Snow Creek Yosemite Winter Hike
By Kevin Perry
On December 17th, three of our Recreation Guides, Bryant Burnette, Jamie Plouffe, and I, Kevin Perry, as well as our good friend from Housekeeping, Mark Freeman, all went on an adventure in the snow up one of the toughest and steepest trails in Yosemite National Park, the Snow Creek Trail.
The Snow Creek Trail is a seldom hiked trail that offers stunning views of eastern Yosemite Valley as it leads from the valley floor to its rim.
Most of the trail was clear, but we did encounter some snow on the last third of the trail. This was one of the most grueling, but rewarding hikes I have ever done. By the time you reach the footbridge at Snow Creek, you will have hiked 2.6 miles, gaining 2700 feet! All told, this Yosemite winter hike started below the snow line and took us through over 100 grueling switchbacks before reaching our rewarding view at the top of the rim of Yosemite Valley’s Tenaya Canyon.
We enjoyed some great food, thanks to Jamie’s wonderful cooking skills, and took some great photos along the way. We will never forget this hike!
Snow Creek Winter Scramble, by Bryant Burnette
Pillow topped pine forest;
The candy quartz dikes;
The warm talus soup;
Ancient erratic eggs;
The mountain’s cold core;
Oh but her warm rays;
With each step her heart beats strong with mine;
My breath meets her breeze;
I’m in love, I’m alive, the mountain is mine.
