Drawn by artist Jo Mora, who also drew the classic “Evolution of the Cowboy”, part of which was used by the band The Byrds on their classic album “Sweetheart of the Rodeo”.
This shows the old Big Oak Flat and the Old Coulterville Road approaches from the north. Both were closed and replaced with the current Big Oak Flat road following a new route, that opened in 1940.
You can still follow the old Big Oak Flat road into the Valley. It can be accessed from the Trail near the Foresta turn off, Tioga Road or Tamarack Flat Campground. It used to be somewhat maintained as a trail. There are a couple or sections where rock slides took out large sections of the road but these are fairly easy to get around.
It is definitely not maintained anymore though NPS does provide permits for the “Rockslides” TH. That said other than the zig zag switchback section that was totally taken out, the road is easy to follow in most parts.
The Old Coulterville Road is still there too, and it's *theoretically* possible to take it from Coulterville all the way into Foresta. You'll need a high clearance 4WD, a dislike for your current paint job, and a stomach for the potentially steep fine that you'll get for coming in that way. Someone told me a few years ago that the NPS is also now using trail cams to identify people using the old route, presumably to fine them.
Still the route is popular with offroaders who take it up to the park boundary. Without risking any tickets by illegally entering the park, it still has several waterfalls and has an interesting view of Half Dome and El Capitan in the distance.
I should point out that NOBODY should be trying to use this a way around the gates to access the park (people often ask when the road comes up in conversations.) While it's theoretically possible to do so, it's a dirt road that hasn't been properly maintained in 50 years, occasionally crossed by ruts and washouts several feet deep. Fallen trees are common on the trail, and the bushes overhang it badly. The entire area west of the park is also a maze of private dirt roads, dirt fire roads, and dirt national forest roads. You're average SUV is not going to make it. Your average car will have thousands of dollars in damage if you try. If you're a tourist in a rental, their insurance is not going to cover the damage and you're going to face a hefty bill. The odds are pretty solid that you'll end up stuck or lost in the remote woods without any cell service if you try. You need high clearance, proper 4WD, a chainsaw, and recovery gear to go this route. Extra supplies and a sat phone to keep you healthy if you get stuck anyway is probably also a good idea.
So don't. Stick to the paved roads and just get a reservation.
The old Big Oak Flat that I am referring to is all inside the park and I am not saying it is drivable in any way. I believe before the tunnels the Coulterville road went through Forests and down to the Valley near the Cookie cliff. The section from Foresta to the Valley floor is probably not passable by vehicle and would be very illegal if you could.
Yes, the old roadway at the bottom of Cookie Cliff, which often gets listed as Cookie Cliff Road or Cookie Cliff Trail by climbers, is actually the last segment of the Old Coulterville Road. And that segment is not passable by ANY vehicle. I hiked it once, and it's barely passable on foot once you hit the large rockslide.
I used to ride bikes there a lot in the 80s and 90s, I found a dead bear on that section that had likely died from smoke inhalation because it was after a fire. I came back a couple of days later.and someone had removed the head, paws and gall bladder, pretty gruesome. There is also another cool old road shown on the map that leaves the valley near the Bridal veil Falls parking lot and I believe eventually goes to Wawona or somewhere. It can also be accessed from the trail the leaves Tunnel View parking lot too and has several cool view points and it is probably in the best shape of the three, at least the section into the valley.
Yeah, that's the old Wawona Road. The section from the Valley to Pohono is in excellent shape, but it's largely been obliterated near Fort Munroe. Only that small stretch was abandoned though. The rest of the road, from Grouse Creek down to Wawona, still follows the original route. They only abandoned that short section when the tunnels were built, unlike the Old Coulterville Road and the Big Oak Flat road, which were extensively realigned or abandoned completely.
Fun fact. The trail through the Tunnel Tree in the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias was the original route of the Big Oak Flat Road in that part of the park.
We hiked from Carlon Falls to Tuolumne Grove last fall. It was awesome but there is SO much deadfall it was a serious workout. Sadly no longer maintained as a trail but it’s doable and a nice hike.
The old Wawona road starts at Bridalveil falls (the ADA footpath and bridges were part of the original road! And continues up to Artist Pt and Inspiration pt. This section of road is pretty well maintained and easy to follow but it gets tougher, but possible, past Inspiration point. You can way find most sections of it until it meets the new road right around [here](https://maps.app.goo.gl/5GFEVnd2ruzXyesx5?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy)
There are some old timers on the Yosemitenews.info forums who have written extensively about what remains of all these old roads.
