The Yuba River is one of the jewels of the northern Sierra Nevada. Along it's many forks and routes, it carves some spectacular features into the white granite. From wide pools to steep canyons, it makes for a lot of amazing areas to explore. One of those areas is only about an hours west of Reno and just off of I80. The Emerald Pools provide locals with some amazing swimming holes on hot summer days, but here in mid-October, the water and air temperatures are cold enough to discourage the crowds. I decided to take advantage to check the area out.
As I cross a bridge over the South Fork of the Yuba River, I find the trailhead parking lot completely empty. This is a good sign. I take a couple of minutes to look at the views from the bridge and then head up the trail towards the first swimming hole. It's only about a quarter of a mile through the woods. Along the way, I note a number of fire rings. Apparently, this is a popular place to camp as well - seems like a fine way to spend a summer evening.
The swimming hole is truly an emerald pool. At the head of the pool, the steep rock canyon opens up to a wide pool where the clear water takes on shades of sapphire and emerald as it glimmers in the sunlight. No wonder people come here to swim.
Following the trail around some of the scree that makes the canyon wall on either side of the small river, I explore a bit further upstream before deciding to head back. In the spring I imagine this was a torrent, but now in the early fall, the waterfalls that were once raging are now only a trickle and I decide to head back.
No comments:
Post a Comment