Dick's
Sierra
Foothills & San Joaquin Valley Pictures |
|
Links
to More Photos
Central
Sierra Foothills Slide Show |
|
New
photos here April 4, here
April 5, here April 10 and here
June 10, 2023 (captions
in red) |
|
Click the picture for a
larger view - photos open in a new window |
|
The
San Joaquin Valley covers 10,000 square miles of Central California, from
Bakersfield in Kern County north to the Stockton Delta. To the east along
this huge tract of land lies the Sierra
Nevada. This
photo album includes photos from the valley and Sierra foothills.
These photos were formerly in my Central California album, which has
been split into this page, Mother
Lode Country, the Pacific
Coast & Coast Ranges and Death
Valley................. |
|
|
 |
 |
Train in southern Sierra foothills,
Kern County |
Lichen on rock |
Near Highway 58,
Kern County |
|
 |
 |
 |
Along Highway 49, Madera County |
Mist above the
Chowchilla River |
Live oak,
Mariposa County |
|
 |
 |
 |
Sycamores by the Kings River |
Millerton Lake on the San Joaquin River |
Sierra
snow from San Joaquin Gorge |
|
 |
 |
 |
San
Joaquin Gorge (formerly known as Squaw
Leap) (Also see my San
Joaquin Gorge Photo Album) |
|
 |
 |
 |
Burl
on blue oak at San Joaquin Gorge |
Foot
bridge across San Joaquin River |
Kennedy
Table above the San Joaquin River |
|
 |
 |
 |
Pine Flat Dam |
Kings River below Pine Flat |
Kings River above Pine Flat |
|
 |
 |
 |
Lupines near Kings River |
Water
tank in Raymond |
C.E.
Quick Ranch, Ben Hur Road |
|
 |
 |
 |
Basalt outcropping, Table Mountain area |
Wren
Peak in Kings Canyon National Park,
from above Pine Flat Lake |
Oak near Kings River |
|
 |
 |
 |
Millerton Lake |
Little Table Mountain,
Madera County - Spring and Summer |
|
 |
 |
 |
Spider webs in foothill grass |
Sky Harbor Road near Fresno |
Oak near Sky Harbor Road |
|
 |
 |
 |
Oak near Mariposa |
Pond near
Bootjack, Mariposa County |
Table Mountain, |
|
 |
 |
 |
San Joaquin River
at Friant |
Orange lichen on
rock near Kings River,
Garnet Dike Road |
Frosty morning
near Oakhurst |
|
 |
 |
 |
Fall color at
Pine Flat Camp |
Pine Flat Dam |
Pine Flat Dam
& Kings River |
|
 |
 |
 |
Snow near Highway 58
east of Bakersfield |
Snow
on Deadwood Mountain from Hensley Reservoir |
Redinger
Lake on the San Joaquin River |
|
 |
 |
 |
Rock
wall, Ben Hur Road, Mariposa County |
Close-up
of wall |
Spring
in Ben Hur |
|
 |
 |
 |
Scenes
from the Telegraph
Fire, Mariposa County, July 2008 |
|
 |
 |
 |
More Telegraph |
Looking
toward the Merced River Canyon |
Split
boulder at Hensley Reservoir,
Madera County, CA |
|
 |
 |
 |
Mushroom
rock near Hensley Reservoir |
Close
to the rock |
Fractured
rock near Hensley |
|
 |
 |
 |
A
distant view of Deadwood |
Signal
Peak from Hensley |
Snowy
mountains south of Yosemite,
seen from Hensley |
|
 |
 |
 |
Snow
on the lower foothills |
The
fenced off park area contrasts with grazing land |
Hensley
Lake and road to boat ramp |
|
 |
 |
 |
Hensley
Reservoir |
A
view from above the campground |
Rocks
and oaks near Hensley |
|
 |
 |
 |
Fiddlenecks
brighten the Sierra foothill landscape |
Rotary Park in Clovis also serves
as a catch basin for storm runoff |
Ducks
in the dugout |
|
 |
 |
 |
A
good buckeye crop |
Pine
Flat reservoir from above Sky Ranch Road |
Frost-covered
spider web above Oakhurst (Jennifer Neely photo) |
|
 |
 |
 |
Rancheria
Creek by Ben Hur
Road, Mariposa County CA
|
Buckeye
and lichen-covered rock by Rancheria Creek |
Oaks
and grass by Old Highway, Mariposa CA |
|
 |
 |
 |
Falls
on Pegleg Creek near
Highway 49, Mariposa County
|
Indian grinding holes in granite above
the falls |
The
rock seems to be holding the oak in place |
