South Fork Road trailhead

For kayakers, hiking boats down South Fork Road (FS Rd 1S01) often provides the best put-in option. The hike covers about 3 miles and usually takes no more than an hour and a half, often taking little more time than driving Lumsden Road while avoiding the need to drive that road twice at the end of the day. When Lumsden Road is closed, South Fork Road may be the only access. Forest Service Road 1S01 begins 11 miles east of Groveland on Highway 120. Turn left at the second entrance to Yosemite Westgate Lodge and the Lucky Buck Cafe. Follow the road east, staying to the right, to a gate with nearby parking. The road descends through a side drainage and emerges onto an east-facing ridge above the South Fork Tuolumne, with full morning sun, little shade, and views of the river cascading through a dramatic canyon. At the bottom, South Fork Road meets Lumsden Road at the South Fork Bridge; if flows allow, boaters can launch here and paddle a short distance to the main Tuolumne, otherwise turn left and continue a few hundred yards to Lumsden Campground and Meral’s Pool.