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[Yosemite]

5-6 days hike recommendations for August

Hiking, backpacking, running, biking, climbing, rafting, and other human-powered activities in Yosemite National Park

Moderators: Wickett, dan

5-6 days hike recommendations for August

Postby biojack » Sun Jul 15, 2007 9:53 pm

My girlfriend and I will be driving down from Canada in early August with the idea of doing a 5-6 days hike in the Sierra Nevada. We're good/fit hikers in their late 20's. We've done long/challenging hikes (last years was West Coast Trail) in the past. We hike montains almost each weekends.

A friend recommended not to go south of Yosemite because it might be difficult to get water. I guess this limits our options (make it easier???) I have a copy of the "Lonely Planet "Hiking in the Sierra Nevada" book and I'm looking at our options. Needless to say that it is very difficult to decide !! It might be our first/last trip to the Sierra and we'd like to pick the best trail(s). We'd like to see the most amazing scenery !! We will be driving down with the Jeep... that means that we'll need to get back to our car once the hike is done. We've got some flexibility in our schedule so a few more/less days is also possible. We are also considering a few "shorter" hikes. Giving us the opportunity to discover more than one area of the Sierra. In all we have about 14 days to drive from Canada and go back. We hope to take a few day to "relax" during the trip.

Please send your recommendations.... Also, this is the first forum I found... let me know if there are better options.
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Re: 5-6 days hike recommendations for August

Postby dan » Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:50 pm

I'll give you a few options to think about. A "Hiker's Bus" leaves from the Yosemite Valley hotels in the morning (ask at the desk at any hotel) and drops you off anywhere you want along the Tioga Road. The main transportation desk is at Yosemite Lodge. This is a great way to start a day hike or backpack high, along the Tioga Road, and hike down to Yosemite Lodge.

Some options:

* Start along Porcupine Flat or Yosemite Creek and hike to the North Rim of Yosemite Valley and along the North RIm. Head down Yosemite Falls trail (west) or Snow Creek Trail (east). This is a long day hike or a 1 or 2 night backpack, depending on your exact route.

* Start at Tuolumne Meadows on the Cathedral Lakes Trail to Little Yosemite Valley and end up in Yosemite Valley (Happy Isles). There's two main routes: the high route along CLouds Rest, which is drier, but has views. THe low route along Cathedral Fork and Echo Valley, which has more water, but not as many views until you get to Little Yosemite Valley.

* Start at Tuolumne Meadows and head up Lyell Canyon. Lots of beautiful high-country meadows and small lakes.

There's an active forum at http://www.yosemitecampers.com/
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Postby biojack » Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:27 pm

Thanks, I was also looking at the Dicks and Phipps passes hike last night... it looks like there might be many lakes on that trail... but I'm wondering how busy it gets and if the scenery is good. Anybody can tell me how it compares to the other hikes suggested? I don't have my book right now but I'll look at those suggestions later tonight.

I was also curious about the Falls Meadow hike.... any comments on that?

Any good hike with a mix of great scenery... maybe some swimming...?

P.S. You're talking about taking the bus... I just want to make sure this makes sense if we are coming with our own car.... I'll also look into transportation later today.

Keep sending suggestion or please comment on this !!

Thanks a lot, Jack
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Postby dan » Tue Jul 17, 2007 8:29 pm

Sorry--I don't know about Dicks and Phipps passes. I think its in the Tahoe area, so you don't have to worry about crowds. However, the further north from Yosemite, the lower the Sierra Nevada mountains are, and they are less of the alpine scenery, above treeline, that I like.

I also don't know about Falls Meadow.

biojack wrote:Any good hike with a mix of great scenery... maybe some swimming...?

The high mountain lakes tend to be cold, but if you're from Canada, maybe you don't mind. My favorite are small lakes with nice hot, flat granite rocks to dry out on.
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Postby Grzldvt » Fri Jul 20, 2007 11:10 pm

biojack wrote:Thanks, I was also looking at the Dicks and Phipps passes hike last night... it looks like there might be many lakes on that trail... but I'm wondering how busy it gets and if the scenery is good. Anybody can tell me how it compares to the other hikes suggested? I don't have my book right now but I'll look at those suggestions later tonight.

I was also curious about the Falls Meadow hike.... any comments on that?

