looking for advice on wilderness permit and campsites

[NinaogAndreas]

Hi all

My girlfriend and I will be visitting the USA this summer vacation, but we are quite confused as of how we will be able to camp in Yosemite.

Can anybody recomend a trip which can be completed with 3 sleepovers, preferably with not too long of a distance between the campsites, and if so include name of trailheads/trails, so we can order a wilderness permit...

I hope I make sense

cheers from Denmark

[bill-e-g]

If this your first time?
You will have a car, yes?

If the answer is yes to both... then I'd just recommend all sorts of
dayhikes and try to get first-come campground spot instead.
I'll assume you are coming July or later...

????

[NinaogAndreas]

Is this your first time?

Yes

Do you have a car?

no


what we would like to know, if there are anywhere in Yosemite in late July, we can be fairly certain to find a couple of "first-served" campgrounds, where these are located (with the thought of aquiring a wilderness -permit). Its in the last part of july (17-20).

After hours (and hours and hours) of googling and reading, I think that ten lakes might be the right trail for us, is it possible to get to the start of that trailhead by any means of public transportation?

cheers

[dan]

No car? That makes it harder. I assume you figured out how to get to Yosemite Valley (usually by the YARTS bus from Merced, California, see http://www.yarts.com/ ). YARTS also heads to Tuolumne Meadows.

There's another bus operated by the park concessionaire, DNC Yosemite.
It's called the "Hikers' Bus" that leaves Yosemite Valley daily and heads to Tuolumne Meadows. The bus stops along the road (anywhere you want that's safe to stop) and you can get out and start hiking. See:
http://www.yosemitepark.com/Activities_ ... adows.aspx

If you have a Wilderness Permit (see http://www.nps.gov/yose/wilderness/ ), you can use the "Backpacker's Campground" in Tuolumne Meadows. Here's a map showing the Backpacker's Campground:
http://www.yosemite.ca.us/maps/tuolumne ... nd_map.jpg
And a map of the Tuolumne Meadows area:
http://www.yosemite.ca.us/maps/tuolumne_meadows_map.jpg

- Dan

[AlmostThere]

what we would like to know, if there are anywhere in Yosemite in late July, we can be fairly certain to find a couple of "first-served" campgrounds, where these are located (with the thought of aquiring a wilderness -permit). Its in the last part of july (17-20).

After hours (and hours and hours) of googling and reading, I think that ten lakes might be the right trail for us, is it possible to get to the start of that trailhead by any means of public transportation?

cheers

All the campgrounds are listed on the Yosemite website, (www.nps.gov/yose) including details on where the first come/first serve campgrounds are. There is Bridalveil Campground, Camp 4 (walk in, not drive in), and some of the other campgrounds also reserve a percentage of their sites for first come/first serve folks.

You can ride YARTS from towns like Merced or Mammoth Lake into Yosemite, and if you can manage a wilderness permit reservation (call ASAP, the 17th is available for Ten Lakes!) you will be able to spend a night before your date of departure on your hike in the backpacker's campground in White Wolf. It's five dollars per night and you can only stay there the night before or the night after your backpacking trip, and you must have the permit in hand to stay there. The trailhead is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-6 miles from White Wolf along the road. There aren't any backpacking campgrounds near the trailhead. Hitchhiking, the hiker's bus or YARTS are the options I'm aware of. Not sure if YARTS would take you to that trailhead. Might call them and ask, or check on the DNC bus.

[NinaogAndreas]

Thanks alot for all the answers

I have a couple of questions for the Wilderness permit...

We'll try to reserve to ten lakes, from the 17. to the 20. BUT, I am confused as of what to write in the 1st Night camping location box, can you give me any ideas on that?

[AlmostThere]

I wouldn't write, I would call. 209/372-0740

If you call you can then ask the ranger about trail conditions, snow levels and how best to get to the trailhead from the campground.

First night will probably be either Grant Lakes or Ten Lakes, right? I believe you can not camp within four miles of the road/trailhead.