Improving the visitor experience at Hetch Hetchy, even while the dam is in place, will draw more people. They will marvel at Hetch Hetchy’s grandeur, explore its canyon, and learn its story. We expect most will support the campaign to restore the valley to its natural splendor, returning Hetch Hetchy – a majestic glacier-carved valley with towering cliffs and waterfalls, an untamed place where river and wildlife run free – to the people.
Tueeulala Falls in early June of this very wet year. Not exactly “descending like thistledown” as John Muir described it, but pouring over the brim of the canyon and drenching the land below. Photo: Becky McCall
On June 1, Restore Hetch Hetchy staff and a few board members met with National Park Service staff under the trees just outside Yosemite’s principal administration building. This was the most recent of our bi-annual meetings, initiated shortly after we released Keeping Promises: Providing Public Access to Hetch Hetchy Valley, Yosemite National Park in 2021.
This meeting included discussion of most of the principal recommendations we made in our Keeping Promises report regarding Gate hours, Camping, Trails & Boating – as well as a few other related items.
Gate Hours
We were pleased to hear that the NPS has expanded visitor hours at Hetch Hetchy. They told us the change was made in part because Restore Hetch Hetchy had made a strong case that the limited hours diminished the visitor experience. Before making this change, however, the NPS had commissioned the Bureau of Reclamation to do a “security assessment” which found that more visitors over longer hours did not threaten security. (Restore Hetch Hetchy has not been allowed to see the official report.) We are hopeful that the National Park Service will continue to relax restrictions at Hetch Hetchy and that visitors will be allowed entry 24 hours per day as they are in the rest of Yosemite.
Camping at Hetch Hetchy
Camping is still only permissible for those leaving for or returning from a backpacking trip. The National Park Service seems open to allowing others to camp at Hetch Hetchy but has told us the campground, and especially its bathroom with only non-potable water, needs to be improved. Restore Hetch Hetchy will continue to work with the NPS toward making necessary improvements and will encourage assistance from both San Francisco and Yosemite’s philanthropic partners.
The lack of camping at Hetch Hetchy is particularly annoying given that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission authorizes up to 30 visitors at a time to stay in its three cabins – often for clearly recreational purposes unrelated to the operation of water and power facilities.
Trails
We talked at some length about trails. Restore Hetch Hetchy would like to see additional trails – to the canyon rim near the top of Tueeulala Falls, up Kolana Rock, and to the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne without the lengthy detour around Rancheria Mountain (an issue much discussed and never resolved a century ago). The NPS notes that new trails are a big deal and they are not commonly built in Wilderness Areas (most of Yosemite National Park is designated Wilderness, ironically including lands adjacent to the rather non-wilderness Hetch Hetchy Reservoir). We pushed back – a discussion to be continued.
We also asked about the planned improvement of the bridges at the base of Wapama Falls. (When the falls are high, the westernmost of the bridges is unsafe to cross – indeed, hikers have been swept off to their deaths.) The National Park Service explained they have begun replacing this bridge but it has been a challenge getting the right equipment in place.
While the NPS is taking responsibility for repair/relocation of this principal bridge, it’s really San Francisco’s responsibility (at least Tuolumne to supply the funds). The bridge is along one of four “roads or trails” identified as San Francisco’s responsibility under the Raker Act. It’s impossible to safely view Wapama Falls when they are at their finest because the valley has been covered by the reservoir, boats are not allowed, and bridge is inadequate. The visitor experience at Hetch Hetchy has indeed been shortchanged.
Hikers struggle to cross the cascades at the bottom of Tueeulala Falls without slipping. Restore Hetch Hetchy supports minimal development but does believe park visitors should be able to safely explore the Hetch Hetchy Canyon – especially locations otherwise rendered inaccessible by the reservoir. When there’s this much water at the base of Tueeulala Falls, crossing the larger Wapama Falls is likely to be inadvisable.
Photo: Becky McCall
Hikers struggle to cross the cascades at the bottom of Tueeulala Falls without slipping. Restore Hetch Hetchy supports minimal development but does believe park visitors should be able to safely explore the Hetch Hetchy Canyon – especially locations otherwise rendered inaccessible by the reservoir. When there’s this much water at the base of Tueeulala Falls, crossing the larger Wapama Falls is likely to be inadvisable.
Interpretation
There is no signage near the O’Shaughnessy Dam that tells of the history of Hetch Hetchy – its glaciated past, the Native peoples who lived in the valley for millennia, or the unprecedented nationwide outcry and political battle when the Raker Act went before Congress in 1913. San Francisco has installed their own signage on the dam. It’s time for the public to learn the more complete story and we will continue to work with the NPS on improved signage.
National Park Service Memorandum of Agreement with San Francisco
The National Park Service has been renegotiating its “MOA” with San Francisco, something it does every four years or so. The current MOA, set to expire this year, includes San Francisco’s reimbursement of $M 8 per year to the NPS of expenses incurred – primarily related to security and watershed protection.
Restore Hetch Hetchy has asked to see a working draft of the terms of the next MOA. Our request was denied. We will, however, be insisting the agreement include funding which covers items for which San Francisco bears legal and financial responsibility. These items include any security related expenses (including monies to keep the gate open 24/7), repair of the damaged boat ramp, repair/replacement of the bridges at Wapama and potable water at the campground.
The Hetch Hetchy area has languished for 100 years as the National Park Service has been very busy managing the rest of the park. We respect and honor the commitment of Yosemite’s Rangers, but we are nonetheless holding their feet to the fire as we work to improve the visitor experience at Hetch Hetchy.
While we are making progress with the cooperative engagement, we are still also working on both legislation and a legal petition to improve access at Hetch Hetchy as well. All three approaches – cooperative, legislative and legal – share certain elements but differ in some respects.
We will keep you posted on further developments.