Buck Meadows: Roads, Trails, and History

Buck Meadows is located on Highway 120 in northern Mariposa County and is considered a gateway to the Big Oak Flat Entrance of Yosemite National Park. Three themes stand out when choosing a destination here: the road landscape, trails, and traces of history. If you are looking for a hotel in Buck Meadows, you can compare these highlights with your excursion plans; the trails differ in length, destination, and difficulty, among other things.

Highway 120, Viewpoints, and a Side Road

Rim of the World is a viewpoint on Highway 120, three miles beyond the Groveland Ranger Station near Buck Meadows. Another route is Burma Grade: this scenic side road leads from the Merced River Canyon to Buck Meadows. These offer different road-related options for planning: a viewpoint on the highway and a side road that leads to the town.

Trails by Length and Destination

The trails can be compared by their length, format, and destinations. The Wapama Falls Trail is a 5-mile loop along the shore of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The Lookout Point Trail is a 2-mile loop to a rocky viewpoint above Hetch Hetchy Valley. One trail follows the shore, while the other leads to a viewpoint; their stated lengths also differ.

The Little Golden Forest Trail consists of a half-mile interpretive loop that can be extended to 2 miles. Check local conditions before your trip. The Little Golden Children's Forest Trail is considered an easy, 2-mile family hike and starts in front of the Groveland District Ranger Station in Stanislaus National Forest.

To reach Carlon Falls, a moderately difficult, 1.4-mile trail follows the South Fork of the Tuolumne River into the Yosemite Wilderness Area. Seasonal conditions and restrictions may vary. The Merced River Trail has a different focus: it leads hikers and cyclists to the North Fork of the Merced River and beyond. Alongside loops and viewpoints, this offers a river trail with specified permitted uses.

Natural and Historical Traces

The historic Big Gap Flume is on State Highway 120, just beyond Buck Meadows. Its replacement pipe still crosses Conrad Gulch; rivets, seams, and couplings are still visible. Rusted pipe remnants can be seen about a quarter mile east of the Lucky Buck Cafe, on the slopes above and below the historic flume monument. If you plan to visit these traces, check access locally.

Rainbow Pool is a 20-foot-high waterfall and swimming spot on the South Fork of the Tuolumne River along Highway 120. Seasonal conditions may vary. During the stagecoach era, a toll bridge over the South Fork of the Tuolumne River stood at Rainbow Pool.

Buck Meadows itself also has a historical role: it was a stopover station for the first Yosemite tourists. In the 1920s and 1930s, it served as a base camp for the workers who built O’Shaughnessy Dam. From 1933 to 1941, Buck Meadows was also the site of Civilian Conservation Corps camp F-82. Stagecoach traffic, dam construction, and the CCC camp represent different chapters in the town's history.

Discover more destinations: North Wawona, Yosemite Valley, Coulterville, Mariposa, Wawona, El Portal, Yosemite National Park, Midpines.

Go to the main travel overview: Mariposa.