Tuolumne to Valley Floor via JMT - need some advice

[HikerRyan]

I'll be hiking from Tuolumne Meadows to the valley floor via the JMT in early June, and I'm considering an alternate route. Is it worth hiking over Cloud's Rest on the way down to the valley? Is this route considerably more strenuous?

Also, we need to complete the trip in three days, and we plan to take a side trip to climb Half Dome on our last day before hiking to the valley floor. From what I have read here, it appears as if most backpackers take 4 days to complete this route, including a layover day for the side trip up Half Dome. Would climbing Half Dome before hiking to the valley be too aggressive for a leisurely / moderately strenuous trip? Any sense for how many hours of hiking this would be on our last day?

Any input is much appreciated. I'd really like to make this a memorable trip, but I don't want to kill my girlfriend by hiking 15 miles a day, gaining / loosing too much elevation in one day, or hiking for 12 hours at a time.

Thanks again,

Ryan

[dan]

Here's how I did the trip:
1. First day started around noon (took the daily YARTs bus from Yosemite Valley to Mammoth in the morning). Hiked in from Tenaya Lake and camped below Clouds Rest (to the southeast) in forest. It's probably a full day if you start back at Tuolumne Meadows.

2. Next day hiked over Clouds Rest and down the other side (lots of down) and camped at a trail junction by a stream southeast of Half Dome and south of Clouds Rest.

3. Got up early and hiked to and up Half Dome. Stayed about an hour and got back to camp mid-afternoon.

We were planning on hiking out the next day, but my wife thought why not just hike out now? Well, we did and were pretty tired by the time we were hiking down the Mist Trail (with packs on down the wet steps). When we got back, we had to retrieve stuff from the lockers, buy some food, shower, and hike to the Backpackers Camp north of the Pines Campgrounds and eat at dusk. Pretty long day and she regretted it--so take an extra day. Explore Little Yosemite Valley if you're bored.

Anyway, the next day we took a bus to Glacier Point and hiked down via the Panorama Trail (no backpacks this time). Was a great day.

[Grzldvt]

What Dan said...
Also keep in mind going over Clouds Rest can get a little freaky. If you or your girlfriend are leary of heights the trail up to Clouds Rest on the Toulumne side is pretty narrow and has huge drops on both sides.
I took a young lady up it, who claimed she was not acrophobic and ending up helping her go up crawling on her hands and knees.
There is a trail around it, however it is well worth the climb.

[airrj]

Clouds Rest is my favorite place in Yosemite. As Grzldvt said, the aproach from the North is a bit freaky, but it is well worth the hike.

Last year my wife and I did a two day trip from Tenya Lake to the Valley Floor across Clouds Rest and up Half Dome. If you had three days to do it, it would be a great trip. We camped less than an hour from the top of Half Dome. We had a nice little campsite well off of the trail and it was overlooking Tenya Canyon. Several times during the evening we could hear small rock falls sliding down the side of Clouds Rest. And the best part was that we were easily up on top of Half Dome by 8am well before the busy time.

I don't have a map in front of me, but I would think that you could hike in from Tenya Lake and stop of the night before Clouds Rest near the trail junction that leads down to Surrise Creek??? I think that is were the trail goes, but either way, it is the last main trail junction before you go over Clouds Rest. And then on day two you could pass over the peak and climb down to the trail junction to Half Dome and hike up that trail as far as you are comfortable with and then spend night two. And the last day you can do a day hike up onto Half Dome and then the trip down to the Valley.

Either way enjoy your trip.
R.J.

[HikerRyan]

Thanks for the feedback, Tenya Lakes sounds like it might be the way to go. Any recommended campsites for the night before our hike? I planned to camp in Tuolumne Meadows after leaving my car in the valley, but if we are leaving from the Tenya trailhead should we camp in the valley and take the shuttle to the trailhead in the morning?

[dan]

The closest campground on the Tioga Road is Porcupine Flat. It's right off the road and not as crowded as Tuolumne Meadows.

If you're taking the shuttle, camp in the valley. Find out the departure times online at www.yarts.com. The bus leaves from in front of the lobby at Yosemite Lodge and I believe the other hotels (Ahwahnee and Curry) in the morning. Check to see if the bus is running the day you leave. It only runs in Summer and early Fall. May and maybe early June is too early--check with them for the correct opening date.

Get a reservation for a campground or (better yet) stay in the walk-in Backpacker's Campground (just north of North Pines campground, cross a bridge over Tenaya Creek to get to it; not on most maps--I think to prevent non-backpackers from staying there). You can stay there if you have a wilderness permit for the day after or day before (one day only). No reservations needed.

There's also a walk-in backpacker's campground within the Tuolumne Meadows campground with the same rules.

[squirble]

I was thinking about taking the route over Clouds Rest as opposed to wandering down the JMT and camping near Sunrise Creek...

