3 night 4 day trip help?

[nathanwellsfry]

I have never backpacked yosemite before adn i am looking to go with a group of about 8-12 people.

First off becasue of the varrying abilites of the group i am looking for a moderate hike. Somewhere between 3-6 miles a day.

I am hoping to find a trail that is

-three nights and four days
-prefreably forest not rocky
-lakes avalable for swimming
- possibility of day hikes one day
-campfires allowed

I want to go somewhere between mid to late june.

Is this even remotely possible? And if it is where should i be hiking?

[nathanwellsfry]

Addtioinally will i have to pack for cold nights in mid to late june?

If a trail is reccomended, mosquitoes and bear trouble around the time of year?

How much should i expect to pay for fire permits?

Is not reserving a spot even an option in June?

I am way overwhelmed with the many diffrent trails and trying to get info on the trailheads. But i was looking at brideveil creek or hetch hetchy.

[holz]

Hi,

I won't try to recommend a particular place. The Bill's of the world would be better to do that. You could do the trip I'm doing in 4 days quite easily which is the Grand Canyon of the Touloumne (GCT). It is a waterfall hike, but should be really amazing in June while the runoff is still high.

In any case, I will answer some of the other things that I do know.

Fires are allowed below 9600 ft (or so, trust me, you will know before you get your permit!) so if your destination is below that level, you'll be all set. I have the Yosemite maps from NatGeo and they clearly show what areas are above the limit and makes for a nice "big picture" way to plan a trip. They ARE NOT good enough for cross-country travel, but are probably fine if you are sticking to trails. They are topographical.

In June, IMO, you need to pack for just about everything. It could be quite warm and in the evenings, is likely to be quite cold. Of course that will be largely elevation dependent.

Mosquitoes won't be as bad as they will be in July, but I'd plan on at least some. DEET rules and will keep you from being bitten. I doubt you'll need a headnet, but they weigh about .5 oz, so that is the sort of "just in case" item that actually makes it into my pack.

You may run into bears, but to the best of my knowledge, there isn't any one season that is worse than another. It will certainly depend on where you go as to what your chances are of having a bear encounter. Use all the precautions that the permit folks tell you about and you'll be fine.

Permits are free and your backcountry permit covers fires. Reservations are just a very few $ and well worth it. Why not make sure? The Yosemite website has all the info you will need to get a permit.

Enjoy!

[bill-e-g]

Yikes. That's alot of people. And alot of wants...

Um... since you have so many people you could do some shuttle.
Start at May Lake and hike down past McGee then up to Tuolumne Meadows. That's about 20 miles.
Lots of stuff to explore...

Other than that you may want to look at something out of 108.
Emigrant Wilderness. Something out of Strawberry area.

With that many people you are gonna have trouble with the very
popular TH in Yose. May Lake isn't a high traffic backpacking TH.

[rusty6174]

First of all, don't count on hiking in Yosemite without rocks. One route I've taken that may fit your bill is from Pohono Trail head(Taft Point) or Glacier Point to Little Yosemite Valley, up Half Dome (day hike #1), up to Clouds Rest (day hike #2) and down the Mist Trail. This allows for two day hikes but the scenery is some of the best. If you spend all three nights in LYV you will not need bear canisters (they have boxes) and this will lighten your load. I suggested this one because you did not mention solitude in your wish list. It will have traffic, but you will also meet people from all over the world in LYV. The only thing missing besides absence of rock from your list is swimming holes. Some of the routes may be over 6 miles, too.

[bill-e-g]

Rusty,
Both of those TH have a total quota of 10 per day.
No disrespect but I think HD and Clouds is way too ambitious for them
from what he said (3-6 miles a day).
Although the ones less inclined could just hike towards Moraine Dome
as dayhikes.
They are just gonna have an incredibly difficult time getting permits
to LYV for that many people without reservations.

[nathanwellsfry]

I'm not against reservations but i would prefer not to have to.

Solitude is not a must but it would be welcome.

It's a bit of a big group but we all know each other.

i have no idea what TH is, sorry i'm new

[bill-e-g]

TrailHead.

Maybe you looked already. But each trailhead has a quota.
You can find how many for each TH are reservable and first-come
at the nps site:

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

If you click on "check availability" you'll see which TH's are filling up.

For that many people that's a chunk o change for a reservation.
65 dollars for 12 people so I get it...
I seldom, if ever, reserve either. Your best best is to start Tues-Thurs.
And if you don't have multiple options you may have to burn a day
to get a permit for that many. If it were me.. I'd get 5 bucks from
everyone and make the reservation. Tell them exactly where you're
going and not wing it.
Good Luck

You could also look into somewhere you don't need a permit.. National
Forest...
But... I said my piece already... May Lake. down to Glen Aulin.
Water water.. everywhere. If they don't like that trip.. I dunno what
to tell them... other than ... you plan it next time ..

[rusty6174]

Glacier Pt to Ill TH has a quota of 30. That's why I included it and Taft Pt (10).
Your right, Bill, the route is ambitious and strenuous. I just can't help it, though. The views are sooooo awesome. I did a longer version, from Wawona, on my first trip and it took 6 days with 6 people.
Reservations are the way to go with a group that big. It's worth trying to get one in Little Yosemite Valley.

[bill-e-g]

Ok. I got ya. You said GP to LYV so I just thought you wanted to dump
them into LYV on day 1.

[john]

I think Ten Lakes may fit your needs well.
It has great swimming, good tree sheltered camping, great fishing, good day hikes. The trail is 6 miles (each way) and not very rocky (mostly through forest) but is uphill most of the way.
The only downfall is that it's more of an out and back spot. Set up camp, and hang out for a few days, then hike back out. There is plenty of area to explore and you could even move camp to another lake if you feel like you want to move camp around a bit.

This is our standby whenever we head to Yos. with a big group. I've been there 3 times with groups in the 8-10 people range. Never had a problem getting resevations, and we've gone there mostly on Labor Day!

Actually, you could also stop at Grant Lakes for night 1, then move over the ridge to the Ten Lakes basin for the remainder.

[nathanwellsfry]

Ten lakes sounds exacty like what i am looking for! What is the name of the trail head?

[bill-e-g]

You're gonna kick yourself...

It's Ten Lakes TH.

Ok, so the reason I didn't mention this was the fact that
you climb over 2000ft. to get the Ten Lakes Pass.
I'll bet dollars to donuts that a number of people in the group are
screaming bloody murder on their way up after Crescent Mdw.

That being said it is spectacular and you'll really enjoy it.
Lots to explore as john has mentioned.

Have fun!

[bill-e-g]

It's got a huge quota too so that should really fit you nicely.
Go for it.

[nathanwellsfry]

Ehh, i hope everyone can get there ok. That's perfect though.


Because i'm compeltly new, uhh so waht is the path i just start on ten lakes trail head until i hit a lake?