Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne
| Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne | |
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The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, looking west. Muir Gorge cuts diagonally across the middleground.
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 Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne
Location in California
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| Location | Sierra Nevada, California, United States |
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| Coordinates | 37°55′35″N 119°36′02″W / 37.92633°N 119.6006°WCoordinates: 37°55′35″N 119°36′02″W / 37.92633°N 119.6006°W |
The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne is the notable canyon section of the river valley of the Tuolumne River, located within Yosemite National Park, in Tuolumne County and the Sierra Nevada, California.
As defined by the United States Geological Survey, the canyon begins directly below Tuolumne Meadows and ends directly above Hetch Hetchy Valley.
The Tuolumne River runs as a somewhat wavy line from east to west. It originates in the high-altitude flatlands of Tuolumne Meadows, just west of the Sierra Nevada crest. As it runs west, though, its course deepens markedly as it drops over the first of a string of many waterfalls.
Glen Aulin (Gaelic: beautiful valley), one of several specifically named locations along the canyon, lies immediately below the confluence of Cold Canyon, Conness Creek, and the Tuolumne River. Here, the valley walls pull away from each other and become steeper. The riverbed is quite level again, and the water meanders and forms deep pools.
After the waterfall that marks the end of Glen Aulin, the canyon becomes deeper again, and roughly “V”-shaped in cross-section. The walls are not as steep and bare as those of Yosemite Valley. The flora of the valley bottom is a haphazard melange of chaparral, manzanita scrub and oak woodland characteristic of the foothills and lowlands with a coniferous forest reminiscent of (but different from) that found above the canyon rim. This vegetation clings and clambers up every ledge of the valley walls to the top, giving it a lusher appearance than Yosemite Valley, though this area in fact experiences a drier climate.
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Wikipedia