Background: I'm very fit, and have done trekking in Thailand go bouldering, but have never been to Yosemite.
I'm planning a 3-day, 2 night hike on Labor Day weekend (we didn't have a choice) for 2 people. We're coming from San Francisco, and driving up Friday afternoon.
So here's some questions that I had:
1. Assuming we arrive Yosemite at around 7:00 pm (just to camp for the night), will the gates still be open. Is there a designated area where we HAVE to go before "entering" Yosemite? I'm trying to picture it, and images of a theme park parking lot comes to mind where everyone is converged then let lose after the gates.
2. Can anyone suggest a fairly difficult trail/itinerary through some off-the-beaten path? I was hoping that by following a more difficult itinerary, we'll get some more gorgeous sights and less crowds . I was hoping that at night we can just plop our tent down and sleep on a cliff or by a river or some really remote area. But because of the popularity of Yosemite, is it true that there's almost always a designated campground already and it'll be difficult to find a more secluded spot?
I was using the popular landmarks as my itinerary guide, but then realized that at that weekend, so will everyone. So I was hoping to do more trekking than just sight seeing this trip, and save the easier routes and more popular routes next time when it's less crowded.
Like I said, I've never been to Yosemite, and I'm fairly new to California. I don't really know anyone (personally) who enjoys trekking and backpacking, so my resources are limited.
Does anyone have any recommendations for books or some other itinerary samples for Yosemite?
Thank you very much a million times!!!
-bluepig