Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne
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Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne | |
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Sierra Nevada, California, United States | |
Coordinates | 37°56′45″N 119°31′04″W / 37.9457547°N 119.5176662°W [1] |
The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne is the notable
As defined by the
Geography
The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne starts at Glen Aulin, immediately below the confluence of Cold Canyon, Conness Creek, and the Tuolumne River. Here, the valley walls pull away from each other and become steeper. The water meanders and forms deep pools. After the waterfall that marks the end of Glen Aulin, the canyon becomes deeper again, and roughly V-shaped in cross section. The walls are not as steep and bare as those of Yosemite Valley. The flora of the valley bottom is a haphazard melange of chaparral, manzanita scrub and oak woodland[2] characteristic of the foothills and lowlands with a coniferous forest reminiscent of (but different from) that found above the canyon rim. This vegetation clings and clambers up every ledge of the valley walls to the top, giving it a lusher appearance than Yosemite Valley, though this area in fact experiences a drier climate.[citation needed]
Many dramatic waterfalls are found in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne.[3] Whereas Yosemite Valley's celebrated falls occur on tributary streams along the sides, these lie on the main river itself. Many watercourses do join the Tuolumne River, but their canyons form deep clefts in the sides of the Grand Canyon and descend to its bottom. The Tuolumne's own bed, beginning even above Glen Aulin, is fashioned as a great staircase punctuated by waterfalls.
Perhaps the greatest of these is 800-foot (240 m)
Recreation
A trail runs along the Tuolumne River from its headwaters to below Pate Valley (though it leaves the valley floor for some time to avoid the impassable Muir Gorge). It is diligently built, but due to the nature of the terrain it is often rocky, steep and generally difficult. The walking distance from the Tioga Road to the
References
- ^ a b "Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Tuolumne Wild & Scenic River". California Wilderness Coalition. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
- ^ "Yosemite High Country Waterfalls". World of Waterfalls. Retrieved 2018-07-27.