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[Yosemite]

Tioga Road trail conditions in June (& hello)

Hiking, backpacking, running, biking, climbing, rafting, and other human-powered activities in Yosemite National Park

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Tioga Road trail conditions in June (& hello)

Postby Psi » Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:10 am

Hi everyone, I'm a Brit and newly registered on this forum. I've been planning a hiking trip to Yosemite (plus some more of California) for about a year now. I've read a lot of the threads and posts in this forum and it's both whetted my appetite and provided loads of useful infromation, especially about routes, places to visit, little detours, etc.

To be honest, I don't know what year I'll make this trip - hopefully in the next five years, perhaps after Mariposa reopens - but I'm planning anyway cos. I find it fun! Anyway, I'm thinking of a trip in late June as the best compromise for road & trail accessibility, and waterfall spectacle.

I understand that the Tioga Road is not guaranteed to be open late June but it looks like it usually is. So, my question is:

what can I expect Tioga Road trail conditions to typically be like in late June?

I've read a lot about the trails but it's not clear to me whether I can expect them to be accessible or not. I don't mind walking on a few inches of snow but I don't want to be "postholing" (I think that's the US expression for sinking in deep snow?), sliding around on sheet ice or continually walking through more than a few inches of water.

The particular trails/routes off the Tioga Road that I have in mind are roughly as follows ...

1. Tioga Road quarries - Mount Watkins - top of "Airplane Gully" - Olmsted Point
2. Saddlebag Lakes loop
3. Pothole Dome - Little Devil's Postpile - Glen Aulin (I'm aware this is down the "wrong" side of the river and I'm also aware there is some very boggy terrain that will need to be avoided but it looks potentially doable) - Polly Dome Lakes - Tenaya Lake
4. Cathedral Lakes trail to Sunrise Camp and back to Tenaya Lake by the Sunrise Lakes trail.
5. Young Lakes loop from Tuolumne Meadows
6. Tioga Pass to Gaylor Peak and down to Gaylor Lakes and Granite Lakes, returning via Lower Gaylor Lake to Tuolumne Lodge
7. Porcupine Flat - Indian Rock - North Dome - Yosemite Point - Camp 4

Thanks for any help you can give me.
Psi
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Re: Tioga Road trail conditions in June (& hello)

Postby AlmostThere » Wed Mar 11, 2015 10:26 am

No one can tell you what to expect from year to year. right now there is a drought, so foras long as that is true, most of Tioga Road trailheads will be clear of snow in june. In good snow years, you might not be able to drive up there til July or walk without snow shoes.

Some of your plans are not going to be possible if you intend to backpack- Gaylor Lakes basin is a no camp zone. You have to be 4 miles from the trailhead to camp. Gaylor is a short hike.
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Re: Tioga Road trail conditions in June (& hello)

Postby Psi » Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:41 am

Hi AlmostThere, thanks for your reply. Ok, so you can't tell from year to year so let me ask a slightly different question ...

Assuming the Tioga Road itself has opened, what can I expect Tioga Road trail conditions to typically be like in late June?

Is it possible to say more about trail conditions under those circumstances? Will trails generallly be accessible without snowshoes? Will they generally be safe for someone without winter gear like crampons, ice axes, etc? I can imagine trails will be soggy but will they tend to involve lots of wading through boggy ground?

Oh, and no backpacking for me - just day hiking.
Psi
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