Agnew Meadows-Tulomene Meadows

[SanGorgonioHiker]

New poster here....can anyone tell me more about the trip from Agnew Meadows-Tulomene Meadows in terms of best campsites/length of time? Also, if anyone has been up Mt Ritter of Banner via their simplest routes? Which is easier? Thanks!


http://www.hikinginsocal.blogspot.com

[balzaccom]

Banner is probably the easier of the two--basically climbing up from the saddle between the two peaks.

The trip that you describe is a great one---although we did it from Silver Lake up through Gem and Waugh Lakes to Thousand Island and then beyond. It took us a day to get to our permit, get organized, and hike up to Waugh, another day to Would take you to the west end of Thousand island...from there it's an easy climb up in a day. But know people who have hiked from Agnew Meadows to TIL in a day without problems...and some people have actually climbed Banner as a day-hike from Agnew Meadows. Clearly, they hike faster than we do!

It's an easy two days from TIL to Tuolumne Meadows over Donohue Pass...but it all depends on how fast you hike, and how much weight you are carrying!

[SanGorgonioHiker]

Thanks for the info. We average 2-3 MPH on typical mountain terrain on trail...maybe 40 lb pack at most. Do you need a bear canister for this trip....how bad are the bear here?

[Grzldvt]

Last time I was out in that area bears were quite prolific. So canisters would be a must do. In fact we had canister at a site near 1000 Island Lake and heard people banging pots and screaming most of the night while our canisters remained untouched. Heard a few bears come through and they just kept going to easier pickings. This is a cool trip so I would take my time, setup a base camp and explore.

[AlmostThere]

You're talking about Yosemite. A canister from the list of Yosemite-approved canisters is mandatory and the fines for not having one are steep. Since the JMT is along that corridor you can bet the bears will be absolutely bonkers. We were bothered every night sometimes multiple times, despite having canisters.

Best campsites? The ones that are legal and LNT compliant. This area has a few restrictions on zones you can't camp in, but those are clearly explained on the Yosemite website.