2-night Trip in mid April, Advise?

[Rachtak]

I really want to go backpacking during my spring break with a couple buddies from school. One of which, being an eagle scout, is pretty experienced with mountaineering/snow camping, the other of which are physically fit, but have never been to yosemite before. I fall somewhere in between. I've gone Yosemite backpacking, but it was in the summer.


I plan on doing a two-night trip (three days), but I don't know where to start. I want it to be scenic, but at the same time, I dont want to have to trudge through snow in hiking boots (not planning on snoeshoeing/Xcountry). I welcome a little bit of residual snow, but not a torrential downpour. Can anyone recommend a good trail/sites that would fit this? We are up for 25-40 miles.

[balzaccom]

And if you want Yosemite without deep snow, you're either looking at Rancheria Falls from Hetch-hetchy, or HIte Cove just outside the park on 140.

There are descriptions of both hikes on our website in the Highway 120/Yosemite section

[dan]

Realistically, it's too early to go backpacking in Yosemite during Spring Break. You'll be confined to the foothills. As for snow camping experience, you need to have some too. Even with my snow camping experience, I wouldn't do it--you'll be confined to a small area as you can't make much distance in snow. You need snowshoes and skis, and even with those it's not as fast as being on foot on dry land..

[KC]

I suggest going to some place like Henry Coe (highly recommended for Spring), Ohlone Wilderness, Point Reyes, or somewhere else along the coast. Right now there is a lot of snow in the Sierras so you're going to be limited on what you can do.

I hear Spring is also a good time for backpacking in S. Cal.

[Rachtak]

thanks for the input, ill look into henry coe now

[balzaccom]

Just to clarify: we hiked to Rancheria Falls at Easter last year (admittedly, the bridge was in place!) without any concerns or snow. This hike, in Yosemite, is perfectly possible during spring break.

Photos from our trip are here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/balzaccom/HetchHetchy09#

And Hite Cove, just outside the park, was a few weeks earlier. Those photos are here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/balzaccom/HiteCove2010#

Both hikes are lovely this time of year.

[AlmostThere]

Of course, overnighting at Hite Cove you would get the permit from a different location - Bass Lake ranger station for Sierra NF...

[Rachtak]

Ive started planning my trip for mid-april and this is what its looking like so far:
-Obtain wilderness permit at Big Oak Entrance
-Park at Hetch Hetchy campground (still morning)
-Walk through/pass through Wapama Falls, Hetch Hetchy Dome, Rancheria Falls, and Le Conte Point on the first day (is this possible)?
-Walk and stay at Lake Vernon on the second day
-Walk and stay at Laurel Lake on the third day
-Finish up back at Hetch Hetchy campground on the fourth

Notes:
-We are all very athletic (varsity cross country, rowing, etc)
-Im concerned about snow because I dont plan on bringing snow shoes or skis, just hiking boots
-Are the daily distances feasible? too short or too long?
-Do the lakes have any good fishing?

Thanks!

[AlmostThere]

There will be snow.

Rancheria Falls was suggested because it will be below snowline. Vernon and Laurel are well above snowline. Hite Cove is below snowline.

There will be varying amounts of snow until June... in April there will still be plenty above 7,000 feet.

Also, being very athletic is no guarantee of being possessed of the kind of endurance you need for backpacking. Getting to Rancheria Falls in one day and then up the switchbacks to LeConte, particularly when there will be snow starting midway up and getting deeper as you go higher, is probably not something one would enjoy doing.... Also no guarantee the bridges are done by the time you get there so crossing in front of Wapama will be pretty much suicidal if you are not familiar with swiftwater techniques.

[Rachtak]

There will be snow.

Rancheria Falls was suggested because it will be below snowline. Vernon and Laurel are well above snowline. Hite Cove is below snowline.

There will be varying amounts of snow until June... in April there will still be plenty above 7,000 feet.

Also, being very athletic is no guarantee of being possessed of the kind of endurance you need for backpacking. Getting to Rancheria Falls in one day and then up the switchbacks to LeConte, particularly when there will be snow starting midway up and getting deeper as you go higher, is probably not something one would enjoy doing.... Also no guarantee the bridges are done by the time you get there so crossing in front of Wapama will be pretty much suicidal if you are not familiar with swiftwater techniques.

Thanks for your insight. I didn't know about the bridge, so its a good thing that you told me. With regard to athleticism, I just wanted to point out that we are used to endurance sports and up for the challenge.

So, Vernon and Laurel are completely out of the picture... What does that leave? Is starting from Hetch Hetchy pretty much out of the picture now if I cant get past Wampama?

Can you please make a suggestion that is feasible but at the same time characteristically "yosemite" with tall trees, granite faces, etc?

Thanks for your help!!

[AlmostThere]

Most of the granite faces only accessible by trail in Yosemite are above snowline... that's why Henry Coe was suggested. None of Coe is more than 4,000 feet elevation. (It's pretty good workout, however, and has enough trail to keep you going for more than a week. I have a couple of trips planned for Coe myself - just came back from one, going again in a couple weeks.) By April Coe will be bursting with wildflowers and at its most scenic. Water sources that are difficult later in the year will be flowing well.

