Snowshoes needed?

[DrK]

Planning to hike backcountry around badger pass. Anyone know if snowshoes are needed?
Thanks

[AlmostThere]

The WebCam for badger Shows plenty of snow, The road is closed due to snow and ice, and they have all the lifts open as well as the inner tubing hill. anyone going up there should have chains for the car, winter gear, and be prepared for more snow. don't forget to stop at the hut for your permit if you were staying the night out in backcountry

[DrK]

Thanks! We are thinking of going in the Dewey Point direction and then cutting over to Bridalveil Creek to camp. Any idea if there is water in the creek?
LK

[AlmostThere]

Why? It's winter. Getting to the water can be difficult in snow. Why go all the way down and have to trudge back up the hill? Snowshoes are much harder than hiking. I always just camp near Dewey and melt snow for water.

[DrK]

My boys think they will have luck fishing...don't ask. Looking at my topo it seems about 200 feet down to the river edge. But maybe the area is too steep for a camp site?
How's the camping at Dewey point? Is there a fair amount of wood in that area for a fire? I see lots of trees on the satellite map view.
Thanks,
LK

[AlmostThere]

You cannot build fires. Not allowed. Review the winter camping regs on the Yosemite website. All the wood is wet,and dead and down wood is under snow - cutting branches off trees any time of year is illegal.

Getting close to the stream in snow is dangerous. The banks will be very icy and slippery. I very much doubt you will even see a trout of significant size. It isn't a large stream and the banks are really steep. Trout in winter change their feeding habits.

It sounds like you have not done winter camping before. Do some reading first. The margin of safety is much narrower in winter. You won't be able to just sit a stove in the snow, for example.

[DrK]

I did not know fires were illegal in winter in the backcountry. I was going to fell a dead tree and use the wood. Is felling dead trees illegal as well. National Park rules? I will check out the regs.
Kids were planning unbuilding an enclosed area and netting the trout. Like I said, don't ask
I've done lots of snow camping on the east coast.
Thanks,

LK

[DrK]

I found the regs. Looks like can only make open fires in fire rings, so given the snow no way to find those...bummer.Plus, looks like no camping at Dewy Point area.

[troutwild]

I did not know fires were illegal in winter in the backcountry. I was going to fell a dead tree and use the wood. Is felling dead trees illegal as well. National Park rules? I will check out the regs.
Kids were planning unbuilding an enclosed area and netting the trout. Like I said, don't ask
I've done lots of snow camping on the east coast.
Thanks,

LK

If you follow a "Leave No Trace" ethic in our National Parks, you'll probably be ok with regulations and laws. That means no "felling dead trees" , no building fire rings, pack out what you pack in etc. Also, trapping ANY game fish in California is illegal. Be careful out there, especially in winter.

[AlmostThere]

I suggest that you be a better example to your kids, and teach them to be custodians of the wilderness instead of destructive. And also, teach them how to research and learn how to stay warm and healthy in extreme wilderness conditions. For example - don't go out in the snow intending to wade around in freezing water and survive. Hypothermia is a very real problem for people who don't understand how to avoid it.

lnt.org

If more people followed Leave No Trace, there would not be piles of poop under every rock or sitting in the middle of trails (!!!!!!!!!!) and there would not have to be endless regulations keeping them from ruining things for everyone else.

[BirdMan32]

It's true about leave no trace. It may not sound like a huge deal, but it can be a nasty thing in addition to being unsightly, bad for wildlife, bad for plant life, etc. It doesn't just simply mean not to litter. No trace means nothing, or at least as close to it as possible. It always saddens me to see parks and other natural places get loved to death. Let's keep these treasures for people to enjoy for many more generations to come.