Help planning 5-7 day trip in late June

[ProfessorD]

I'm looking to do a 40-50ish mile loop or 1 way trip between June 20 - 27. I've been reading a lot about large amounts of snow. I'm wondering where / what trails might be an appropriate place to do this sort of trip? Also, we'd like to see a variety of terrain - meadows / cliffs / mountains / lakes. We're experienced backpackers, but don't own crampons or snowshoes (and didn't intend to acquire them, but we wouldn't mind seeing a little snow).

We also don't have wilderness permits yet. There are very few available for those dates in some of the main areas (Cathedral lakes, for example), but first-come, first serve may be an option.

[balzaccom]

The big problem here is that Tioga Road probably won't be open by then...so your trailhead options are limited. And you can expect some significant snow at anything above 8,000. And the north side of any ridge or pass will have snow at lower elevations still.

Take out your map of Yosemite and see what that leaves you! Hetch-hetchy, which is only a couple/few days. Maybe Mono Meadows up Illilouette Canyon for a ways (that's a beatiful hike...but the best part is up by Ottoway Lakes, and they are well over 9,000 feet.

[ProfessorD]

Hmmm - that's really a bummer. Is there any estimate for when the Tioga road is going to be open? At what point do the trails become passable. I realize that it's hard to project this stuff....

I saw blog with a trip to the cathedral lakes region in mid june, 2009. There was a little snow, but not much. Was that just a light year?

The other thing that's weird is that there's virtually no wilderness permits available for even mid-late june, yet if the road won't be open, it seems odd to me that those permits have all been taken.. though I guess people speculate.

Does anyone have recommendations for other trips in the area / in wilderness areas that might be at a tad lower elevation?

[Nacci]

I saw blog with a trip to the cathedral lakes region in mid june, 2009. There was a little snow, but not much. Was that just a light year?

In 2009 Tioga Road opened on May 19. The April 1 snowpack was 92% of normal. This year's April 1 snowpack was 178% of normal and spring has been pretty chilly; there were snow flurries in the Valley recently.

[KC]

There's more snow expected in the Sierra this weekend. Crazy.

Depending on conditions, you could always try to circumnavigate the rim of the valley, going down or up the JMT and up or down Snow Creek trail to skip routes around Tenaya Canyon. The snow should be down by then, but water levels in creeks will be high.

Frankly, I'm ready for it not to snow.

[ProfessorD]

Ok, suppose I can go in mid July? Recommendations?