You can spend your time camping and dayhiking out of Yosemite valley, can probably get to Little Yosemite Valley overnight, can visit (but not backpack) Mariposa Grove of sequoias, but from the valley rim up there'll be snow left, in some quantity no one can really predict.

From the website: The trail to Rancheria Falls (beyond Wapama Falls) is closed because the western span of the bridge was destroyed by high water on October 25, 2010. We anticipate repairs will be complete by April, barring unforeseen circumstances.

So you may be able to overnight at Rancheria Falls. Might be able to get higher than that, but you'll again run into snow at some point. Makes for a short backpack. I wish I could make a suggestion for 3-5 nights - that would mean I get to go too! My April plans currently include flower hikes in Hite Cove, and car camping and dayhiking in Pinnacles (coastal hiking).

You could easily backpack Point Reyes if you could get permits for your window of opportunity. Something more rugged and a bit longer, there's the Lost Coast - read up on the trip first tho, probably getting a lot of their 200 inches of annual rainfall, but remote and gorgeous stretch of coastline.

[balzaccom]

Here was my reply to him...similar to yours. Sorry about the SCREAMING all caps...but it seemed easiest. I am posting it here just so that others who are contemplating the same trip might have the same information:

Nope--not possible. Here's why and how: IN ALL CAPS

Ive started planning my trip for mid-april and this is what its looking like so far:
-Obtain wilderness permit at Big Oak Entrance GOOD
-Park at Hetch Hetchy campground (still morning) GOOD, ESPECIALLY EARLY MORNING.

-Walk through/pass through Wapama Falls, Hetch Hetchy Dome, Rancheria Falls, and Le Conte Point on the first day (is this possible)?

YES, BUT WHERE WILL YOU CAMP? RANCHERIA FALLS HAS WATER, LECONTE POINT DOES NOT. ARE YOU GOING TO DRAG ENOUGH WATER UP TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN FOR A CAMPSITE? YES, THERE ARE SMALL STREAMS PART WAY UP...BUT WE USUALLY WANT WATER PRETTY CLOSE TO WHERE WE ARE CAMPING.


-Walk and stay at Lake Vernon on the second day

NOW THAT'S A LONG DAY...AND PROBABLY A TON OF SNOW. REMEMBER THAT RANCHERIA FALLS IS AT ABOUT 4500 FEET. BUT LAKE VERNON IS AT ABOUT 6500, AND WILL HAVE PLENTY OF SNOW. AND TILTILL VALLEY WILL BE A SODDEN SNOW MASS THIS TIME OF YEAR. IF YOU ARE LUCKY, THE SNOW WILL BE ICY. IF NOT, IT WILL BE MUSHY AND EVEN HARDER TO HIKE. AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FOLLOW THE TRAIL, BECAUSE IT WILL BE UNDER SNOW THIS TIME OF YEAR. COMING DOWN THE RIDGE INTO LAKE VERNON WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY BE A STEEP, SNOWY, ICY PROCESS. NOT FUN, UNLESS YOU HAVE SNOWSHOES. AND IF YOU DO, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO HIKE TEN MILES IN THEM.


-Walk and stay at Laurel Lake on the third day

SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. RIGHT NOW THERE IS PROBABLY ABOUT FOUR FEET OF SNOW IN THAT AREA.

-Finish up back at Hetch Hetchy campground on the fourth

Notes:
-We are all very athletic (varsity cross country, rowing, etc)
-Im concerned about snow because I dont plan on bringing snow shoes or skis, just hiking boots
-Are the daily distances feasible? too short or too long?
-Do the lakes have any good fishing?

THE ONLY LAKE THAT WILL NOT BE FROZEN OVER IS HETCH-HETCHY ITSELF...WITH FAIR FISHING. THE STREAMS ARE CLOSED TO FISHING UNTIL LATER IN APRIL.

[AlmostThere]

You can fish in Hetch Hetchy?

I thought it was no boats, no swimming, no fishing, no touch, just look, because all that water was going straight down into the faucets of folks in the bay area.

[dan]

You can fish in Hetch Hetchy?
I thought it was no boats, no swimming, no fishing, no touch, just look, because all that water was going straight down into the faucets of folks in the bay area.

You are correct--no fishing, no personal watercraft, no swimming in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Hower, you can fish and swim in the streams that flow into the reservoir.

http://www.hetchhetchy.org/

[Rachtak]

Thanks, this is a lot of good help. Sorry if I'm starting to sound annoyingly persistent, but backpacking in Yosemite, specifically, has been a much anticipated adventure for our highschool Senior year, and April 11-17 is the only time frame that we have before we go on our separate ways in the summer.

Is there at all any way to do an overnight backpack in Yosemite (2-4nights) where we would not be trudging through waist deep snow? At what elevation would hiking in hikingboots become impossible because of snow?

I am pretty much open to anything that can give us the characteristic "yosemite" feel (lakes, tall trees, granite faces, etc). Or anything in the sierras for that matter. Is there such thing as lower elevation sierra backpacking?

Does anyone know anything about the Trinity Alps? Perhaps northern California?

I really appreciate the input that you guys have been leaving me with.