Christopher Reynolds of the Los Angeles Times wrote a wonderful article on Hetch Hetchy a few weeks ago. (The article seems to be fully available, with stunning pictures, without a subscription – if not, Lima News in Ohio has published a text only version.)
View from the trail to Tueeulala and Wapama Falls. Ambitious hikers may go all the way to Rancheria Falls. Photo: Joe Braun
The National Park Service counted 9873 cars on the narrow Hetch Hetchy Road in June, the highest monthly total in more than 30 years. Hetch Hetchy’s newfound popularity is no doubt due to a combination of factors – booming waterfalls, longer hours of permissible access, closure of the Big Oak Flat entrance for part of the month, and historically long lines elsewhere in Yosemite.
Some friends told us that “Even Hetch Hetchy was crowded. I guess that’s a good thing.” Retired ranger Laurel Munson Boyers seemed to disagree. She told the LA Times “As a local, I hope you won’t paint too rosy a picture.”
At Restore Hetch Hetchy, we are indeed happy to see more people. But we have to get it right.
If you haven’t shared your views with the Park Service, you can do so here.
Restore Hetch Hetchy needs people to go to Hetch Hetchy, to experience what is there and to imagine what is possible with restoration. But we don’t want it to be overrun. It’s critical to find ways to make Hetch Hetchy work for park visitors while protecting the area. One solution is to provide public transportation along the Hetch Hetchy Road – the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System provides service through all of Yosemite’s other four entrances..
One nitpick: Reporter Christopher Reynolds states that access is limited “by order of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission” with respect to camping, swimming and boating.
Restore Hetch Hetchy sees it a differently. We contend that the National Park Service has been overly deferential to San Francisco to the point of violating the terms Congress set in place when it passed the Raker Act allowing the valley to be dammed. We are engaged in cooperative discussions to improve access but are exploring legal and legislative solutions as well. Stay tuned.
Finally, we do appreciate Reynolds plugging two of our favorite books – Becky’s McCall’s profusely illustrated history “In Old Hetch Hetchy,” and “The Battle Over Hetch Hetchy” (2005) by Robert W. Righter.
Righter’s book explains how damming Hetchy Hetch has shaped modern environmentalism, says “the story has no equal” and is “an example of what should not be done to a scenic mountain valley”. Restore Hetch Hetchy agrees.