Yosemite Forum

Hello!

We are a group of friends that love backpacking through Tuolumne and did Glen Aulin last year, we want to go further to see Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River.

We are looking for input re: timelines. How long did it take you...3 or 4 days? Could it be done in 3 days / 2 nights? Should it be done in 4 days / 3 nights?

Did you find an awesome place to camp that you would like to share? We are thinking of staying @ California Falls for the first night. We are looking for a reference on how far we can get each day.

Thanks for your input!!

A group of 9 of us did the Grand Canyon trail from Tuolumne Meadows to Pate Valley to White Wolf last summer. We camped in the Tuolumne backpacker's camp on night 1, then hiked down to Return Creek where there's a really nice big campsite on night 2, then hiked all the way down to the far end of Pate Valley to camp at the base of the climb to White Wolf on night 3. I'd rate this as fairly brutal for 3 days - if I do this again, I'd spend 4-5 days instead of 3, and spend the rest of the time enjoying the scenery and swimming in the river. A 3-day trip felt like a death march for most of us, who are all in good physical condition. It's relentlessly downhill from the meadows, except for a brief uphill climb to avoid an impassable gorge, followed by a steep climb up to White Wolf from Pate Valley - with 3 days, you don't get much chance to enjoy the scenery, since you're forced to keep on hiking.