4 day - 3 night hike last week of Sept

[jtiessen]

3 of us are looking for a 3 night trip in Yosemite at the end of September or first week of October. I don't know too much about the various hikes in the area and was hoping for some input from some of the more experienced people on this site.

We are hoping to find a moderate difficulty hike that won't be too terribly cold at that time of the year.

We will be flying into Oakland and ideally we could get some sort of public transit to the trailhead but we are also open to renting a car if that makes it way easier.

Jason

[balzaccom]

I fyou are short on time, then renting a car makes a lot of sense. You can drive to Yosemite from OAK in less than four hours. Public transit would take most of the day.

As for hikes, it all depends on the weather. It can be quite warm and wonderful, and that would leave Tuolumne Meadows and the high country as great destinations: Vogelsang and Lewis/Fletcher canyons, Youngs Lakes, Ten Lakes Basin. But it can also snow that time of year...and if that is the case, I would aim at lower elevation hikes---maybe even Lake Vernon in the Hetch-hetchy area. If you can start during a week day, you shouldn't have any trouble getting a permit...but on weekends you should probably reserve one now, if you can.

[AlmostThere]

You'll have to qualify "too terribly cold." It is very likely to get below freezing that time of year. I wouldn't go without a 20F setup that I could extend to 10 in a pinch. Freezing temps are possible all year round, but you should especially be prepared in fall and early winter.