Yosemite Forum

I'm hiking Sunrise, Merced Lake, Vogelsang, Tuolumne next week (starting July 6), and I have a few questions for anyone who can help me:

- are mosquitoes bad this year?

- how long will it take me to hike from Merced Lake to Vogelsang? (I'm in decent shape -- I run about 15 miles a week, at about 8-9 min/mile, but that's on flat routes)

- how long will it take me to hike from Vogelsang to Tuolumne Meadows?

- I'm hiking one section alone -- should I have a bear bell or something similar?

- are trails well marked or will I need to do some navigating?

- will there be sources of water on each leg of the trail? (I have a filter, so I'm hoping to refill my water bottles and/or swim)

Any other advice would be welcome. Thanks!

sheila wrote:- are mosquitoes bad this year?

No. It's a dry year and there's few mosquitoes.

sheila wrote:- how long will it take me to hike from Merced Lake to Vogelsang? (I'm in decent shape -- I run about 15 miles a week, at about 8-9 min/mile, but that's on flat routes)

Well, lets see. 7.5 miles and 3500' up (via Fletcher Creek) should take about 6 hours. Add an hour for lunch. Add an hour if you go via Lewis Creek, which is much more spectacular and less-used.

sheila wrote:- how long will it take me to hike from Vogelsang to Tuolumne Meadows?

It's around 7 miles, so should take about 3 hours via Rafferty Creek.
The Evely Lake Trail is longer but much more scenic--as you see more of Lyell Canyon and aren't in the trees as much. That's about 12 miles though and will take about 5 hours.

sheila wrote:- I'm hiking one section alone -- should I have a bear bell or something similar?

No. Black bears aren't that aggressive and are usually nocturnal. Bear bells are poor noise makers in any case--they can't be heard very far.

sheila wrote:- are trails well marked or will I need to do some navigating?

They are well-marked and well-traveled, but take a map.

sheila wrote:- will there be sources of water on each leg of the trail? (I have a filter, so I'm hoping to refill my water bottles and/or swim)

Lots of water all along the way.

thanks, that's great!

one more thing: will I need to buy a wilderness permit, or is that included in the fee when you stay at a High Sierra Camp?