June 2015 Backpacking

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Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and just wanted to ask a question regarding my itinerary below. I have a lot of backpacking experience in the Northeast. I've done all the Catskill peaks, many of the Adirondack Peaks, and some of the White Mountain peaks. I have also backpacked in Zion and Grand Canyon, going down to Phantom Ranch and back with a full pack so I have a pretty good idea of what to expect here in Yosemite, although I haven't ever been here. I would like to plan a trip in mid-June 2015. I'm reading here that mosquitos are a problem,but I'd rather not go in August when it's really crowded. I guess September-October must be a good time, but the waterfalls are dried up. I'll be driving all the way from the east coast so I don't want to miss out on anything.

I'm trying to avoid crowds as much as I can so I plan to spend the week (not the weekend) here and hit the main sites during the less crowded times of Tuesday-Thursday. I thought that starting from Tioga Road would be a good way to avoid some of the crowds, and I assume by mid-June the road would be open (I know there's always a possibility that it won't) so I decided on the Sunrise Lakes Trailhead.

Day 0: Arrive and get permit.
Day #1: Backpack from Sunrise Lakes trailhead to Clouds Rest. Camp at the junction of JMT and Clouds Rest trail.
Day #2: Half Dome with day pack only
Day #3: Hike back to trailhead. Drive to Yosemite Valley.
Day #4: Day hike to Glacier Point and Vernal Falls.

I know the distances are reasonable for me, but I wanted to get an idea of some other sights in the area that I can hit (especially day 3 when I'll be hiking back. I don't want to stay on the same trail I came in on the whole time). I wouldn't mind extending the backpacking portion another night either if there's something else interesting around where I'll be and I can still return to the same trailhead to get my car.

For permits, I'm going to list my three date choices as Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday which means I'll have to wait until the first day I can submit the form for the Wednesday date since that is the furthest one. Will that really decrease my chances of getting the Monday or Tuesday dates? Now I just have to work these dates around my (hopeful) permit date for Mt. Whitney which I will do before or after Yosemite depending on the dates!

Any suggestions for improvements or something I may have missed would be appreciated. Thanks everyone!

[Grzldvt]

With this itinerary at mid-June you will not be avoiding crowds. It won't be too bad, but you are heading up a very popular trailhead into an area that is in high demand. Both Clouds Rest and Half Dome seem to be the ticket for first timers, but don't expect a solitude wilderness experience. If that works for you... go for it. Otherwise there are many options based on what day you are starting.

[AlmostThere]

If it's your first time in the park, I would suggest day hiking Clouds Rest, spending a day in Tuolumne Meadows hiking around, and then spending a day in the Valley floor riding a tour tram or walking the 13 mile loop trail. You're not going to avoid the crowds, going to Half Dome - you'll be surrounded by selfie taking tourists anyway. You're not going to be alone on Clouds Rest, though this is less crowded than Half Dome (go figure - better views on CR). You won't be alone on that part of the trail network - the JMT runs right through and everyone wants to backpack Half Dome or Clouds Rest. By day hiking you completely avoid the hassle of permits for trailheads in high demand, and the big scenic stuff is available for those willing to do 10-14 miles in a day - which is more possible with a very light pack.

If walking around Tuolumne Meadows is too tame, research Mt Dana online and go visit the second highest peak in the park. It's not on a maintained trail, but it's easily the best view you can find while walking. Six miles round trip, but it's high elevation, so it will feel like more. Starting at 10,000 at Tioga Pass and going up to 13,000+. There will be people, possibly some snowfields left, but you will be tempted to sit on top for hours among the sky pilot and the superb 360 degree view.

To really see the sights and avoid crowds, winter is best. May through August is the high traffic season. The waterfalls are booming then. September and October see a lot of thinning of the crowds. Around October 15 when the shuttles go on limited schedules, Tuolumne Meadows shuts down and overnight parking is no longer permitted on the pass, is when it starts to be 'not crowded.'

For a list of hikes (incomplete) visit yosemitehikes.com.

[arrow3]

Thanks for the feedback, Grzldvt and AlmostThere.

I know I'm not going to really avoid crowds, but I want to see if I can be somewhat secluded, particularly when camping at night. Half Dome is a must for me so I'm not willing to give that up. I was looking at other trailheads like May Lake (where I might have an easier time getting a permit) then hiking the 1.5 miles to the Sunrise Lakes trailhead from there.

Mt. Dana sounds nice; I'll look into that as well. Tuolumne Meadows seems like a nice place to see, but I'm not sure I'd want to spend too much time there given that I won't be here for too long. I would like to avoid spending any time in the Yosemite Valley if I can help it, other than starting and ending hikes there, so I was thinking of just doing the loop trail.

[AlmostThere]

So you want sights without crowds.Day hike to North Dome, or go overnight then hike down the Upper Yosemite Falls trail (use the hiker bus to get to the trailhead). Hike to Clouds Rest and back. Hike the four mile trail.

honestly, I will never understand why everybody is so driven to get to Half Dome, because it's probably at the bottom of my list in terms of places I've enjoyed. there are literally thousands of high points in the Sierra to enjoy all by yourself that are more of an accomplishment. The very best views in that area of the park are of half Dome, not from it.

[arrow3]

I know what you mean about Half Dome. For me, the allure is the cables. It seems very unique. Plus, being unfamiliar with the area, it seems wise to start on a more established place like that even though there are in sure countless other places with better views, solitude, and challenge/accomplishment. I think I'm gonna check out Kings Canyon. I like elevation and challenging trails and they seem to have them over there without so many people.

