Little Yosemite Valley to Clouds Rest

[Leo]

Has anyone been up this way or to Clouds Rest summit since the last snow fall this past week? My group is hiking up early Tuesday morning, June 1st, and am wondering if the trail conditions warrant crampons or snow shoes. Thanks to all who responded to my earlier post about Happy Isles to Clouds Rest.

[sehnazjoshep]

Oh! Menas that your friends enjoyed a lot there right? I am never going outside with my friends like this so if this can be possible for you and they have taken picture of those then please share with them with me.

[Pack_Envy]

Hi Leo curious if you and your group were able to make it atop clouds rest. Would like to hear a trip report if anyone has attempted this week as well.

Thanks in advanced!!!

[Leo]

Hi Leo curious if you and your group were able to make it atop clouds rest. Would like to hear a trip report if anyone has attempted this week as well.

Thanks in advanced!!!

We hiked from Happy Isles to Clouds Rest to Half Dome and back to Happy Isles on June 1st. The weather conditions were perfect! There were patches of snow west of the Pinnacles. We used crampons from about 8700 ft as we rounded the Pinnacles on the south, and there was good run-off right before this if water is needed. There were already tracks in the snow so the trail was not difficult to follow and if you knew the general direction to go. It got steep as we neared the Clouds Rest summit and were glad we had crampons. The snow generally was pretty well consolidated and postholed only once or twice. The snow at the summit was also well consolidated. The views at the summit were absolutely great!

[orienteering]

Hi Leo curious if you and your group were able to make it atop clouds rest. Would like to hear a trip report if anyone has attempted this week as well.

Thanks in advanced!!!

We hiked from Happy Isles to Clouds Rest to Half Dome and back to Happy Isles on June 1st. The weather conditions were perfect! There were patches of snow west of the Pinnacles. We used crampons from about 8700 ft as we rounded the Pinnacles on the south, and there was good run-off right before this if water is needed. There were already tracks in the snow so the trail was not difficult to follow and if you knew the general direction to go. It got steep as we neared the Clouds Rest summit and were glad we had crampons. The snow generally was pretty well consolidated and postholed only once or twice. The snow at the summit was also well consolidated. The views at the summit were absolutely great!

Hi Leo,

Thanks for your report. We intend to hike on June 12/13/14 from Sunrise over Clouds Rest to Yosemite Valley. It seems like we should bring crampons under all circumstances. It sounds like you went up Half Dome. How much snow was on the sub dome. Did you need your crampons there too?

Thanks for the info!!

[cjoz]

Hi Leo,

Thanks for your report. We intend to hike on June 12/13/14 from Sunrise over Clouds Rest to Yosemite Valley. It seems like we should bring crampons under all circumstances. It sounds like you went up Half Dome. How much snow was on the sub dome. Did you need your crampons there too?

Thanks for the info!!

Orienteering, pls. post report on conditions when you return. I'm planning on backpacking through that direction the week after. Would like to know how conditions are. Sure there are plenty in the same boat as me.

[Leo]

Hi Leo,

Thanks for your report. We intend to hike on June 12/13/14 from Sunrise over Clouds Rest to Yosemite Valley. It seems like we should bring crampons under all circumstances. It sounds like you went up Half Dome. How much snow was on the sub dome. Did you need your crampons there too?

Thanks for the info!![/quote]

Orienteering,

The switchbacks to the Sub Dome were clear except for 2 small patches of snow. On top of the Sub Dome was covered with snow but again could be negotiated without crampons. Depending on your skill and confidence, each could be negotiated without crampons without crampons in the afternoon. I don't know how icy it was in the early morning.

[cjoz]

Some Clouds Rest videos from June 1 -13 time frame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsp-gnDe ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62niU3msa_4

Striking to see how much snow cleared off the top in 2 weeks.

[Leo]

Some Clouds Rest videos from June 1 -13 time frame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsp-gnDe ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62niU3msa_4

Striking to see how much snow cleared off the top in 2 weeks.

cjoz - The first YouTube link happened to be the video of my hike on June 1, 2010.

[cjoz]

Some Clouds Rest videos from June 1 -13 time frame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsp-gnDe ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62niU3msa_4

Striking to see how much snow cleared off the top in 2 weeks.

cjoz - The first YouTube link happened to be the video of my hike on June 1, 2010.

Small world! You guys were rockin' it up to the top there.

