Don Mulcahy's Page

Photo: Jackie on North Dome 2012.Trail head: Porcupine Creek on Tioga Road.Fee: $35/car or Annual Pass. No Peak Hour ticket required.Elevation: 8100 ft. at the trail head, 8340 ft. at Indian Rock, 7540 ft. at North Dome.Mileage: 9.4 miles includes Indian Rock. 8.8 miles w/o Indian Rock.Difficulty: Moderate with a repeated elevation loss and gain of about 800 ft.Dinner: Groveland.Last hiked: 10-06-2012.See More

Two hike choices: Moderate 8-mile up and back to Thunder Mountain summit. Or moderate to strenuous 12.3 mile loop, taking in the summit and returning on Horseshoe Canyon and Castle Point Trails.Elevation gain on first hike is 1450 ft.Elevation change on loop is 2250 ft.The highest point is Thunder Mountain summit at 9400 ft. in both cases.Parking and Trail head: Thunder Mountain Trailhead, a parking lot on the south side of Hwy 88 between Silver Lake and Kirkwood. Land Status: El Dorado…See More

Description: Moderate out and back from Tioga Road to May Lake with a 1000 ft elevation gain and loss. 5.5 miles total.Or continue from May Lake past Polly Dome Lakes and wait for a ride at Murphy Creek trail head. Downhill from May Lake 1100 ft., 9.3 miles total for this option.Trail Head: The crosswalk marked in white stripes after Olmsted Point but before Sunrise parking lot. Park on the right after the crosswalk. Fee: Yosemite entrance fee or Pass. RESERVATION REQUIRED.  If you are a…See More

Photo: Nick's rainbow at Wapama Falls from the first footbridge.Trail head: O'Shaunessy Dam parking lot.Elevation: 3728 ft. at the trail head.Mileage: 5.5 miles round trip to Wapama and back. 13 miles round trip to Rancheria Falls and back.Difficulty: Easy to moderately strenuous because of the total length of the hike.Fee: $35/car YNP entrance fee or pass.No dogs on this one. Dinner: Evergreen Lodge or Trail Gate.Last hiked: Apr 15, 2023.** No YNP reservation necessary for this date. See More

Photo from a previous winter hike.  Trail Head: Red Hills Parking lot off of Red Hills Road.Land Status: Bureau Of Land Management.Description: 8.2 mile moderate loop with 500 foot repeated elevation change.Hunt for wildflowers. Bring the dogs. Fees: none. Dinner: Cafe Bravo in Oakdale.Last hiked: March 17, 2018.See More

Photo: Denise, Jackie, Becky & Debbie at Hwy 4 Lake Alpine in 2012!Hike name: South Wall Overlook but some call it Baby Dewey Point.Description: 3-mile out and back with a 500 ft. elevation gain.Snow depth: Anywhere from 4 ft to 9 ft of packed powder.Park at Dodge Ridge Ski Resort. Snowshoes can be rented there.Dinner: Strawberry Inn or Mia's.See More

Photo: Ragged Peak Saddle.** This date requires one reservation per car **Trail Head: The Dog Lake parking lot near the Tuolumne Meadows Ranger Station.Fee: $35 YNP entrance fee or annual pass.Description: Moderate to strenuous 10-Mile up and back, partial cross-country. Hike to Dog Lake, Delaney Meadow and beyond to Dingley Creek. Hike off trail to the head of Dingley Creek and lunch on the alpine meadow. Continue off-trail to Ragged Peak Saddle for the view of Mt. Conness and Young Lakes. Bag…See More

Photo by Tracy C: Debbie G on Woodward Valley Trail.Meeting Place: Bear Valley Visitor Center.Trail head: Sky Trail off of Limantour Road.Description: Moderate 8-mile incomplete loop from the Sky Trailhead to Limantour parking lot via Sky & Woodward Valley Trails and Limantour Beach. Dogs are allowed on Limantour Beach but not on Point Reyes trails.Elevation gain: 433 ft.Elevation loss: 1176 ft.No fees.Many of us are camping at Olema Campground.Dinner: The Station House in Point Reyes…See More

Photo credit hikingproject.com.Hike Description: Strenuous 8-mile CCW loop with a 2200 ft elevation loss to South Fork of the Merced, and gain back to the trailhead.Land Status: Sierra National  Forest.Trail Head: End of Hites Cove Road at information sign. Trail Head Elevation: 3900 ft.Lowest River Elevation: 1675 ft.Fee: None.Bring the dogs.Dinner: Mariposa.Last hiked: Never. See More

Photo from Alltrails.Description: Easy to moderate 4.6-mile out and back to Elizabeth Lake with a 900 ft. elevation gain. Add more mileage by hiking around the lake and walking in Tuolumne Meadows. Trail Head: ** Because Tuolumne Meadows Campground is closed we’ll park and hike from the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center. This adds about a mile each way to the hike. Dinner: Groveland. A trailgate may be too chilly.No dogs on this one.Last hiked: It was included in the 9/13/14 Obata Lake hike.See More

Photo courtesy of Yosemite Hikes.Description: 3.6 mile loop, partial cross-country.Destination: Series of cascade falls on the Tuolumne River.Destination: Top of Pothole Dome for 360 degree views.Fee: $30 entrance fee or pass.No dogs on this one.It will be warm this weekend. We’ll take it easy but we can add walks in Tuolumne Meadows or at the Pass. Early Dinner: Whoa Nellie Deli. See More

Photo: Nick's rainbow at Wapama Falls from the first footbridge.Trail head: O'Shaunessy Dam parking lot.Elevation: 3728 ft. at the trail head.Mileage: 5.5 miles round trip to Wapama and back. 13 miles round trip to Rancheria Falls and back.Difficulty: Easy to moderately strenuous because of the total length of the hike.Fee: $35/car YNP entrance fee or pass.Dinner: Evergreen Lodge.Last hiked: May 19, 2022See More

Trail Head: The end of Somersville Rd. in Black Diamond Mine Regional Preserve.Fee: $5.00/car and $2.00/dog but only when the kiosk is occupied. Description: Starting from River View and Acorn trails, the loops can be as little as 4.56 miles or as much as 8.8 miles. Add a mile for Rose Hill Cemetery. Dinner: Trailgate or restaurant.Bring the dogs.Last hiked: 3/17/2022 by me and Christina. See More

Description: Easy to Moderate 12-mile out and back with less than 200 ft. repeated elevation change.Trail Head: About one tenth mile east of Ebbetts Pass on the PCT, at 8707 feet elevation. We can park there and at Ebbetts Pass.Land Status: Mokelumne Wilderness.Fees: None.Dinner: Trail Gate at Ebbetts Pass.Dogs are welcome.Easy backpacking opportunity to Upper Kinney Lake.Last hiked 9/09/17.See More