This Cache is placed on private property with the permission and cooperation of the management. Please be courteous and respectful. Parking is nearby in the gravel lot at N37.32'609” W119.37'698”.
This is a beautiful location, the road ends at a good access point to the National Park wilderness area. The sights and sounds are truly idyllic. The cache is designed to give you a good excuse to get out of the house and into the grand outdoors. If you're coming specifically to do some caching, keep in mind that the national park service will collect an entry fee of $30 per vehicle when you enter the gate. In order to make good use of the entry fee I might suggest that you bring the family and come early, spend the day enjoying the beauty that this area has to offer. When you arrive at this cache you will be merely a few steps from the mighty south fork of the Merced River. After you find the cache take a short walk about 1/8th of a mile up the trail from the parking area to the “swinging bridge” where you can actually walk right out over the torrent and look down into the swift flowing current (depending on the season) where it rushes between two rocky shelves on the north and south banks of the river. The headwaters of this river are approximately 20 miles to the northeast of the bridge near Merced Peak. The river flows for an equal distance downstream before it merges with it's sister the North Fork of the Merced River flowing out of Yosemite valley. The River then continues on down the mountain another 20 miles or so, and empties into Lake McClure just outside the town of Coulterville. Although the river is a wonderful feature of the landscape here, the most commanding geologic feature is the gigantic rock dome towering over the river and the town of Wawona. The dome is home to almost two dozen well established climbing routes. If rock climbing is not your sport, there is a steep but well worn trail that leads up the left flank of the rock along picturesque Chilnualna creek. When the trail tops out on the ridge above Chilnualna Falls it meets a junction with several other trails that lead into the back country and almost unlimited options for camping and hiking destinations. A trail map is posted at the Hills Studio/Visitor Center beside the Wawona Hotel that will give you all the information you should ever need. If the back country is calling you be sure to stop by there for a back country permit, then grab your tent and sleeping bag and get out and enjoy the grandeur that the national park system has to offer.
This cache is not too difficult to locate, but once you find it you will need to have a little more information.....What is the elevation at the summit of Wawona Dome?