If you’re looking to experience a Yosemite waterfall off the beaten path, Carlon Falls is for you. Situated just outside of park gates, you can hike into the Yosemite wilderness and never pay any entrance fees. This isn’t the biggest, or even the most impressive. If you just like chasing waterfalls, you’ll like Carlon Falls.
I’m not gonna lie, I’m addicted to my phone. I use it to keep in contact with friends, manage social media, check my email, track my hikes, take photos, and more. Now is the time where I also admit that I’m really good at doing the projectile phone thing. This past summer, I decided to make my phone more bomb-proof. I’d been rocking a little Speck case that I stole from my boyfriend, but with a billion upcoming trips, I wanted something indestructible, but still manageable. When Lifeproof came out with the TouchID compatible Nüüd for the 5S, I was sold.
Hike: Wapama Falls & Rancheria Falls
Where: Yosemite National Park
Trailhead: O’Shaughnessy Dam
Level: Moderate
Duration: 5.5 hours
Length: 13 miles out and back
Gear: Icebreaker Tech T Lite, Triple Aught Design Artemis Hoodie, REI Sahara pants, Outdoor Research Essence Leggings, JepPaks pack, Black Diamond Ultra Distance trekking poles, and Salewa Alp Trainer Mid GTX boots
Cost of Parking: Free
Hetch Hetchy Valley was once a mirror image of Yosemite Valley; now it’s a reservoir providing millions of San Francisco Bay Area residents like myself water. Despite this, Yosemite’s counterpart is still a wondrous sight to behold, and lacking in the millions of visitors Yosemite Valley receives.
Everyone’s adventuring with a smartphone in this day and age. GPS tracking, Instagramming, tweeting, or even just looking at photos of maps, we’ve got our phones close and handy. When winter closes in, phone usage gets a little tricky. Gloves on, gloves off, tap the screen, hands freeze, gloves back on again. The Outdoor Research PL-100 Sensor Gloves make things a little easier.
Only have a day in Yosemite Valley? Head up to Glacier Point via Four Mile Trail to get the best bang for your buck. Unparalleled views of Yosemite Valley, front row seats to Half Dome and beyond await you at this magical spot.





