Explore Outdoors: Stunning beauty born of controversy at Yosemite gem Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

TO COOL OFF. IF YOU’VE NEVER VISITED THIS PART OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, YOU’RE NOT ALONE. PREVIOUS STATISTICS SUGGEST BARELY 1% OF YOSEMITE VISITORS VENTURE HERE TO THIS SPOT, A SPOT SO STRIKINGLY SIMILAR TO THE MAJESTIC BEAUTY OF THE FAR MORE POPULAR YOSEMITE VALLEY. THIS IS THE HETCH HETCHY RESERVOIR AT ROUGHLY EIGHT MILES LONG IN LINED WITH STEEP, GLACIER CARVED CLIFFS AND ROUGHLY THE SAME ALTITUDE, IT’S NEARLY THE SAME LENGTH AS YOSEMITE VALLEY, THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE THIS VALLEY IS SUBMERGED. IT’S REFLECTIVE, BEAUTY STEEPED IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROVERSY. THAT’S BECAUSE IN THE EARLY 1900S, FOLLOWING THE GREAT SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE, LAWMAKERS APPROVED THE BUILDING OF THE O’SHAUGHNESSY DAM. THIS 312 FOOT HIGH DAM CREATED A RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY FOR SAN FRANCISCO THAT IS STILL USED TODAY, BUT THE FIGHT AGAINST IT, LED BY JOHN MUIR A CENTURY AGO, IS CALLED BY SOME THE ORIGIN OF THE MOVEMENT TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT. SO IF YOU COME TO THIS LESS CROWDED GEM IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS AREA IS ONLY OPEN TO VEHICLES DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS AND THERE’S NO SWIMMING OR BOATING. AND WHETHER YOU LIKE THE BEAUTY OF THE MANMADE WATER OR NOT, A VISIT HERE IS A VISIT TO A LESS CROWDED PART OF THE PARK THAT JOHN MUIR DESCRIBED AS, QUOTE, ONE OF THE NATION’S RAREST AND MOST PRECIOUS MOUNTAIN TEMPLES, THE HETCH HETCHY RESERVOIR IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, NOW THE HETCH HETCHY RESERVOIR, CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK’S NORTHERNMOST ENTRANCE STATION ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE PARK. YOU CAN WATCH THIS STORY AGAIN, BY THE WAY, ON THE KCRA THREE APP OR WEBSITE. SIMPLY BY SCANNING THE QR CODE ON YOUR SCREEN. IT WILL TAKE YOU TO THE EXPLORE OUTDOOR STORIES. AND IF YOU MISSED OUR EXPLORE SPECIAL LAST WEEK, IT WILL AIR