How-to: Yosemite's South Gate
And South Gate Brewing Company
How-to: Yosemite’s South Gate
Yosemite National Park is a climber’s bee’s knees and a hiker’s heaven. Also, road cyclists and people riding cruiser bikes on the footpaths and park roads have long enjoyed the spectacular scenery from the saddle. What about mountain bikers, though?
It turns out that we can enjoy Yosemite while riding dirt. I would not call it “destination” kind of riding, but if you are planning to go and want to mix it up a little by taking your fat tire bike, there is a short, 3.5-mile loop that you can legally ride. If you add on some nearby dirt/gravel road riding to a suspension bridge and loop back around, you could get closer to 8 miles. Pedal away 2 laps and you have a nice outing on the south side of Yosemite.
Where and how? Park at the Wawona area where there’s a visitor center/general store and the famous hotel. Be sure you are legally parked. Cross over the Wawona Rd. and jump right on the Wawona Meadow Loop. Yes, it’s where the golf course is located. Sigh, you think? As some say, mountain biking is the new golf. Ponder that while pedaling counter-clockwise around the loop. It’s wide open with plenty of room for all trail users. Enjoy the trees.
When you’re back around where you started, continue on Forest Drive, going away from the road in the opposite direction of the golf course, past the parking area and feeling like you’re going into the forest. Keep going for what is a little less than 2 miles. Back there is the suspension bridge. If there aren’t many people on the trail, give that little rocky section a hearty effort and see if you can clean it.
Regardless of your outcome, take a break and enjoy the South Fork of the Merced River. Better yet, get in it. On the suspension bridge, allow yourself to be a kid again.
On the other side of the bridge, carry your bike up through the rocky part and turn left. Follow the tire tracks back in the direction you came, noting that you are on the other side of the river. You’ll soon be in North Wawona. Look for Chilnualna Falls Rd. and make your way back in the direction of Wawona Rd. Turn left there and you’ll soon be back where you parked.
Voila! You completed a little ride in Yosemite. Bucket list? Not really. It’s more like a break from … (well, you enter in the rest of the sentence!) while at Yosemite or a way to mix it up a little while there.
Southgate Brewing Company
If you’re coming into or heading out of Yosemite via the south gate, stop at South Gate Brewing Company in Oakhurst. The beer is darn good and the food offerings are quite tasty. The flagship porter is top notch and the DIPA I had was juicy goodness.
Thanks for the article - in the late 1990s, I worked for the NPS in Yosemite- stationed in Wawona. I recall riding my bike up the fire road you describe here. Most of my riding that summer was on adjoining Sierra NF logging roads. Don’t recall too many “purpose-built” trails around back then!
Just beautiful photographs. Vinny