Lewis Creek Hike, Sorta

We have been avoiding going to Yosemite National Park for a couple of reasons:  the amount of people visiting has greatly increased and therefore traffic jams, no place to park, a zoo; and second, the weather has not been kind.  There are 2 roads we wanted to travel on within in the park, to get to hiking areas, and they have been closed since this past Friday due to snow and ice.  Too dangerous driving on the edge of a canyon with ice under your tires.  So, no go there.

We did find another trail to go to, just east of Oakhurst which is the largest town south of Yosemite and 7 miles from where we are camping.  The Lewis Trail was rated as easy 1/2 mile down to the Corlieu Falls and another 3 miles round trip to the Red Rock Waterfalls.  Lets do it!

I will avoid hiking alone!

Decided to first walk to the Corlieu and see it since it was so close.  Could hear it, at times glimpse it, and it was many downhill sets to get to a viewing area.  Pretty. It's about an 80 foot drop.  Did the lung-wrenching hike back up, and then came back to the trail break and headed towards the Red Rock Falls. That falls was rated as only 20 feet drop but the creek is narrower and the power of the water coming through it is supposed to be more intense.

Very wide pathway, easy to walk

A glimpse of Lewis Creek from above

Just a quick way into that hike and we were stopped at Lewis Creek.  How in the world do you get across it?  Noticed up stream a bit someone strung a rope along a downed tree, but I could never grab that rope - too far away.  Dave tried to walk across where many branches were laid across the creek but he almost fell in.  So we gave up and walked back up to the car.  What a bummer.  Regardless, very pretty area inside Sierra National Forest.  Too bad we did not get to hike any further.

Going down, gotta come back 

Did not want to get any closer - the granite cliffs were something else

I did not want to shimmy across the creek on my butt, used to be a
bridge here

Hearing the water rush over the rocks, birds singing  - lovely

Found out later that the bridge that had spanned the creek had been destroyed this past winter and that the park service has plans to build another one, just waiting on permits to do so.  The last couple of times we had driven by the parking lot to Lewis Creek we saw many cars.  Bet they all got wet crossing the creek to continue on the hike.  Saw pictures of Red Rock Falls and it looks lovely.  Oh well.