So in about a week I should be off on this long planned trip. I've got my permit all lined up. I bought a BearVault and recently applied a roll of reflective tape that makes it look like R2D2. I plan on spending a couple of nights somewhere near the junction between the John Muir Trail and the trail to Clouds Rest. My topo map shows this area as relatively flat and near several creeks where I can load up on water. I'll be doing Half Dome one morning and Clouds Rest the next, provided the weather cooperates.

I don't have a lot of experience doing this, so I'm wondering how obvious will a decent campsite location be?

My last night in the backcountry will be at Little Yosemite Valley, before exiting through Happy Isles.

There's a pretty good campsite near the trail junction. If it's occupied, continue up the JMT and you should see a few next to the stream.

If you look at the Half Dome Quad 7.5min topo in the extreme upper right corner where the "Half Dome Trail" heads north from the "John Muir Trail" you will see a "Spring" symbol. (little blue polliwog) at the end of a short spur trail. Good camping here, private, water from the spring (you will have to look for the pipe with the water coming out), and close to Half Dome. You can get an early start up HD and be to the top before the hordes from Little Yosemite Valley get there. You can leave your gear at the camp site and pick it up when you head down to LYV. The spur trail probably is not marked with a sign so you will have to use a GPS or go by the elevation and the trail direction to find a point where you will turn right to head for the spring. The last time I left the trail to head towards the spring there was a pile of dead fall on the right side of the trail. That may have been burned by now though.

There are several sites at the junction area as eeek mentions.

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Old Dude

mrcondron wrote:

> You can get an early start up HD and be to the top before the
> hordes from Little Yosemite Valley get there. You can leave
> your gear at the camp site and pick it up when you head down to
> LYV.

Are the hordes really coming from Little Yosemite Valley, or are there going to be far more dayhikers from Yosemite Valley?

Quote

Are the hordes really coming from Little Yosemite Valley, or are there going to be far more dayhikers from Yosemite Valley?

Sometimes Little Yosemite Valley seems like a small town with all the backpackers camped there. So, yes, I suspect they are the majority of the Half Dome hikers.