Tenaya Canyon, Canyon in Mariposa County, California, United States.
Tenaya Canyon is a granite gorge in Yosemite National Park, California, running from the high country near Tioga Road down toward the valley floor. The canyon walls rise steeply on both sides, and a stream flows along its base, shaping the rock over time.
Glaciers moving through the Sierra Nevada carved the canyon over millions of years, leaving behind the steep granite walls visible today. In the 19th century, military expeditions passed through the area during the forced removal of the Ahwahneechee people, making it part of a difficult chapter in the park's past.
The canyon takes its name from Tenaya, a chief of the Ahwahneechee people who lived in the region in the 19th century. His name appears across Yosemite today, from lakes to trails, keeping the memory of the original inhabitants present throughout the park.
The canyon has no marked trail through its interior, so anyone entering should be comfortable with route-finding over uneven terrain. The streambed can be slippery, especially in spring when snowmelt increases the water flow, so solid footwear is a must.
The lower section of Tenaya Canyon is considered one of the most demanding passages in all of Yosemite, with rangers often advising against attempting it. Getting through requires scrambling over wet granite and wading through deep pools, which keeps this stretch largely off limits for most visitors.
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