Yosemite Forum

Hello all,

I'm headed up to Yosemite this weekend and will be backpacking there for the first time next week. We're doing the classic/cliche Tuolumne Meadows-Clouds Rest-Half Dome-Happy Isles hike. After descending Clouds Rest (if that's possible), we plan to camp between there and half dome. I know most of the campsites are near the CR/JMT intersection, but I noticed that part way up the Half Dome trail there's a side trail that heads to an apparent water source, with a somewhat flat area just beyond that (map below). Has anyone ever tried camping here?

Any other advice for 4 Yosemite rookies?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzXQ5VTmpfXSS05aRlpPOGpvMEU/view?usp=sharing

Thanks,
Ben

titansben15 wrote:Any other advice for 4 Yosemite rookies?

...don't feed the bears.

Yes, you can cut off from the CR trail and go cross-country over to where you're asking about. This early in the season, there's also a creek running down from Quarter Domes. If you don't know how to navigate (and not like, "oh, I have a compass because someone told me I should."), stay on the trails. But it is pretty hard to get genuinely lost in that area.

Just got done camping near Clouds Rest. A little over a mile from the top of Clouds Rest headed down to the JMT/half Dome junction, there's a beautiful area to camp. I've seen it described as the Pinnacles, but not sure if that's the actual area's name. Great views of Half Dome and the Merced River and mountain ranges to the east and south. Sunset and sunrise were awesome.

There's a stream near that's a little tricky to get to but reachable with a little walking. There was still a little snow cap there that had running water melting off it. That was a couple weeks back, so might be gone now.

Coordinates: lon="-119.494981" lat="37.757528"

5.5 miles to the top of Half Dome from the camp. Took me 4 hours.

You can see pictures below between the top of Clouds Rest pictures and the top of Half Dome pictures.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wandering ... 8746315070