Have you ever wanted to spend the night at Hetch Hetchy? Watch the sun set down the Tuolumne River canyon? Or watch it rise over Kolana Rock while you’re sipping your morning coffee?
Restore Hetch Hetchy is working with the National Park Service on improving access of all kinds. We believe visitors should be able to spend the night at Hetch Hetchy – as Congress expected when it allowed San Francisco to build a dam in the valley.
There are three ways for visitors to spend the night at Hetch Hetchy. For most people, however, none are very practical.
There is a campground at Hetch Hetchy. But you can only stay there if you are leaving for or returning from a backpacking trip. If you simply want to camp overnight, you are out of luck. Also, the campground is very hot in summer as there is no shade. Restore Hetch Hetchy believes the campsite should be improved and open all all visitors.
Bivouac on the side of a cliff? Another option is to climb 1000 feet up a granite wall, perhaps Hetch Hetchy Dome, as Timmy O’Neill and Lucho Rivera did while filming Finding Hetch Hetchy (full video available online soon). You can’t beat the view. Some of us, however, might find it a bit hard to relax up there.
The third option (if you’re ‘connected”) is to stay in San Francisco’s Chalet or nearby cabins. There’s room for 30 or so. The facilities are rustic but functional. They look great. But there is a catch. The cabins are run by San Francisco, and the City’s website states “All registrants are subject to confirmation of eligibility by San Francisco Public Utilities Commission staff.” The list of categories of eligible visitors may not include anyone who overtly supports restoration. We do, however, know of a few supporters who have stayed at the Chalet and cabins.
Seriously, it’s an affront to the purpose of a national park that basic camping is not allowed but friends of San Francisco City Hall can book a cabin. We are asking the National Park Service to improve access at Hetch Hetchy to everyone.