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BBQ and overnighting it?

PostPosted: Mon May 18, 2009 4:30 pm
by nathanwellsfry
I am planning on hiking the ten lakes trail and i had a couple questions about staying in the park overnight and having a BBQ.

Could i park at the ten lakes trail head and have a BBQ ann camp there overnight and get my permit then hit the trail the next morning?

Or if i can't; where would i stay overnight to get my permits and get acclmated?

Re: BBQ and overnighting it?

PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 2:55 pm
by dan
No, you can't camp or sleep overnight in the parking lots, including trailhead parking.

I would stay at the backpackers campground in Tuolumne Meadows. If you have a wilderness permit, you can stay there the night before and the night after the permit dates.
If you do, you may be caught (that is woke up in the middle of the night by a Park Ranger and asked to move along and maybe ticketed).

Here's a map showing where the bp walkin campground is located:
http://www.yosemite.ca.us/maps/tuolumne ... nd_map.jpg

PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 7:26 pm
by nathanwellsfry
could i BBQ in the parking lot of backpackers camping ground or would there be a fire danger issue?

Thanks for all your help dan!

PostPosted: Wed May 20, 2009 10:29 am
by dan
Yes, you can BBQ in the parking lot. A nicer place is across the road. Between the Tuolumne River and Lembert Dome just north of Tioga Road is a picnic area. It's in the sun and a little warmer in the morning. Unless you're camping in the BP campground already.

Re: BBQ and overnighting it?

PostPosted: Thu May 28, 2009 1:45 am
by oakroscoe
nathanwellsfry wrote:I am planning on hiking the ten lakes trail and i had a couple questions about staying in the park overnight and having a BBQ.

Could i park at the ten lakes trail head and have a BBQ ann camp there overnight and get my permit then hit the trail the next morning?

Or if i can't; where would i stay overnight to get my permits and get acclmated?


I could be wrong, but I thought you had to get the permit for Ten Lakes you had to get it at the ranger station on the West entrance off of 120. So being at Ten Lakes already you are backtracking 30-40 minutes to get the permit and then back another half hour (if you're speeding) to get to the trailhead.

You could always car camp at the spot right by the entrance to the park, I think its Hodgens Meadows. Or there is always staying at the Groveland Motel, which I don't recommend UNLESS you have many drinks at the Iron Door in Groveland (beware of thursday night karoake). Or you could hit some dispersed camping in the national forest on the way in to Yosemite and be the first one in line to get the Ten Lakes permit.

Ideally, if I was in your situation, I would get a permit that afternoon before the permit office closes (i'm not sure what time that would be, I do know I tried to get one at 7pm and they were closed). Once you get one that afternoon, you're good to go. Nighthiking isn't so bad, and the Ten Lakes trail is really like a highway, even with no moon you can't really lose it. The further you can get in that afternoon/night, the less you have to do the next day to get to the lakes.

PostPosted: Thu May 28, 2009 1:54 am
by oakroscoe
EDIT: my apologies, for the bbq in national forest you would need a fire permit available at the rangers station off of 120.