Here's the question: does that unnamed creek that appears on a couple maps I've seen exist? I've never seen it, but it's off- trail, and we've always come up from the south in the past.

It looks to be about halfway up the Clouds Rest trail from the south, and 1/4 mile to the east of the trail. We're looking at a 4-day midweek trip in late July, so any information on how seasonal it might be would be appreciated.

Long- time lurker, first- time poster.

[dan]

does that unnamed creek that appears on a couple maps I've seen exist? I've never seen it, but it's off- trail, and we've always come up from teh south in the past.

I've never wandered that far off trail to see if it's there. I do know that the trail from Sunrise Creek (and the trail junction) north to Clouds Rest is pretty dry. It's shaded, but no creeks, and it's a long walk with lots of switchbacks up to Clouds Rest. Once you're over the top, you have to go down the trail (east) a few miles until you hit water again.

I like camping where Sunrise Creek crosses the trail to Cloud's Rest. It's nowhere near as crowded and overrun as the campground in Little Yosemite Valley.

[HikerRyan]

Okay we’ve finalized our travel plans for early June, and it looks like we’ll only have 3 days to complete the hike. Would you recommend sticking to the JMT for the entire hike, or are the views from Coulds Rest worth the extra mileage and elevation. We’re definitely planning on doing Half Dome on the last day, so this needs to factor into my “girlfriend complaining” factor if the days are too long. Thanks for all of the input.

[dan]

Three days with Clouds Rest and Half Dome was a little long for my wife. It might be easier if you have a room (not campsite) all reserved and ready in Yosemite Valley. So, yes bypassing Clouds Rest will make it reasonable.

That said, I think the view from Clouds Rest is better than from Half Dome. For one, you can't see Half Dome on Half Dome. Second, the view of the valley is further back and has a better perspective. But Half Dome is more dramatic to hike/climb up and you can save Clouds Rest for "next time".

[HikerRyan]

Thanks for the reply, we do have a room in the Valley for the 4th day.

[philothea]

I have a group also planning this type of trip about the 3rd week of June. We are starting from Cathedral Lakes TH and going down to Happy Isles. Part of the group has to leave in 4 days the rest have a total of 7 days with the permit we have. I think the group wants to stay together for the first four days which will leave some of us at Little Yosemite Valley with 3 days left to explore. Any recommendations?
Also, one person in our group said that they contacted a Yosemite ranger and was told that all waste needs to be carried out, including human waste. If you are not using bags, unless you are at a camp with a toilet you will be fined.
Does anyone know anything about this? I can't find anyone who has heard of this except these people in my group.
Thanks in advance!

[dan]

I have a group also planning this type of trip about the 3rd week of June. We are starting from Cathedral Lakes TH and going down to Happy Isles. Part of the group has to leave in 4 days the rest have a total of 7 days with the permit we have. I think the group wants to stay together for the first four days which will leave some of us at Little Yosemite Valley with 3 days left to explore. Any recommendations?

Half Dome and Clouds Rest are strenuous one day hikes with great views. Pretty hike to Merced Lake and LVY is worth wandering around in without packs for a more-leisurely appreciation of the rocks and domes.

Also, one person in our group said that they contacted a Yosemite ranger and was told that all waste needs to be carried out, including human waste. If you are not using bags, unless you are at a camp with a toilet you will be fined.

Yuck! I never heard of this. I glanced at http://www.nps.gov/archive/yose/wilderness/ and didn't see anything. Personally, I hate seeing waste buried 2 inches deep in a campsite--please go away from the trail and camp, and bury human waste with a plastic trowel. But I don't hike out with it either. I wonder how they can check--body cavity search?

[dmede]

I can confirm that the rangers did in fact direct us to carry out all of our toilet paper but not the actual waste itself. Personally I think this going a bit too far, and I suspect that it may not even be official policy since it does not appear in writing anywhere. We packed all our trash (and a bit of someone elses as well) but none of our TP. There is no place in a stuffed full bear canister for soiled TP even if it is in a bag and it would only attract animals and make a mess if left outside the canister. If you dig a proper hole, use quick degrading TP and only use what you need there should be no problems with burying it.

[yosjunkie]

Please DO pack out all your toilet paper. No matter how biodegradable it is, it doesn't decompose quickly in the high country, and little critters like to dig it up. Then it blows around and looks rather yucky.

I've passed plenty of high country lakes where people didn't do a good job of digging holes or covering up.

I just talked with a ranger recently, and it looks like within a couple years they will follow the lead of a couple other National Parks and require people to pack out ALL human waste. I just returned from Teton, where they give you a "WAG" bag for that purpose. Despite being the butt (excuse the pun) of many jokes, it wasn't that bad. And I appreciate that the water quality will not be impacted.