Three night trip in late October

[triseis]

I'm planning a trip for four days in late October (18th through 21st) for four people. I'd like to go out the first day and find a good spot where we could start two day hikes from, then return the last day. I'm not finding a lot of information on which places should be good to visit at that time of year, and none of us have been before. Does anyone have any suggestions on a route?

[AlmostThere]

How comfortable are you with below freezing night temps and snow or rain? Snow can fall anytime after mid October and close Tioga Pass, so there is no overnight parking and no camping there after 10/15.

This late in the season, lakes are the best - falls are dry and/or unspectacular. Most meadows have gone yellow and dead. If you are base camping, you could do Little Yosemite valley - Half Dome cables come down on Columbus Day but you could do Clouds Rest and Merced Lake, visiting the Bunnell Cascades on the way. You would have LYV mostly to yourself this late in the season.

[balzaccom]

We did a similar trip in April of this year to Rancheria Falls...hiked in the first day, the second day we climbed up to LeConte Point--lovely views, very nice hike! And then the third day we hiked back out---but could have extended with another hike into the Tiltill Valley...

The best part of this one is that the elevations are manageable, so cold weather isn't quite so brutal

[AlmostThere]

Just look out for poison oak along Hetch Hetchy. It doesn't encroach on the trail, but it's all over the place alongside.

LeConte is a neat side trip.

[hiker97]

I like the LYV suggestion with Clouds Rest and Merced Lake. There are also a number of great High Sierra lakes south of Yosemite worth consideration, which might save you some driving time depending on where you are coming from. I'm a big fan of Yosemite for the waterfalls, cascades and meadows, but there are lots of pretty lakes outside of the park as well.

[triseis]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! We ended up going to Rancheria Falls, with day trips out to Tiltill Valley and LeConte Point (yikes! Probably could have found a better route there). We saw exactly two people after we made camp, and they were both hiking out. It was a fantastic trip.


Thanks again!