First-timer Yosemite schedule for late-May. Best overnight?

[Azar]

Hi all,

I'm excited to be going to Yosemite from May 23 - 27--hoping my friends and I will arrive just after some of the snow clears and places like Glacier Point will be accessible. This is the schedule I've put together so far based on a lot of advice I've seen given to first-time visitors:

Day one: Hike Yosemite Valley. Camp in/near Valley
Day two: Drive south to Glacier Point. Hike Glacier Point. Drive south to Wawona. Hike Wawona and Mariposa Grove of Sequoias.
Day three: Drive northeast to Tioga Pass road. Explore Tuolumne Meadows. Drive further east to Mono Lake. Drive back west and camp at a campground.

We're planning on spending five days, and I was thinking for the last two we could go on a longer hike and camp in the wilderness somewhere, then head back to our car on the final day. I know we'll need wilderness passes and reservations for the trail we choose. Any suggestions? And does my first three day plan look smart? I want to see the good stuff, but don't want to inadvertently jam-pack every day!

[tyler]

Hi Azar,
You picked a great time to explore Yosemite, but your trip plans may depend on snow coverage this year. Usually the park service opens the the Tioga Pass Road around Memorial Day, but if there is above average snow coverage, it could be pushed back anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. This means that you may not be able to check out Tuolumne Meadows and that the drive out to Mono Lake would mean a much longer drive. If it is open, there will probably be decent snow coverage around the meadows. With that said, if the road is open, you'll be there at a great time to check those places out, and I'm sure it'll be beautiful. Just be prepared for snow.

As far as an overnight trip at that time of the year, I think the Hetch-Hetchy area is a great option. The trails out of the reservoir area start at around 4,000 feet, so you won't be walking on snow in late May. The water will be flowing, and you'll get some good looks at waterfalls. You could do an overnight out to Rancheria Falls, and you'll pass a some great scenery and never have to worry about snow. Also, the permits aren't terribly difficult to get, especially since you're planning it out now.

Another option, if there isn't too much snow by then, is Ostrander Lake. Ostrander is a bit higher than Hetch-Hetchy, but you'll find way fewer people out there. You'll have unique views of Half Dome on the way up, and you'll get to camp at an alpine lake, which is a bit different from the experience of Yosemite Valley or Wawona. This would only be practical if we have a smaller snowpack this year, but we'll see what happens. An overnight up the Upper Yosemite Falls trail is a cool trip, too, but I'd suggest doing it in the morning before the sun gets too high. You'd have huge views of the valley, but it is a bit of a climb with a heavy pack.

Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll have a great time. My other advice would be to get there early on day one so you can make sure you secure a spot at Camp 4, which is first come first serve. Hope that helps!

[Azar]

Hi Tyler, thanks for the advice! Looks like I'll definitely have to keep an eye on the weather right up until the last minute, since the snow could rule out a few things. If the Tioga Pass Road was closed, would Glacier Point likely be as well?

Hetch-Hetchy and Ostrander Lake sound like great suggestions. I'll definitely pencil them in as possibilities for the final two days.

[tyler]

Glacier Point Road generally opens two or three weeks before Tioga Pass, so I think you'd have better chances out that way. If Tioga is closed when you're there, I would assume that most of the way up to Ostrander Lake would be snowed in. The second chart on this link shows the historic opening dates for the two roads.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/seasonal.htm

The park website will tell you about their monthly snowpack surveys, so you can kind of compare them to the chart to predict a general time frame for when they'll open the roads.

[Azar]

Ah, perfect. Judging by trends and this year's prediciton, Tuolumne campgrounds will be shut down, but there's a good chance both roads will be accessible. Good to know! If the Tuolumne campgrounds aren't open, maybe we should even try two nights out in the wilderness. I'm overwhelmed by the size of the park and how many options we have!

We haven't planned out how much backpacking gear we'll be taking with us--none of us own much in the way of hiking equipment so we'll probably gear up in San Francisco before the trip. Camping at the campgrounds, is it safe/appropriate to leave things during the day and go off hiking relatively unencumbered?

[tyler]

I've camped a lot in the valley at Camp 4, and I've found it secure for the most part. I had a pair of gaiters taken a year ago, but other than that, it's been fine. I wouldn't leave expensive things in camp, nor would I leave small easy-to-swipe things lying around, but it's not bad.