1 week in yosemite & kings - short overnites and day hik

[paulabo]

any suggestions of how to spend the mere 1 week in yosemite/kings/sequoia area?

the 4-5 day hike is off the menu (happy wife=happy husband), but i loathe the loud car camping sites. so im looking for campsites that are close (a mile?) from trailheads. also looking for day hikes (max around 8 miles) or some easy overnites (around 12 miles) or a 3 day hike (around 18 miles, or shorter with options for day trips from one camp site).

Its really not much time - we are leaving from and returning to Santa Cruz - so maybe we should just focus on one area, like kings canyon. also open to other wilderness areas. im sure we will find lots of beauty(and hopefully avoid the crowds) wherever we go, but any suggestions?

thanks so much,
the happy couple (on our first anniversary!)

[AlmostThere]

You can't camp a mile from any trailhead in any of the three parks, so that won't work. Most of the time you will be asked to be two to four miles from the trailhead, depending on the area. Some really popular areas like the Lakes Trail in Sequoia will require you to be in specific locations to camp.

When is your week? Fall is upon us and winter won't be long behind. In the parks and in other areas (wilderness or national forest) resorts and services will be in the process of preparing for winter, shutting down and boarding up. This will have an impact on your plans. If it's in September, you'll probably be okay. October or later and the options are slim turning into none, unless you want to backpack prepared for winter conditions.

I think you would be happier focusing on one area. There's a lot to see and do. I suggest checking the websites for each of the parks - there will be pages telling you when the various campgrounds close and what to expect in terms of weather, low temps, etc.

I am going to suggest Mineral King - there are campgrounds, and there will not be the huge crowds, and as we are heading into fall the colors will be turning. There are trails for dayhiking of varying lengths.

[paulabo]

it will be soon - september 12 through 19. which raises the issue of permits and such...

thanks for the help!

[paulabo]

ok - looks like we are skipping yosemite due to time restrictions and refusal to spend so many hours in a car. so, any suggestions for us in kings canyon and sequoia areas would be great!

[balzaccom]

If you've only got a few days, then I would suggest driving into King's Canyon and hiking to Mist Falls/Paradise Valley. The drive alone is marvelous, and you can go as far as you feel comfortable on the hike. I think Mist Falls is about 5 miles round trip--all the way to Paradise Valley is maybe 13?

And I also like Boulden Cave as you enter the canyon floor, particularly if it's hot outside---the cave is great fun, and very cool.

In Sequoia certainly make the easy 1-2 mile walk/trail to Moro Rock, with stunning views. And Grant's Grove is another 3-5 mile hike that allows you to get close to the most wonderful trees on Earth.

The single best day hike in California is the hike to Mitchell Peak, and while the drive to the trailhead is a bit hairy in a Volvo station wagon, any higher clearance vehicle can make it with ease. I seem to remember that's about 6-7 miles?

That should get you started., If you want to backpack, you can also goto the Jennie Lakes area, which is near the Mitchell Peak Trailhead as well, and have wonderful routes around that part of the park.

Hope that helps. There's more info on this in the destinations section of our website:

http://www.backpackthesierra.com/home/d ... nd-sequoia

[mikecain3]

I wouldn't give up on Yosemite yet. If you stop somewhere near the hwy 41 entrance the drive time could be less than many SEKI destinations. If you wanted to do an easy backpack you could do Ostrander Lake for a night or two. It is an easy 6 miles from either mono meadow or bridaveil campground. Both of these trailheads are off Glacier Pt road which is closer than Yosemite Valley. Once at Ostrander you could use it as a base for a day hike. There should not be many people in this area.

Then after a couple days on the trail you could hop in the car and drive into Yosemite valley for more day hikes. Not sure if you could get a campsite on short notice. (Bridaveil campground closes at the start of your trip.) If if didn't or couldn't get a campsite in the valley you could take a short drive to Porcupine Flat or Crane Flat campground. But these will make for a longer drive home.