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Chelsea T

We went in early November and it was spectacular! The day time weather was very pleasant, and very warm in the sun, but it was definitely below freezing at night. This was a workout of a hike with spectacular views of Half Dome. It was too chilly for a swim but we camped overnight which as of Nov 2016 the camping past the Snow Creek Footbridge is now open but not before then. Great effort brought great reward as we explored the Snow Creek Falls and got some stellar views of the valley. We were pretty limited as many of the wilderness access trails were closed for winter and the pass was snowed out, so we were stoked to find some backcountry camping! Highly recommend especially if you want to get away from the crowds and get some unique photos of the valley!

This was a wonderful cave experience to say the least. It's super dark which is amazing for those of us that love that adrenaline rush. The easy lower section was a nice walk, but if you want a real hike I definitely suggest tackling the upper section too. There's quite a bit of scrambling throughout! Major downside is that there's quite a bit of trash in both sections and human feces in the upper, along with some graffiti which takes some of the fun out of it.

I've never seen the Goonies, so this beach doesn't hold as much nostalgia as it does for most but I still loved it! We arrived at night to play with the phosphorescence that sometimes is present in the sand. We had little luck save for a few sparks of green in the sand. The next morning gave us some beautiful sunshine to take in the glory of Haystack Rock and Needles!

If you want to feel small, this is the perfect place to be. We stayed overnight, but the river was too high to cross so we had to find some unsanctioned camping outside of the grove. If small crowds or isolation is your thing, you're gonna love it here. The trees are magnificent and too beautiful and tall for words or photographs to do them justice!

We went in early October to catch the aspens changing and it was definitely worth it! The trail is a little rutted in some places due to heavy mountain bike use, and for good reason! The views are gorgeous and the barn is fun to explore in. We ended up lunching by the river and read and relaxed for a while before hiking back and we couldn't have asked for a better venue!

I took two of my friends from sea-level on this hike on an abnormally warm day in Feb. At an easy pace this hike was very doable for them. The switchbacks aren't took strap and only minimal ice in the winter. An easy first hike for new hikers with big mountain views to show off.