One night backpacking trip advice

[Ktmrider]

My 15 year old son and I are planning on doing a one night backpacking trip. We have been to Yosemite many times in our rv, but want to experience overnight camping while back packing. We have done numerous hikes and are in good shape. We would like to hike about 7 miles, set up camp, and then head back around or back down in the am. We will be renting our gear near our home. We will also hopefully get a permit the day of as the reserved permits are all gone I think. I was told they give out about 12 a day on a first come first serve. We will be there during the week. Does anyone have any advice on what trails to hike and where would be a good place to camp for the night. Also, yes, we are going to bring our rv and will need to find a place to park it for when we get back. Any help would be great. Thx

[balzaccom]

If you want a nice destination for a one-nighter in Yosemite, and want to hike about seven miles or so, I would suggest Ten lakes Basin, Young Lakes, Sunrise Lakes, or Glen Aulin.

Unfortunately, that's what everyone else wants when they go to Yosemite, too. So getting a permit, even a walk-up permit, might be hard to do. But maybe you'll be lucky.

You can always park your RV at the trailhead when you are hiking. it helps to get early in the morning, and in the middle of week, to make sure that you can find a spot.

Asking for all of this on a weekend in the summer is asking too much.

[AlmostThere]

It would be far easier to backpack somewhere that is not Yosemite. Getting a permit in Yosemite is becoming more difficult every year.

When do you want to go? Streams are very high and killing people at the moment.

[Ktmrider]

Thank you guys very much for the input. We have reservations at the end of July, but we might want to sneak out there before that as we have time. It will definitely be during the week to help getting us a permit. We just really want to plan well since this will be our introduction into backpacking. We have always enjoyed going to Yosemite and that is why we wanted to backpack there but we are open to other places. We live in redondo beach in south California. Do you know of any good places that are close to us. Thanks

[Phil]

I like Balzaccom's suggestions for Ten Lakes and Young Lakes. Upper Cathedral Lake is another to consider, but it's usually crowded and hard to get a walk-up permit for. Yet another would be Lyell Canyon along the Tuolumne and camp at Ireland Creek.

Dependent on whether opening dates and your travel dates coincide, another suggestion would be to park the RV in a first-come, first-served campsite at White Wolf so that you have both in place to come back to, then hike down to the top of Morrison Creek on the trail down to Pate Valley. Find a site on the ledges overlooking Hetch Hetchy. Return the next day. Not too hard, mileage is about right, water, great view, and that wilderness permit is usually easy to get with either a reservation or walk-up.

[Phil]

Being first time backpackers, aside from all the cautionary advice on safety, food storage, etc...especially with rental gear that you're unfamiliar with, take the time to familiarize yourselves with using that gear, how to pack and carry it comfortably, and what you need vs what you only think you need. Remember, don't fall prey to the most classic mistake most new backpackers make; just because you have extra room in your pack, it doesn't mean that you have to fill it. Think, cull, think again, cull some more. Finding that balance between what will make your trip better and is important vs just more stuff that you have to carry on your back makes the difference between a good time that you'll want to repeat and hating every minute of it, never to return. One night out is forgiving and affords you lots of margin for error, but to become "backpackers", be flexible, humbled, as informed as possible, and always learn from previous mistakes. It takes years, but you can definitely tilt the odds for success in your favor before you ever take your first step.

[Ktmrider]

That is exactly what we are looking to do. This is going to be a trial run before we make the investment. Thanks for the input.