[ewr2san]

Any update on the conditions? We are hiking from Tenaya Lakes and wondering how much snow remains?

[RR1]

Here is my trip report from a different Yosemite Forum - we were on the trail from Tenaya to Happy Isles via Cloud's Rest and Half Dome last weekend:

I wanted to provide a quick trip report as a way to pay-forward some of the great info provided on this forum prior to our trip.

Tenaya Lake Outlet - water very cold...slow flowing - on the plus side it was crotch deep (if, of course, you consider that a positive...).

Tenaya to Cloud's Rest - snow coverage was off and on - mostly snow covered though - but firm so very little post-holing. Camped near a small lake on way to Cloud's Rest - bare spots to sleep on, no mosquitoes. All stream crossing were either shallow or had logs you could cross over. Snow melting quickly - some places were a little boggy, but not too deep. Need GPS (might not want to follow our snowy footsteps, our GPS was all wacky and at times our meandering track will make you dizzy, tired, and probably angry).

Cloud's Rest - Mostly snowy on the approach w/some suncups. Final switchbacks to junction with short trail to summit are clear of snow, however, the short trail to summit was mostly snow covered - but passable on snow-free granite to left of snowy trail (saw tracks indicating somebody willingly chose to do the snow covered knife-edged ridge...no thank you...).

Cloud's Rest to junction of Cloud's Rest Trail & JMT - almost no snow, but on the switchbacks we did run into a very disgruntled chicken that wouldn't let us pass (no idea what it was, but it looked like a chicken - just meaner). Eventually the trail chicken mellowed and we ended up camping about .2 miles past the junction at a cool site with great open views of Half Dome/Glacier Point. Lots of thirsty mosquitoes, and 1 hungry (and apparently deaf) bear.

Half Dome was cool - very few people there before 10 AM on a Monday (conga-line formed shortly thereafter). Everything else all the way down was awesome - waterfalls were really, really flowing.

Thanks again to all that provided info that helped us make this trip possible.

Watch out for that chicken...

[cjoz]

Just got back from our trip as well. Hit trail very late in the day Wednesday (6/23), waiting for trail partner. Water level at Tenaya crossing was about 2.5-3' deep (crotch deep and I'm 5"6') but no current at all. It looked lower this morning when we returned to our cars.

Trail was scattered snow patches at the beginning but could follow footsteps or look for tell-tale signs (e.g., cut logs, unnatural stone placements or in the case of doubt the "creek" is the trail) and then it opened up to dry trail for a spell.

Switchbacks were raging waterfalls in places but easy to follow until the last pitch or so when it turned into 100% snow coverage. We followed footprints with some success but ultimately lost the trail even w/ Garmin Oregon 450 mapping GPS. Had a deer following us for some time and then he sped ahead. I think he knew where the trail was because later we saw deer tracks running near human tracks.... Hiked up to a ridge that ended up being somewhat west of the trail and ran into the spur that heads down to Sunrise Lakes (our destination for night one anyway).

Hike to Clouds Rest was easy only because someone ahead of us clearly knew where they were going and we just followed footprints where there were snow patches. Have to say vast majority of the trail b/w Sunrise and Clouds Rest was dry/open trail and easy to follow but once in the snow it could take you some time to figure it out if you don't have tracks to follow. Got about .5-.75 mile from the summit (9400ft) before I started feeling dizzy so we backtracked and headed down the Forsyth Trail to camp for the night. Day hiked Clouds Rest from that point no problem (snow or otherwise).[/img]

[dan]

Cloud's Rest to junction of Cloud's Rest Trail & JMT - almost no snow, but on the switchbacks we did run into a very disgruntled chicken that wouldn't let us pass (no idea what it was, but it looked like a chicken - just meaner). Eventually the trail chicken mellowed and we ended up camping about .2 miles past the junction at a cool site with great open views of Half Dome/Glacier Point. Lots of thirsty mosquitoes, and 1 hungry (and apparently deaf) bear.
. . .
Watch out for that chicken...

The "chicken" was a Blue Grouse. They make a woo-woo-woop sound in the woods too.

[Alex]

I am looking to do this hike July 11. Never done this, heard that it's almost 12 miles round trip. My question is: after you branch off John Muir Trail onto Clouds Rest Trail is the trail to the summit well defined? Should I be worried about losing it? Has anyone done it recently? Also, when you get to the summit I understand that the trail continues north to Tenaya Lakes right from the summit, is this correct? Many thanks.