• Picnic  (don’t store smelly food in your car, which attract bears, use the bear safe containers at the backpackers parking)

Fees

The entrance fee is the same as at other Yosemite NP entrances, $20.

Difficulty Getting There

Bears, rattle snakes and Poison Oak are among the most obvious hazards.

Close Locations

• Yosemite Firefall   Horsetail Fall
• Views of Yosemite Valley
• Yosemite Valley in Fall
• Merced Grove
• Wildlife of Yosemite
• Mirror Lake
• Yosemite Falls, Sentinel Bridge and Swinging Bridge
• Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall Trail
• Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, Taft Point
• Tioga Pass road
• Tuolumne Meadows
• Mariposa Grove
• Columbia SHP
• Locke Historic Town

Useful Resources

Day Hikes in HH (NPS.GOV)

Hetch Hetchy Brochure (this is how it could look after moving the dam)

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