North Rim (Backpacker Mag. route), how early is too early?

[houseguest]

Hey all,
I've never been to Yosemite and I'm planning a trip for next year. I would like to go as early as possible to miss the huge summer crowds. I've been researching routes for a few days now and I think I'd like to do the North Rim route suggested by Backpacker Magazine (I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about).
I'm wondering two things:
1. How early can I reliably go? I know the snow pack can differ from year to year, but is late May completely out of the question?
2. What permit(s) do I need to do this route? It says in the article (and various trip reports) that you enter the "Rockslide" trail head, but looking at the nps website, I don't see a trailhead permit with that name.

Thanks!

[AlmostThere]

Hey all,
I've never been to Yosemite and I'm planning a trip for next year. I would like to go as early as possible to miss the huge summer crowds. I've been researching routes for a few days now and I think I'd like to do the North Rim route suggested by Backpacker Magazine (I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about).
I'm wondering two things:
1. How early can I reliably go? I know the snow pack can differ from year to year, but is late May completely out of the question?
2. What permit(s) do I need to do this route? It says in the article (and various trip reports) that you enter the "Rockslide" trail head, but looking at the nps website, I don't see a trailhead permit with that name.

Thanks!

1. It was way too early this year, but it may not be next year. You don't get to find out for sure until next year.
2. you need a wilderness permit from the Old Big Oak Flat Road trailhead.

[dan]

I think June would be safer than May. The North rim gets a lot of sun and things melt earlier, but May may be early. There's not a lot of crowds on the North rim--it's too far from the road. The one exception is the area around Yosemite Falls.

I think heading over the Rockslide adds a lot of miles. I would head up the Yosemite Falls trail. See the top of Yosemite Falls and camp there. It's great after the crowds leave in the afternoon. Great swimming hole above the falls (a safe distance from the falls). I would do a dayhike to El Capitan from there (and Eagle Peak--John Muir said it was the best view of the Valley, best in the afternoon). Then you can head east and see North Dome and the natural arch about 1/2 mile north of North Dome (it's on some topos). You can then head down the Snow Creek Trail. That trail has a terrific, in-your-face view of Half Dome.

[houseguest]

Thanks for the advice. I'll wait until the beginning of June then. Now only 123 days until I can request a permit...

One additional question: if I wanted to extend this route into a 6 day trip, what would you recommend?
Should I just grab a map and "off-trail" it? Is that allowed/feasible?

[Dave Miller]

I've talked to the hiker who did the NorthRim route and she really enjoyed the solitude that it provided. Yes, starting at the Rockslide trail adds a lot of miles (and is challenging), but it all depends on what you want to accomplish. The write on the web site does a pretty good job of detailing the trip: http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip ... pId=368705

If you choose to skip the Rockslide and go up the Yosemite Falls trail, Dan's suggestion of Hitting North Dome and Indian Rock (natural Arch) Snow Creek trail is a good one. Keep in mind there is no water at North Dome, so if you stay overnight there (I recommend it) you need to make sure you have enough water.

[Alex]

Dan, in your post you mentioned that you can camp near the top of Upper Yosemite Falls.
1) Is there a campground there or I can just find any place to camp?
2) Are there usually a lot of (or at least some) people camping in that area? I wouldn't like to spend the night there all by myself - kinda creepy. I will be visiting on Labor Day.

[dan]

Dan, in your post you mentioned that you can camp near the top of Upper Yosemite Falls.
1) Is there a campground there or I can just find any place to camp?

There's no real official campgrounds anywhere in the Yosemite Backcountry (except for Little Yosemite Valley). But there's a good camping area about 0.1 mile west of a bridge where the north rim trail crosses Yosemite Creek. It's north of the north rim trail. Nice area--shady and plenty of camping. Here's a crude map (scroll to see it all):

Code: Select all

                               ~
  ^                            ~ Yosemite
North                          ~ Creek
  |                            ~
                     camping   ~
                        |      ~ Bridge
To El Cap, <-----------------------------------------> To Yosemite Point
Eagle Peak        |     |      ~     north rim trail
                  |     |      ~
                  |     |      ~
                  |     |      ~
                  | Yosemite   ~
                  |   Falls    ~
                  |  Overlook  * Top of Upper Yosemite Falls
                  |            *
               Yosemite
                Falls
                Trail
             (To Valley)

2) Are there usually a lot of (or at least some) people camping in that area? I wouldn't like to spend the night there all by myself - kinda creepy. I will be visiting on Labor Day.

There will be others camping there. Hopefully not a big group.

P.S., there's a trail junction between North Dome and Lehemite Creek. It's a good spot for camping. It's next to a creek, Indian Canyon Creek, with water. If you have time, follow the creek south for about 1/2 - 1 mile. You'll be at the top of a small obscure waterfall above Yosemite Village. I think it's called Indian Canyon Fall.

Here's a Yosemite Valley hiking map that shows the north rim trail (but not the part east leading down Snow Creek trail and not the far west portion leading up from the rockslides):
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/u ... hikes1.pdf