|
 |
 |
 |
Shuteye
Peak & Eagle Beaks above San Joaquin River |
Hensley
Reservoir, Madera County |
Side
hill oak near Lake Millerton, Fresno County |
|
 |
 |
 |
Split
rock at San Joaquin Gorge (Squaw Leap) |
Big
Table Mountain from Auberry Road, Fresno County |
Dead
tree by Auberry Road |
|
 |
 |
 |
X
marks the spot |
Kennedy
Table, north of the San Joaquin Gorge |
Another
view |
|
 |
 |
 |
A
path well-traveled |
Lichen-covered
rock and young thistle plant |
A
knob of harder rock resists weathering |
|
 |
 |
 |
Big Table Mountain from San Joaquin Gorge |
Finegold
Bay, Millerton Lake |
Black cattle, green grass,
grey pines and
white rocks by the San Joaquin Trail |
|
 |
Horseshoe
bend, Millerton Lake, Fresno County CA |
|
 |
 |
 |
Shuteye Peak and Eagle
Beaks, above the upper
San Joaquin, viewed from the San Joaquin
Trail |
Creek bottom
by Road 400, Madera County CA |
A
closer look |
|
 |
 |
 |
Grazing
land by Road 400 |
Ranch on Road
400 |
Another
Road 400 scene |
|
 |
 |
 |
New
and old grass with oaks and
Hensley Lake as a backdrop |
Bull pines (AKA digger pines)
at San Joaquin Gorge |
San Joaquin
River Trail, near the
San Joaquin River Gorge parking lot |
|
 |
 |
 |
Nature's landscaping |
Cascades on Big Creek,
north of
Pine Flat Lake, Fresno County |
A more peaceful
section of Big Creek |
|
 |
 |
 |
Another typical section of Big Creek |
We call this old
structure next to
Big Creek "The Guardhouse" |
View to the south into Big Creek
drainage from near Blue Canyon |
|
 |
 |
 |
Flowers on hills
above Big Creek near Pine Flat |
Water has worn a
path down these
rocks by Road 620 in Madera County |
Signal Peak, above the
south fork
of the Merced River in Mariposa County |
|
 |
 |
 |
Hensley
Lake after two years of below average rainfall |
I call
this Rabbit Rock, because I always see one by it |
And
here he is! |
|
 |
 |
 |
Game
trail near Henley Lake |
Windmill
and shed southeast of Le Grand CA |
Windmill
and barn on White
Rock Road, Merced County |
|
 |
 |
 |
Along
Whtie Rock Road, Mariposa County |
A
long, lonesome road |
The
White Rock Cemetery |
|
 |
 |
 |
Fall
in Clovis |
Nice
contrast between deciduous and evergreen |
A
colorful carpet |
|
 |
 |
 |
A
closer look |
Red
and yellow leaves |
Pyracantha
in December |
|
 |
 |
 |
Snow
below 1,000 feet elevation
is visible from downtown Clovis |
Along
the Clovis Trail system |
Millerton Lake
and Friant Dam with
Little Table Mountain
in the background |
|
 |
 |
 |
Shuteye Peak and Eagle Beaks
on the
horizon above Millerton Lake |
A typical section of the
South Bay Trail at Millerton |
"Fisherman's
Trail" below the South Bay Trail |
|
 |
 |
 |
Water-sculpted
beach at Millerton Lake |
Rock by the South
Bay Trail |
Squaw Leap table
top mountain just after sunset |
|
 |
 |
 |
A section of
Hite's Cove Trail,
South Fork of Merced River
|
South Fork, Highway 140 bridge, and
main Merced River (by Wes Thiessen) |
Poppies
along Hite's Cove Trail |
|
 |
 |
 |
Poppies and the
river |
Chemise brush and rugged
hills of the
Merced drainage |
Rotary Park flood
basin, February 28, 2014 |
|
 |
 |
 |
Geese enjoying
the wet weather |
The infield is
too wet to play on |
New green leaves
in San Joaquin Gorge area |
|
 |
 |
 |
Storm clouds set
off bull pine
on hills at San Joaquin Gorge |
Morning light at
San Joaquin Gorge |
Along Merced
Falls Road |
|
 |
 |
 |
South Bay Trail,
Millerton Lake |
Arson
fire in the hills above Mariposa, 2004 |
Table
Mountain in Madera County, CA |
|
 |
 |
 |
Slope
of Table Mountain |
Fox tails
in the fall |
Blue
oak in the hills above Oakhurst |
|
 |
Valley and
foothills below Trimmer Springs Road in Fresno County, CA |
|
0 |
Oak
