Yosemite West, California
Yosemite West | |
---|---|
209 | |
GNIS feature IDs | 252493,[2] 2813254[4] |
Yosemite West is an
Logging: timber and growth of the Yosemite railroad
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Lonely_Incense-cedar3.jpg/150px-Lonely_Incense-cedar3.jpg)
As early as 1912 the cutting of timber in the Chinquapin area was started and logs were hauled to
Hiking trails starting at or near Yosemite West
Several trails begin at the border of Yosemite West, a private community. Some of them follow the old railroad beds left by the Yosemite Lumber Company. One such trail is across Highway 41 near the Henness Ridge Road turnoff to Yosemite West. Here there is a parking area and the trailhead for Deer Camp Trail. The trailhead is just south of Chinquapin and Glacier Point Road. The trail passes over Rail Creek and Strawberry Creek on its way to Deer Camp on Empire Meadow.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Fire_Look_Out_2.jpg/170px-Fire_Look_Out_2.jpg)
Another hiking experience is the Henness Ridge Fire Lookout Trail. This unmarked trailhead starts at the end of Azalea Lane in Yosemite West. Using the asphalt access road to the right, hike past the water towers and continue 0.7 miles to the Henness Ridge fire lookout tower. Built in 1939 by CCC, it was used by the National Park Service for fire detection[5] and is now listed as historic structure number 5300.[6]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Railroad_grade_11-mile-trail.jpg/170px-Railroad_grade_11-mile-trail.jpg)
Another branch of the trail starting at Azalea Road. Take the path to the left and proceed a quarter mile northeast distance, where the trail turns south. You are now on the Eleven-mile Trail also known as the Old Wawona Road, which parallels the current Wawona Road. Follow this old road bed south. The trail branches at the Eleven-mile Creek. The trail which parallels the creek bed and leads to Eleven-mile Meadow.
Eleven-mile Meadow has had many different uses through the years. The meadow had been used for cattle grazing operations until the early 1930s, as a logging camp and as a CCC camp which was established in 1933.[7] Earlier on, Stage coaches brought travelers to the area with a stop at the Eleven Mile Change Station which was near Chinquapin.[8] In the late 1800s the roadbed was converted to a rail bed. The Yosemite Lumber Company used it transport logs to the incline at Henness Ridge. The incline lowered logs to the Merced River far below.
See also
- Henness Ridge Fire Lookout
- Yosemite National Park
- Yosemite Valley
- Badger Pass Ski Area
- Mariposa County
- History of the Yosemite area
- Chinquapin, California
References
- ^ "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files: California". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Yosemite West". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b "P1. Race – Yosemite West CDP, California: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Yosemite West Census Designated Place
- ^ http://wikimapia.org/6320916/Henness-Ridge-Fire-Lookout photo and map of Henness Ridge Fire Lookout
- ^ http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/yosemite_resources/properties.html Yosemite: the Park and its Resources (1987)
- ^ http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/one_hundred_years_in_yosemite/chronology.html One Hundred Years in Yosemite (1947) by Carl P. Russell
- ^ http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/yosemite_resources/recent_years.html Yosemite: the Park and its Resources (1987) by Linda W. Greene
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/40px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png)