Hey all, I’m new to the forum but have been reading it for quite a while and found all kinds of great info. Thanks for the resource! Despite my perusing of the forum threads I still had a few questions I was hoping you could help me with regarding my upcoming backpacking trip in Yosemite.
Our proposed itinerary is as follows, starting July 24th:
• Day 1: Start from Mono Meadow, sleep before we get to Little Yosemite Valley (between flags 4&5) or march on to camp in Lost Valley (between flags 10&11) 11.5 miles, 1800’ total elev gain
• Day 2: Hike to Merced Lake, sleep near base of Clouds Rest (flag 22) (10 miles, 2000’ total elev gain)
• Day 3: Hike to top of Clouds Rest, descend and sleep near base of Half Dome (flag 30) (5 miles, 700’ total elev gain)
• Day 4: Hike to top of Half Dome and descend to Yosemite Valley (9.5 miles, 1800’ total elev gain)
• A map of our trip with distances and elevations can be found here.
Now, the areas where I could use some advice:
1. Feedback on the proposed itinerary. Too much? Better options? Anybody suggest a different itinerary?
2. We plan to leave our car at Mono Meadow, but would rather descend to the Valley (so we can experience the rest of the trail down, and get an easier hike down to the Valley rather than up to Glacier Point?). Official shuttle options won’t work for our timeline, so only option would be to hitchhike from the Valley or have one of us (or both) go up to Glacier Point rather than down to the Valley. Thoughts?
3. Campsites: are there flat areas to pitch a tent and water near the proposed locations? Anyone have GPS suggestions of better locations?
4. What are the trails like along our route? Rocky? Packed dirt, etc? It’ll make a huge difference to whether the 2 yo can hike or not.
5. How are the mosquitos towards end of July (repellent needed, repellent enough?)
6. Kids recommendations (Yosemite specific and in general)
A bit of info on us: My wife and I backpack a couple times a year in Northern and Southern Utah but have never been to Yosemite. We’re not in amazing shape but a couple thousand foot gain over 10 miles is doable in a day. We are taking two of our kids: the 24 month old can hike up to a mile at a time and we’ll use a carrier for the rest. The 5 month old will be carried with an Ergo-type front carrier. We’ve backpacked with them a couple of times but would welcome age-appropriate suggestions.
Thanks in advance!