and pine trees near Sycamore Creek and Pine Flat Reservoir |
|
 |
Millerton
Lake at Finegold Creek |
|
 |
Looking across
at Edison Point above Pine Flat Lake |
|
 |
 |
 |
New
Year's Eve sunset above Oakhurst |
Deeper
Reds |
Pincushion
Peak above Winchell
Cove at Millerton Lake |
|
 |
 |
 |
Falling water line
at Lake Millerton
creates unique patterns and colors (WT)
|
Did that boulder roll
down there recently? |
Rocky section
along the trail near
Winchell Cove |
|
 |
 |
 |
Low
water on Pine Flat Lake, March 2015 |
All that nice green lawn should be
underwater
|
Poppies on the hillside
above Pine Flat Lake
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Snow on the Monarch Divide
between the North and Middle Forks of the Kings River |
Mill Flat Creek |
Green hillside above the creek |
|
 |
 |
 |
Hite's
Cove Trail on the South
Fork of the Merced River |
Cliff
above Highway 140 along the Merced River
|
Smoky sunrise reflected in the Helm Canal |
|
 |
Creek
drainage by Road 400 in Madera County |
|
 |
Rocks
and oaks near Hensley Lake |
|
 |
View
of the Sierra - Kings Canyon on left; Great Western Divide at right, from
Highway 145 near Highway 41 |
|
 |
 |
 |
Ancient
upside-down tree stump by
Deadwood Lookout Road near Oakhurst CA |
Cattle
guard on Deadwood Lookout Road |
Cattle
by the road |
|
 |
 |
 |
San
Joaquin River by Jensen Ranch Trail |
Fall
in Woodward Park |
Coarsegold
Creek, Madera County, running high in 1983
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Fog
from the San Joaquin Valley
pours over a ridge near Oakhurst |
Not
a lake, but fog in Blue Canyon near Pine Flat Lake |
Mariposa
Creek carries mud from heavy rain |
|
 |
 |
 |
Little
Dry Creek in Fresno County
during the 2016 El Nino year |
Lone
tree above the Old Town Trail in Clovis
|
Snow
at Old Yosemite Road
and 620 above Oakhurst |
|
 |
 |
 |
Bright
green grass in the San Joaquin Gorge area |
Big
Dry Creek at Highway 168 |
A
rainy year has brought this little creek back to life |
|
 |
 |
 |
Another
view of Big Dry Creek |
Green
hills and the Sierra from Trimmer Springs Road |
The
valley of Sycamore Creek
where it enters Pine Flat Lake |
|
 |
 |
 |
Cushioned resting rock |
Pine Flat lake sparkles in
the spring sunshine |
At
the start of the San Joaquin
River Trail western end |
|
 |
 |
 |
This
park in Clovis is a flood basin when it rains |
Ducks
swimming above the sidewalk |
Fiddlenecks
in Dry Creek Canyon, Tulare County |
|
 |
 |
 |
Another
fantastic Dry Creek Canyon vista |
Enjoying
the redbuds beside
the Dry Creek Trail in Clovis |
Debris
line marks high water on the Chowchilla River |
|
 |
Table
Mountain near the junction of Highways 145 and 41 |
|
 |
 |
 |
Along the Lakeview Trail by Eastman Lake |
Hikers
stand atop Pincushion Peak above Millerton Lake |
Wildflowers line both sides of the San Joaquin River Trail |
|
 |
 |
 |
Farewell-to-Spring
turn the hills
pink at San Joaquin Gorge |
Squaw
Leap above the San Joaquin Gorge |
Another
example of nature's landscaping skills |
|
 |
 |
 |
Flower-lined
trail at San Joaquin Gorge |
This
bridge links trails on both
sides of the San Joaquin River
|
Early morning view up the
San Joaquin River drainage |
|
 |
 |
 |
Fiddlenecks
above the Kings River (Thiessen photo) |
Snow
on Deadwood Mountain above Oakhurst |
Snow
on leafless buckeye |
|
 |
 |
 |
Snow
on the pine tree |
Snow-lined
driveway above Oakhurst |
Table
Mountain near Highway
41 and 145 in Madera County |
|
 |
 |
 |
A
field of tarweed on Triangle Road in Mariposa County |
Hughes
creek and a ranch from Trimmer Springs Road |
Misty
hill above the Edison
Point Trail near Pine Flat |
|
 |
 |
 |
Scenes
