Willow Creek Hike

In mid-December, we spent almost a week near Yosemite. We were on a drive through the Bass Lake area when we found the Willow Creek trailhead. We were definitely not prepared to hike that day, but we thought it would be fun to do this small hike anyway.

Here is a video of the highlights from our Willow Creek Hike:

Location:

This trail is located near Bass Lake, California in the Sierra National Forest. The hike is less than 30 minutes away from the South entrance of Yosemite and is approximately a 2.7 mile loop.

Crowds and Parking:

Since we went in December, we had the entire trail to ourselves! I imagine it would be a very popular hike in the summer though. There are probably ten or so parking spots at the trailhead with additional parking just down the road.

Safety:

The Willow Creek Hike is absolutely beautiful! Most of the trees and rocks along the hike were covered in moss. This made for a really scenic hike but also an extremely slippery hike! There are parts of the trail that you have to walk on the rocks, so be very careful! Also, make sure to wear proper hiking shoes on this hike. Since we weren’t prepared, our shoes did not have any grip on the soles, and we slipped quite a few times. Don’t make our mistake!

Difficulty Level:

We think this hike is a moderately easy to medium level hike. It is a fairly short hike, but does have some steep points as well as many slippery areas. We were able to complete the hike with our 1 year old and 3 year old without our proper hiking gear. There were definitely times when we had to carry the 1 year old, but he was able to walk most of the hike by himself or holding our hands.

Rest Points:

This hike would be a perfect hike to take a picnic! There are plenty of rocks by the creek to sit on and enjoy your lunch! Also, there were picnic tables along the shore of Bass Lake near the trailhead if you would prefer to eat at the picnic tables.

Here are some additional pictures from our adventure:

Have you hiked the Willow Creek Trail?

If you have hiked this trail before, let us know what you thought about it! Did you hike it during the summer or winter? Was it busy? We would love to know how your hike went! 🙂