Hey all, anyone know what time of year (as specific as possible) the 4-mile trail opens? I know it varies, depending on conditions, but is there a time frame I should look for? What should be the latest I can expect it to remain closed?

Thanks!

4 Mile trail will be open before Glacier Point Road opens...
My suggestion is to just go by the normal opening time and just subtract
1 or 2 weeks.
GP Road typically opens sometime in May. Worst case is July 1.

So my best guess is Tax Day... April 15.

I'll take a look at when I've done the Pohono trail in the past...
(one of my favorites when the road is still closed)

ok.. done the Pohono couple times first week of May and 4 mile
has been open all the way to GP on those occasions...
So my guess is anywhere from Apr.15-May1... something like that...
However, I'm certain in '07 it was open on Apr.1.



Post Edited (01-26-09 18:43)

---

Everything I know I learned from

Hmm, ok. I know last year it was after mid-May because I specifically remember planning a trip last year to do a hike including the 4MT. It was closed so we ended up doing Yos Falls Trail to El Cap. Just above the top of the Falls trail was all hard-packed snow. That was a fun hike w/o any kind of traction devices...

I guess if we have a late winter it could be a pretty late opening. If we get a winter at all that is...

Hmm... ok...
That is really surprising to me since GP Road opened May 2nd last year.

I was just going by this/my own personal experiences:
May 8, '04 - It was open - GP Road opened on May 14
May 3, '07 - It was open - GP Road opened on May 4

Maybe they have changed things so that the trail is not open until the
road opens. ? Or are being more cautious with opening from Union to GP
due to the recent slides, etc.? Dunno, sorry

From what I've heard over the years opening the trail is mostly an avalanche issue.

HHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, OOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But seriously, yeah I remember being excited that GP road was open May 2nd, because that was the weekend we were there. I actually think the 4MT opened the next weekend, or maybe 2 weeks, because I saw it on their website and was annoyed that we missed it by *that* much.

eeek is right, that's what we were told why it was still closed...avy issues. The rangers didn't even recommend we go much above the rim due to snow...but we did anyway.

So now that we are done arguing about what time it opened last year, I'll just assume by June 1 My trip is going to be mid-June, so unless we have a record-late winter, I'll probably be ok.

Ok... Sorry if I came off as arguing. Did not mean it that way.

Just was stating what my experience was and my best guess from that.

What I meant by maybe they changed things was due to the times
I've been up at GP with the road closed there were a fairly large number
camped at GP. So I was just guessing that maybe they decided to
delay opening to avoid that.