after a fire in the foothills along Auberry Road below Prather |
|
 |
 |
 |
A
dramatic view of Pine Flat Lake
and clouds in early afternoon |
Little
Dry Creek near Auberry Road |
The
rushing waters of
Big Dry Creek in January 2017
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Wes
Thiessen captured this
dramatic view of the Sierra snow
|
Sun
kisses the green hills across Lake Millerton |
Pincushion Peak from
Millerton
and Auberry Roads |
|
 |
 |
 |
The Finegold Creek branch
of
Millerton Lake (compare
2104 view) |
This
flat rock looks right down on Trimmer
Springs Road near Pine Flat
Lake |
A
little creek that runs into the
Kings River near Winton
Park
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Slide
on Trimmer Springs Road
on the south side of the Kings River |
Where
it came from |
Big
Creek branch of Pine Flat Lake with poppies on the hills
|
|
 |
 |
 |
A delightful blue
oak, attired in bright green for spring |
A long
stretch of Eastman Lake, complete with island |
Birds
eye gillia above the lake |
|
 |
 |
 |
Fence
along the Lakeview Trail by Eastman Lake |
Spring
in the Sierra foothills |
We
call this ancient oak snag "The Watchman" |
|
 |
 |
 |
Little Table
Mountain peeks over the foothills |
Buckeye and boulders,
Madera County |
Farewell-to-Spring
paint the hills
above Pine Flat Reservoir pink |
|
 |
 |
 |
The
water level at Pine Flat has been lowered
to make room for the 2017
snow melt |
Running water,
aquatic plants and a swampy
area in Ahwahnee Hills Regional Park |
A
little creek near Ahwahnee |
|
 |
Lupines
create a patch of blue on this Madera County hillside |
|
 |
 |
 |
Looking across the
Oakhurst valley
from Ahwahnee toward Goat Mountain |
Springtime
beauty in Ahwahnee |
Pond by the Lewis
Eaton Trail in
the San Joaquin River bottom
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Full
view of the pond |
At
Centerville east of Fresno, Wes Thiessen biked through virtually unknown
China Creek Park |
Some
jagged rocks above
the San Joaquin River Trail |
|
 |
 |
 |
The
2107 acorn crop is a good one |
A small
island in Lake Millerton, framed
through a rugged blue oak (WT) |
Palms
and a pond at the River Center,
San Joaquin River north of Fresno |
|
 |
 |
 |
New
grass is ready to take over from the old |
San
Joaquin River below the bluffs west of Highway 41 |
The
area, known as River West, is the site of a future extension of the
Lewis Eaton Trail |
|
 |
 |
 |
Visitors
enjoy the view on the
Pohonichi Trail at Hensley Reservoir |
Volunteer
peach tree by the Dry Creek Trail |
Nature's
leaf arrangement |
|
 |
 |
 |
Multi-color leaves cover the
ground |
More
fall color |
Above-ground
roots |
|
 |
 |
 |
Spider
web sparkling with dew |
Pond
along the Lewis Eaton Trail, Fresno County |
Fungus
on a rotting log |
|
 |
 |
 |
A
forest of blue oaks by the Kings River |
Ridges
and canyons in the Upper Kings area |
Rocky cliffs high on
Rogers Ridge, the divide between the main Kings River and its North
Fork |
|
 |
 |
 |
Entrance
to Fleming Ranch on Auberry Road |
A
rugged old sycamore by Millerton Road |
Blue
oak on a slope above Lake Millerton |
|
 |
 |
 |
"Arsty-fartsy"
photo of oak limbs by Lake Millerton |
Lichen
creates a spot of red
and orange amid the green |
Hawk nests in a blue
oak |
|
 |
 |
 |
Nature's
landscaping |
Deadwood
Mountain, west of Highway 41 and just south of Oakhurst in Madera
County |
Mossy
rock and pine cones near Pine Flat Lake |
|
 |
 |
 |
Granite
outcropping in the Sycamore
Creek drainage near Pine Flat |
Except
when it's been raining, this
"upholstered" Rock is a good
place to rest |
Looking
down the dirt section of Trimmer Springs Road, on the north side of
