by AlmostThere » Fri Jan 29, 2016 8:05 am
One of the problems with kids while backpacking in Yosemite ("camping out while hiking" is I'm guessing what we call backpacking, anyway) is the bear can -- you need them, absolutely must have them, as the bears will steal your food without them. All smelly items including diaper lotions, powders, etc have to go in them. The bears in Yosemite are very likely to tear into tents to get candy wrappers, lotions, anything that smells. All trash and anything that smells of food or really anything at all needs to go in the canisters, which you carry, or the bear lockers - big metal boxes in some backcountry camp areas.
Little kids in particular can be messy and require lots of supervision -- it might be easier for you to stay in car campgrounds, in the valley, and day hike than to try taking the kids backpacking just yet. Experienced backpackers can and do go out multiple days with their kids, but unless you have that experience already, managing kids on top of figuring out backpacking might take a lot of fun out of it for you, especially in an area of the Sierra where the bears requires strict and specific food storage regulations.
ETA: for some reason I misread the title - now that I have my glasses I see that you do not have very young children. But it can still be a challenge to take kids backpacking, unless you do something short like May Lake/Polly Domes. If they aren't frequent hikers, kids can turn whiny and cranky fast on backpacking trips. Lyell Canyon might be a good option - four miles out before you can camp, but it's relatively flat walking. Or Sardine Lakes from the Mono Pass trailhead, out and back.