Crescent Meadow and Moro Rock

We got up early, driving through the park to the shuttle stop at the road to the Crescent Meadow and Moro Hill area. This road had been closed, but rangers told us that the road would open to shuttles only, starting yesterday. We arrived an hour before the shuttles started and walked around the magnificent giant tree area to kill time and stay warm (40 degrees). Upon our return, we realized that the barricade was gone and cars were entering. (Not the first wrong information we have gotten here!).

We were happy to drive to the Meadow trails area where we had the trails pretty much to ourselves. We threaded through a hilly pine forest with stands of sequoias and open meadow areas. There is even a cabin made from a hollowed-out, fallen Sequoia. Hale Tharpe is the first documented non-native American to enter the Giant Forest. He arrived in 1858 and had a seasonal grazing pasture in the meadow. Other early pioneers used the cabin, including famous naturalist John Muir.

The trail that got away - Moro Rock is a granite monolith with steps carved into the granite so hikers can climb up. The stairway is about 800 feet long and has about 400 steps going straight up, mostly narrow and steep. We decided maybe not.

We had an early dinner at a riverside restaurant near our cabin. Tomorrow we head to Yosemite.Read more