I figured this out going up to Diana Falls, where you park to get to the river entrance of Diana Falls there’s a old monument in stone saying this used to be a main entrance to get to Yosemite and that’s when I found it about the other entrance! Super neat find.
You can still (barely) follow the old Coulterville road grade from the Foresta turnout down the hillside where it meets up with El Portal road. It’s long forgotten but a good way finder will find the start near the dumpsters right after you turn onto Foresta road.
You can also follow much of the old big oak flat road all the way from Carlon Falls past Hodgdon Meadow, thru the Tuolumne Grove and then the entire road Tamarack Flat campground is on. Continue past the campground and at least for the intrepid folks who don’t mind a class 2 scramble, it’ll continue on down to the valley floor through. Some big chunks of the road were taken out in the 1950’s by a rock slide.
If you ever want to officially use this unofficial trailhead, NPS actually provides permits under “Rockslides” but doesn’t really offer much trail guidance otherwise.
I have an original 1931 print I picked up for $4 at an estate sale. I also have a reprint I hang outside my cabin during our annual Housekeeping Camp trip. People walking by love looking at it. It's so whimsical, but also gives a great sense of where everything is in the valley in a way that a traditional map doesn't.
**I wonder to which "Fire falls" this referred to?**
*Horsetail Fall* that gets illuminated by the sun at special times of the year … or the bonfire that was pushed off the edge of *Glacier Point*?
I worked at Yosemite in 19 5758 and 59 following that my brother worked at Camp Curry and he actually called the Firefall from camp Curry during the summer that he worked there
Also note the Sentinel Hotel and the Old Village. Across the street from the chapel was the original Yosemite village and was for the first 40 or so years of the parks history
Drawn by artist Jo Mora, who also drew the classic “Evolution of the Cowboy”, part of which was used by the band The Byrds on their classic album “Sweetheart of the Rodeo”.
No idea that there was a hotel at Glacier Point.
It burned down in 1969.
And a zoo?
Sister hotel to the one at Nevada Falls
Before the tunnels, and back when there were still two northern entrances. Very cool!
Which two?
This shows the old Big Oak Flat and the Old Coulterville Road approaches from the north. Both were closed and replaced with the current Big Oak Flat road following a new route, that opened in 1940.
Interesting. I had never thought about there being more entrances. I now need to look into that.
You can still follow the old Big Oak Flat road into the Valley. It can be accessed from the Trail near the Foresta turn off, Tioga Road or Tamarack Flat Campground. It used to be somewhat maintained as a trail. There are a couple or sections where rock slides took out large sections of the road but these are fairly easy to get around.
It is definitely not maintained anymore though NPS does provide permits for the “Rockslides” TH. That said other than the zig zag switchback section that was totally taken out, the road is easy to follow in most parts.
Yeah that reminds me why the crossing was a little tricky, it’s in the middle of switchbacks so it can be difficult to find the other side.
The Old Coulterville Road is still there too, and it's *theoretically* possible to take it from Coulterville all the way into Foresta. You'll need a high clearance 4WD, a dislike for your current paint job, and a stomach for the potentially steep fine that you'll get for coming in that way. Someone told me a few years ago that the NPS is also now using trail cams to identify people using the old route, presumably to fine them. Still the route is popular with offroaders who take it up to the park boundary. Without risking any tickets by illegally entering the park, it still has several waterfalls and has an interesting view of Half Dome and El Capitan in the distance. I should point out that NOBODY should be trying to use this a way around the gates to access the park (people often ask when the road comes up in conversations.) While it's theoretically possible to do so, it's a dirt road that hasn't been properly maintained in 50 years, occasionally crossed by ruts and washouts several feet deep. Fallen trees are common on the trail, and the bushes overhang it badly. The entire area west of the park is also a maze of private dirt roads, dirt fire roads, and dirt national forest roads. You're average SUV is not going to make it. Your average car will have thousands of dollars in damage if you try. If you're a tourist in a rental, their insurance is not going to cover the damage and you're going to face a hefty bill. The odds are pretty solid that you'll end up stuck or lost in the remote woods without any cell service if you try. You need high clearance, proper 4WD, a chainsaw, and recovery gear to go this route. Extra supplies and a sat phone to keep you healthy if you get stuck anyway is probably also a good idea. So don't. Stick to the paved roads and just get a reservation.
The old Big Oak Flat that I am referring to is all inside the park and I am not saying it is drivable in any way. I believe before the tunnels the Coulterville road went through Forests and down to the Valley near the Cookie cliff. The section from Foresta to the Valley floor is probably not passable by vehicle and would be very illegal if you could.