Thanks a lot, Jack

Dick's and Phipps Pass are part of the Desolation Wilderness. It is an incredibly popular place, so actually you have more people than Yosemite.
I did a 5 day trip two years ago in late October, and we always had a crowd around us wherever we camped. It was my third and probably last trip into Desolation, simply too many people.
I would take a look a the High Sierra Loop. It will have a ton of people on it but if it is your one an only trip,you won't beat the scenery.
Steve
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Postby biojack » Sun Jul 22, 2007 1:18 pm

Thanks all, I appreciate your comments. Keep posting if anyone else has something to suggest. I'll be back. Thanks, Jack
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Postby adrianhoff » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:55 am

I just finished a hike that included this as days one-through-five:

1) Glacier Point to Little Yosemite Valley via the Panorama Trail. Seven miles. There’s a nice swimming hole with a little white-sand beach on the Merced close to the campsites. Just ask someone where people go to filter water.
2) Little Yosemite Valley to Merced Lake. Running (cold) water in the backpackers area. Two dollar (hot) showers at the High Sierra Camp. Eight miles. About half is a pleasant, level hike through the woods; half is steep up-hill. Merced Lake looked inviting, but I didn’t swim there.
3) Merced Lake to Babcock Lake. Don’t hike back to the lake: great campsite just off trail (1/10 mile before the official turn-off to Babcock lake). Nearby, a small cascade empties into a nice little swimming hole. Only 3.5 miles, but nearly 3,000-foot elevation gain.
4) Babcock Lake to Vogelsang. High Sierra Camp lets backpackers use indoor sinks (hot and cold running water) to wash-up. Nice lake, but cold. Backpackers area is large. You don’t have to camp close to anyone.
5) Vogelsang to Tuolumne Meadows. About seven miles, nearly all down hill.

I’m twice your age, and not that fit. Five days allowed time to atop and enjoy my surroundings. If you want to push it, you could do my whole hike in six days. Many people do Merced Lake to Voglesang in a day, for example. Study the route on a good map, paying close attention elevation gains before cutting hiking time too drastically.

The rest of my hike: Free shuttle from Tuolumne Meadows to Cathedral Lakes trailhead.
1) Trailhead to Sunrise Camp (or 1 mile further to upper Sunrise Lake). Nine miles (including 1-mile detour to lower Cathedral Lake) with plenty of steady up-hill, but no real challenging terrain.
2) Hike out to Sunrise trailhead, at Tenaya Lake and take shuttle back to car.

Or add another day and hike from Sunrise to Yosemite Valley, instead of looping back to Tenaya.

1) Sunrise to Little Yosemite Valley. If you don’t want to fight the crowds at LYV, stop about a mile above LYV, at the intersection of the Sunrise and Clouds Rest trails. The small creek was still running in mid-July, but may be dry by August.
2) Hike out via the John Muir Trail to Happy Isle.

Any version of this will take you through some magnificent scenery.
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Postby biojack » Wed Jul 25, 2007 9:13 am

Thanks again, I'll review those trails on the topo maps I just purchased. Keep posting !! :-)
I heard there are amazing scenery if you got south in the Sierra Nevada... Would anyone recommend anything south of yosemite? Is it too difficult to find water?
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7- day wonder

Postby yosjunkie » Sat Aug 04, 2007 4:40 pm

One of the best long backpacks I've done in Yosemite was to leave from Tioga pass (actually, just west of it at Dana meadows) and travel south for 3.5 days to Thousand Island lakes. We did about 5 days of trail hiking and 2 days of peak bagging (Banner among them), and had a glorious time.

The only challenge I faced was leaving my hiking boots behind (whoops!) and doing the whole thing in my Teva sandals. They held up amazingly well, and besides a little foot fatigue, I wouldn't have known the difference.

You might also check out any of the high country starting at trailheads from the east side of the mountains, along hwy 395.

You shouldn't have a problem with water anywhere in the Sierra. I just did a 5-day trip in Kings Canyon, and even though it was a low snow year, there are still plenty of steams running.
"And after ten years of wandering and wondering in the heart of it, rejoicing in its glorious floods of light... the flush of the alpenglow, and the irised spray of countless waterfalls, it still seems above all others the Range of Light." --Muir
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