by dan » Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:47 pm
The best backpack from Wawona is up the Chilnualna Falls trail, but it's not for children. It's a tough uphill trail.
I would take the trail from Wawona east of the Wawona Road that heads north along Alder Creek to Westfall Meadows then ends at Glacier Point Road at Bridalveil Creek Campground. Some friends of mine did a slow 2-day backpack from Bridalveil Creek south to Wawona. It's generally downhill, but requires a shuttle.
An alternate is to head to Chinquipin instead of Bridalveil Creek. The last (northern) half of the route is shown as a trail, but it's realy an old railroad bed. The rail is gone and it looks like a one lane dirt road, that is closed to traffic (as it's officially a trail now).
My only problem is the trail is low and in the forest and doesn't have many views. But it's in cool forest, low elevation (less risk of altitude sickness), and NOT crowded. There's some fine sugar pine stands along the way. Look for them with the long outstretched limbs with long sugarpine cones hanging down from the tips of the limbs.