Plan for next try

[rick56]

Whats an easy hike/backpack trail for a green kid where you can camp overnight? He can't make it over big steps and huge rocks. He fell on Rancheria Falls trail and our trip ended before we even got to the camp. Also he does not swim so crossing flooded trails would not be possible. Have any mountain men here ever taken handicapped kids backpacking? Thx

[AlmostThere]

You could try May Lake or Polly Dome lakes. Both are low mile trips (about 3 miles) with lakes at the end. May has no stream crossing (that I see on the map) and Polly has one, Murphy Creek. No guarantees the trails are rockless but they are short.

Going up Lyell Canyon the trail is dead flat - like a road. You would have to be 4 miles from the TH to camp tho.

[KC]

I vote for Lyell Canyon. It's as flat as trails get in Yosemite. No hard climbs to do at altitude or anything. Plus, the area is just gorgeous.

May lake, while uphill, is a short 1.5 miles from the parking lot. It's also great.

[oakroscoe]

Lake Eleanor. Damn near flat and paved on the way in. Plus it is beautiful and easy to get to, and easy to get out if you have issue. Also a plus, you don't need a bear canister as they have bear boxes by the lake.

[rick56]

Thanks for the info. I've had others recommend Lyell Canyon, four miles out from the TH, yes I remember you can't camp within four miles of the reservoir. The permits for it were gone so even though it was one of my picks we did not get it. Isn't Lake Eleanor the cut off just out from Oshawnessy dam on the way to Rancheria Falls? I remember seeing a trail sign that forked off to the left up hill but I forget how far it said. Theres bear boxes there? That would save a little weight not having to lug one of those things in my pack. That sounds like a possibility. Last weekend we went to Donner lake, we had planned to park and walk a short distance into a hike/bike camp. But when I got there I found out from staff that vandals were trashing cars on the highway. So I paid for a car site. One nice side note, being that my son has Klinefelters we got a half off discount card for state parks. We checked out the museum, too bad the Donner party never learned how to ice fish for trout? There was food right there but they did not know how to get it, a shame. Thanks again for the tips.

[AlmostThere]

I think he's talking about the much shorter route to Eleanor from the national forest side - across the Cherry dam and over. That's a road. From Hetch Hetchy you do a lot of climbing.