the Kings River |
|
 |
 |
 |
Poppies
on the hills above the Kings River |
Trail
through the Ahwahnee Hills Preserve |
Creek
in the preserve |
|
 |
 |
 |
Pond
at Ahwahnee Hills |
The
scary road from Balch Camp
to Black Rock Reservoir |
A
bridge along the road |
|
 |
Fiddlenecks
and popcorn flowers along Little Dry Creek |
|
 |
 |
 |
Pine
Flat Reservoir from Secata Ridge |
Striped
Rock, Mariposa County |
Earth
Day hike at Striped Rock Ranch Preserve |
|
 |
 |
 |
The
view from the top of the rock |
The
Fresno River in Oakhurst CA |
The
Leaning Pine at Neely's in the snow |
|
 |
Cove
at Sky Harbor on Millerton Lake |
|
 |
 |
 |
Buckeye
above Oakhurst after five inches of snow |
Same
tree after six more inches |
Fall
along a rural road in
Madera County (J. Neely) |
|
 |
 |
 |
Lake
Millerton from ridge near Sky Harbor |
Oak
Tree across the trail |
Dried
grass |
|
 |
 |
 |
View
from the San Joaquin River Trail near
Sky Harbor on a sunny January day |
A
fallen dead pine is held up by a dead oak |
Hikers
wave from the misty
top of Pincushion Peak |
|
 |
 |
 |
This
old road has become a favorite hiking trail |
Spring
scene at the San Joaquin Gorge |
Natural
bird bath |
|
 |
 |
 |
Fiddlenecks
and popcorn flowers
at Sycamore Picnic Area by Pine Flat |
This
old stump has become a
planter for miner's lelttuce |
Pond
at Ahwahnee Hills Regional Park
in Madera County |
|
 |
 |
 |
Rock formation with
dead grass
by the upper Kings River |
A
perfect day at Pine Flat Lake |
View up the Kings River canyon
from Trimmer Springs
Road at Piedra
|
|
 |

|
|
Poppy-covered
ridge between the North
and Main Forks of the Kings River |
Mill
Flat Creek, near where
it joins the Kings River |
Manzanita Lake near North Fork
|
|
 |
 |
|
Spring
along Road 211 in Madera County |
Late
spring flowers along the road |
Gullies eroded in tral at Hensley
Reservoir
|
|
 |
A
tranquil Sierra foothills scene |
|
 |
 |
 |
View
from Auberry and
Millerton Roads, February 2021 |
Fringed
redmaids against an old log |
Fiddlenecks
by the fence |
|
 |
 |
 |
Leaf
tapestry in Clovis |
A new delta of soil
along the Lewis
S. Eaton Trail |
Where
some of it came from |
|
 |
 |
 |
River rocks
along Tesoro
Viejo Trail, fused
together
in sediment
that was once at the bottom of the river |
Rocky aggregate in
a drainage by the trail |
Sierra
Snow; in the middle the mouth
of Little Dry Creek just before it flows
into the San Joaquin River |
|
 |
 |
 |
San
Joaquin River by Sumner
Peck Ranch |
The
river and bluffs below Tesoro Viejo |
New leaves on
blue oak at Pine Flat |
|
 |
 |
 |
Spring
scene at Sycamore Wildlife Area |
Along
the Tesoro Viejo Trail
above the San Joaquin River |
Bridge
and barn at Ahwahnee Hills Park |
|
 |
 |
 |
Millerton
Lake sparkles in the
winter sun in December 2022 |
Record
rains in January 2023 flooded the
bottom seat of the bleachers in Rotary Park |
In
March, even more rain fell |
|
 |
 |
 |
A
cloudy winter day at Pine Flat Reservoir |
A
true California scene - oranges and snow |
Pine
Flat Dam and Sierra snow |
|
 |
 |
 |
Falls
on Secatta Ridge above Pine Flat |
Fantastic
lighting effects during an
approaching storm over Pine Flat |
A
study in blue, white and green (Thiessen photo) |
|
 |
 |
 |
This
dark cloud opened up just as we reached the safety of our cars
during an April 2023 hike (T. Liddle) |
Clouds
add drama to these photos by Wes Thiessen at Millerton Lake in March
2023 |
|
 |
 |
 |
Washout
along a foothill trail, 2023 |
Fallen
tree by Watts Creek, Fresno County |
The
Upper Kings River, May 2023 |
|
 |
 |
 |
This
huge slide brought down tons of rock and dirt, plus a couple of
good-size trees |
Pond
at Ahwahnee Hills (Crandall) |
|