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!