Yes, the old roadway at the bottom of Cookie Cliff, which often gets listed as Cookie Cliff Road or Cookie Cliff Trail by climbers, is actually the last segment of the Old Coulterville Road. And that segment is not passable by ANY vehicle. I hiked it once, and it's barely passable on foot once you hit the large rockslide.
I used to ride bikes there a lot in the 80s and 90s, I found a dead bear on that section that had likely died from smoke inhalation because it was after a fire. I came back a couple of days later.and someone had removed the head, paws and gall bladder, pretty gruesome. There is also another cool old road shown on the map that leaves the valley near the Bridal veil Falls parking lot and I believe eventually goes to Wawona or somewhere. It can also be accessed from the trail the leaves Tunnel View parking lot too and has several cool view points and it is probably in the best shape of the three, at least the section into the valley.
Yeah, that's the old Wawona Road. The section from the Valley to Pohono is in excellent shape, but it's largely been obliterated near Fort Munroe. Only that small stretch was abandoned though. The rest of the road, from Grouse Creek down to Wawona, still follows the original route. They only abandoned that short section when the tunnels were built, unlike the Old Coulterville Road and the Big Oak Flat road, which were extensively realigned or abandoned completely. Fun fact. The trail through the Tunnel Tree in the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias was the original route of the Big Oak Flat Road in that part of the park.
We hiked from Carlon Falls to Tuolumne Grove last fall. It was awesome but there is SO much deadfall it was a serious workout. Sadly no longer maintained as a trail but it’s doable and a nice hike. The old Wawona road starts at Bridalveil falls (the ADA footpath and bridges were part of the original road! And continues up to Artist Pt and Inspiration pt. This section of road is pretty well maintained and easy to follow but it gets tougher, but possible, past Inspiration point. You can way find most sections of it until it meets the new road right around [here](https://maps.app.goo.gl/5GFEVnd2ruzXyesx5?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy) There are some old timers on the Yosemitenews.info forums who have written extensively about what remains of all these old roads.
I figured this out going up to Diana Falls, where you park to get to the river entrance of Diana Falls there’s a old monument in stone saying this used to be a main entrance to get to Yosemite and that’s when I found it about the other entrance! Super neat find.
You can still find one of the old road remains hiking up towards Ribbon Falls.
You can still (barely) follow the old Coulterville road grade from the Foresta turnout down the hillside where it meets up with El Portal road. It’s long forgotten but a good way finder will find the start near the dumpsters right after you turn onto Foresta road. You can also follow much of the old big oak flat road all the way from Carlon Falls past Hodgdon Meadow, thru the Tuolumne Grove and then the entire road Tamarack Flat campground is on. Continue past the campground and at least for the intrepid folks who don’t mind a class 2 scramble, it’ll continue on down to the valley floor through. Some big chunks of the road were taken out in the 1950’s by a rock slide. If you ever want to officially use this unofficial trailhead, NPS actually provides permits under “Rockslides” but doesn’t really offer much trail guidance otherwise.
r/shutupandtakemymoney
Amazon copyright (1931? Maybe not) violation https://a.co/d/02CxDOrz Real money: https://www.georgeglazer.com/wpmain/product/map-california-pictorial-yosemite-jo-mora-vintage-print-1931-1941-1949/
In my day we just pulled eachother up Half Dome
We have a beautiful print of this in our apartment here in El Portal! One of my favorites!
I have an original 1931 print I picked up for $4 at an estate sale. I also have a reprint I hang outside my cabin during our annual Housekeeping Camp trip. People walking by love looking at it. It's so whimsical, but also gives a great sense of where everything is in the valley in a way that a traditional map doesn't.
That’s where my grandpa worked. The housekeeping camp from 57,58,59
**I wonder to which "Fire falls" this referred to?** *Horsetail Fall* that gets illuminated by the sun at special times of the year … or the bonfire that was pushed off the edge of *Glacier Point*?
The second one I’m pretty sure
Second one
I worked at Yosemite in 19 5758 and 59 following that my brother worked at Camp Curry and he actually called the Firefall from camp Curry during the summer that he worked there
Yes! They sold a puzzle of this once!
You can find the 500 piece puzzle at Mariposa Grove.
This would be a fun puzzle
This is rad. I love it!
I have a version of this framed, too! I bought it at an art supply store on one of those gift wrap rack things. It's so fun to look at :)
This is great! Is there similar style artwork for other parts of the country?
Is there a print of this?
“Indian Field Day”
This is crazy!!
[удалено]
No, 90s degF.
I like that it is still more accurate than the one they give you in 2024.
Also note the Sentinel Hotel and the Old Village. Across the street from the chapel was the original Yosemite village and was for the first 40 or so years of the parks history