[AlmostThere]

The cables were the worst part. Standing in line at Costco is less frustrating - people dropping stuff, people freezing in place not letting you around them, then there are the impatient ones that speed up pushing everyone to one side. The jerks who shake the cables around. The terrified who clip in and slow everything up by creeping up the granite. With an average of 40000 - 50000 people each year (pre-permit) going up between May and October, the granite between the cables has gotten slicker each year. Permits slow it down, but the rangers make book on fining folks who go up without the permit.

I was also not a fan of watching non-hikers baking themselves to beet red, sprawling in overheated misery alongside the trail, or walking in their own blood because they wore the wrong shoes. Flip flops are not uncommon. I saw four inch high heels. I went past a couple with the woman berating the man for lying to her about the mileage. It reminds me of Geraldo on the trail.

Do it once for giggles, and then go check out the High Sierra Trail. Precipice Lake, views from Kaweah Gap and the high lake basins will forever sing a siren song calling you higher and farther into the alpine. lots of traffic on the HST, but it's tons of fun to use it as a jumping off place for high trailless basins and gorgeous places like Deadman Canyon.

[balzaccom]

Just to clarify: AT's comments seem grumpy, but he speaks from experience. I would certainly choose Clouds Rest over Half Dome for all the reasons he mentions...including the kinds of things you say you want to experience.

And when you are on top of CR, you not only have a view ofthe whole Sierra crest that is invisible from HD, you are also looking down on the people far below you on Hald Dome.

[weendoggy]

Do it once for giggles, and then go check out the High Sierra Trail. Precipice Lake, views from Kaweah Gap and the high lake basins will forever sing a siren song calling you higher and farther into the alpine. lots of traffic on the HST, but it's tons of fun to use it as a jumping off place for high trailless basins and gorgeous places like Deadman Canyon.

Wow! I haven't been to Deadman Canyon for years, but it was the most spectacular view I ever encountered in the Sierra's. I remember hiking up, yes up, to Deadman Pass (Oakland Mine) and sliding down a snow field with my full pack laughing all the way, ho, ho, ho (no pun). Did a cross country route from Elizabeth Pass to Colby Lake and then south to Junction Meadows and back through Kaweah Gap. What a hike! 8 days of wilderness.

[AlmostThere]

Do it once for giggles, and then go check out the High Sierra Trail. Precipice Lake, views from Kaweah Gap and the high lake basins will forever sing a siren song calling you higher and farther into the alpine. lots of traffic on the HST, but it's tons of fun to use it as a jumping off place for high trailless basins and gorgeous places like Deadman Canyon.

Wow! I haven't been to Deadman Canyon for years, but it was the most spectacular view I ever encountered in the Sierra's. I remember hiking up, yes up, to Deadman Pass (Oakland Mine) and sliding down a snow field with my full pack laughing all the way, ho, ho, ho (no pun). Did a cross country route from Elizabeth Pass to Colby Lake and then south to Junction Meadows and back through Kaweah Gap. What a hike! 8 days of wilderness.

A friend who went over Elizabeth Pass with me declared it the hardest pass we had ever done. We have since found a pass to surpass it. But, going from Pear Lake through the Tablelands to Moose Lake to Pterodactyl Pass, will forever be the annual pilgramage of choice. Since there are no trails we have it to ourselves - all the superlative views you cannot possibly have inside Yosemite's borders. It feels like you are walking on the roof of the world. The closest you can come is Mono/Parker Pass or the northern reaches of the park off trail.

Grumpy? Nope. Perhaps jaded. Or just aware that the farther you get from hoards of people who think they are in the wilderness, the more likely you are to be in the wilderness. There are many shades of wilderness to be had, so gain experience and move on - leave no trace and learn navigation skills.

[Grzldvt]

The cables were the worst part. Standing in line at Costco is less frustrating - people dropping stuff, people freezing in place not letting you around them, then there are the impatient ones that speed up pushing everyone to one side. The jerks who shake the cables around. The terrified who clip in and slow everything up by creeping up the granite. With an average of 40000 - 50000 people each year (pre-permit) going up between May and October, the granite between the cables has gotten slicker each year. Permits slow it down, but the rangers make book on fining folks who go up without the permit.

I was also not a fan of watching non-hikers baking themselves to beet red, sprawling in overheated misery alongside the trail, or walking in their own blood because they wore the wrong shoes. Flip flops are not uncommon. I saw four inch high heels. I went past a couple with the woman berating the man for lying to her about the mileage. It reminds me of Geraldo on the trail.

OMG, LMAO this has to be the best description I have ever seen Major Kudos to AlmostThere for a perfect description!!!! This should be a sticky in the Half Dome section

[arrow3]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I really appreciate it. Being a first timer, I really do want to see all the "tourist" areas like Half Dome and the various falls, etc. But, being into backpacking, I also want to experience some solitude. I've been studying the trail map and the problem is that without taking a 4 or 5 day backpack, you really have to stay within the more crowded areas which is why I settled on Sunrise Lakes (or Cathedral Lakes) to Clouds Rest and back. I'm also looking at hikes in Kings Canyon. I'm trying to fax my permit application in this morning, but of course their fax machine is not working. That might be a bad sign...

Regarding Half Dome, the closest thing I can relate to is coming down the East Rim trail on Zion from Echo Canyon. The entire trail was empty and peaceful, but as soon as it merged with the Observation Point trail, it was really crowded and annoying. I guess I just expected it so it wasn't that bad - still a pain though.

[Grzldvt]

Keep in mind many of us are jaded that have BP'd most of the park. When we see soltitude mixed with Half Dome and Cloud's Rest, the two simply do not go together. Look at my post over here http://www.yosemite.ca.us/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3277 You won't be disappointed.