Hiking to Glen Aulin in Early May - Possible this year?

My only window of opportunity this year is in the first two weeks of May (my 4th will be born sometime in early June).

I was able to complete a loop around Vogelsang last year in early June and there was basically no snow. I was wanting to head north up through Glen Aulin to check out the waterwheel falls area. My hope was to make it a 3 or 4 day trek.

I've been keeping an eye on the overall snowfall and it appears to be heavier than normal.

What impact will the snow have on this route?

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http://picasaweb.google.com/john.stream

John,
Highway 120 will more than likely not be open until mid June, if then, this year denying you access to Tuolumne Meadows. It would be a major winter trek to get to Waterwheel Falls, probably 8-10 days round trip if you opted to ski in. Beg for a trip in mid July. The water should be spectacular.

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Old Dude

mrcondron wrote:

> John,
> Highway 120 will more than likely not be open until mid June,
> if then, this year denying you access to Tuolumne Meadows. It
> would be a major winter trek to get to Waterwheel Falls,
> probably 8-10 days round trip if you opted to ski in. Beg for
> a trip in mid July. The water should be spectacular.

I thought the hint about the fourth (child) being due mid-June pretty much said it all about his schedule. Maybe bring the new arrival along? ;-)

You might be able to do it if you carry snowshoes. How you're going to get there would be another story. Tioga Pass won't be open. Last year was extremely dry and Tioga Pass opened in mid-May (May 11). With the current snow level I'd expect maybe mid-June like in 2006.

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

y_p_w wrote:

> With the current snow level I'd expect maybe
> mid-June like in 2006.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was open by Memorial Day. They really do like to get the pass open by then if they can and the snow pack isn't much above average.

eeek wrote:

> y_p_w wrote:
>
> > With the current snow level I'd expect maybe
> > mid-June like in 2006.
>
> I wouldn't be surprised if it was open by Memorial Day. They
> really do like to get the pass open by then if they can and the
> snow pack isn't much above average.

Still - the first two weeks of May would seem to be highly unlikely.

y_p_w wrote:

> Still - the first two weeks of May would seem to be highly
> unlikely.

I am not disagreeing with that. Though you may be able to get as far as Yosemite Creek.

That is what I was afraid of. I would LOVE to go back in July, but not this year.

hmmmm...my timeframe really is only in May. Any other west coast suggestions? Maybe I'll stay local and do the Grand Canyon, but I really want mountains and trees.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/john.stream

JohnStream wrote:

> That is what I was afraid of. I would LOVE to go back in July,
> but not this year.
>
> hmmmm...my timeframe really is only in May. Any other west
> coast suggestions? Maybe I'll stay local and do the Grand
> Canyon, but I really want mountains and trees.

You said mountains and trees, so my first thought was Desolation Wilderness (Lake Tahoe) in Eldorado National Forest. It should be thawing out by then. Road access to trailheads should be good since Caltrans keeps the roads open for ski season and beyond. More than likely there won't be any snow on the road. I dayhiked there last Memorial Day Weekend. It was partially thawed, and I noticed some backpackers were carrying snowshoes. Horsetail Falls on the south side is spectacular, although that's off-trail and requires a serious amount of rock scrambling. And when you're done, South Lake Tahoe and Stateline are only a short drive.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/eldorado/recreation/wild/deso/

Maybe other parts of Yosemite. Perhaps the Wawona area, including Chilnualna Fall.

what a nice dilema ... i wish i had time off in may . for those dates i'm guessing either north , south or lower elevation , tho i defer to eeek ... it's pretty mild right now , but march can still hold some powerful snowstorms .