Yosemite Forum

Thank you for all of the great suggestions. I am still worried about this being a viable route given the July 14th posting on the NPS web page:

Lyell Canyon is muddy with sections of standing water up to 6" deep. Please do not divert from the main trail to avoid wet feet; resource protection is critical this time of year with meadows being destroyed by new paths. Creeks along Lyell Canyon including Ireland Creek are running high. Significant snow remains at Donahue Pass. Ireland Lake area en route to Vogelsang remains snow-covered with route-finding difficult. Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang is 90% free of snow and mostly dry. The last half mile of the trail before Vogelsang HSC is snow-covered; navigation skills and proceeding with caution on steep and slippery trail is vital. Snow persists at 40-90% coverage to Emeric Lake with depths of 4'. In the dense forested areas, snow coverage is higher and some navigation abilities are necessary. Crossings at Fletcher Creek and the Emeric Junction are deep and swift.

We are taking our 3 teenage boys (ages 19, 17, and 14). We are very active and fit, but I am not looking for anything that is dangerous. This NPS post is 2 1/2 weeks before we are scheduled to start our trip. Has anyone been in this area very recently?

Thank you.

Deep and swift - if they were very dangerous they would have said impassable. But, one person's impassable can be another's swift and deep...

You could always try for Sabrina or Little lakes Basin.

It is all a matter of one's perspective...I would think that you will have snow that's so tracked over by now that navigation on all the popular trails will be a non-issue. Six inches of standing (or running) water is nothing...wear kayaking socks. Ireland Creek being swollen is also not a particularly big deal...don't cross it if it's too big (you won't need to on the way up to Vogelsang anyhow), find a safe place to pump water. If you guys get in over your heads, turn around. Wilderness reports tend to lag actual conditions in most cases. I wouldn't worry about a bunch of teenagers. So get your map ahead of time, consult the ranger about current conditions when you pick up your permit, go forth into destiny, have a good time doing it.

I've camped at Boothe and also at Fletcher within the circle AT shows which is why I was asking for a source. No issues. The ranger I chatted with at Fletcher had no issue with me camping there. There are established sites at both lakes. And there are invariably folks camped at Fletcher and at the south end of Boothe.