Moccasin

A company town, Moccasin is entirely owned by the City and County of San Francisco. Homes are for employees who work for the city or state. There are no stores or even a gas station, the most striking feature of Moccasin is its massive water pipes. The water pipes bring water from the reservoir behind the O'Shaughnessy Dam within Yosemite National Park over and down Priest Grade and power the turbines at Moccasin. Completed in 2004, the pipeline was designed to bypass Priest Reservoir in the event of water quality concerns, such as high turbidity from hillside runoff, bank erosion or forest fires.

East of town, State Route 120 will take you up the hill to Yosemite. Our Map of Moccasin. The section of Highway 120 just beyond Moccasin, or "New Priest Grade," climbs from about 910 feet to 2,450 feet over a distance of six miles. Old Priest Grade, the original route, is a narrower road and covers the same change in elevation over about 2.7 miles. It is common to see vehicles with smoking brakes descending the old grade.

The California Department of Fish and Game operates the Moccasin Fish Hatchery. Opened in 1954, it has 36 ponds and an 88-trough hatchery building. The Department is committed to activities that will ensure that native trout are here for Californians now and in the future.

Non-native fish like brown trout and brook trout were brought into California waters in the late 1800s and are now widespread. As a result some native trout are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Coastal rainbow trout, have been selectively bred, cultured at hatcheries, and stocked throughout the state. New populations of native trout have been established in some waters as part of restoration and recovery efforts.

Moccasin is located near Don Pedro Lake with its many camp grounds, water sports and fishing. You can even rent a house boat to take in the lake at your leisure.

History of Moccasin

Moccasin is part of the Hetch-Hetchy reservoir. San Francisco received congressional approval in the 1914 for the water project with Groveland as the construction headquarters. Not with out opposition, those who want the Yosemite Valley restored can be found at www.hetchhetchy.org

Construction on the original Moccasin Powerhouse was started in fall 1921. The facility was completed and began generating power on August 14, 1925. The original powerhouse was removed from operation February 7, 1969.

The old Moccasin Powerhouse began Electrical generation in May 1918 and produced power for 44 years. The new Moccasin Powerhouse was completed and went into service in 1969. -San Francisco Water and Power

Moccasin Zip Code: 95347
US Post Office - Moccasin 10390 Moccasin Switchbk 209 989-2362

• Lake Don Pedro
• Yosemite National Park
• Red Hills