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.
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.