Re: Trails leading to Clouds Rest

Hey,
My husband and I are planning on going to Yosemite in June. We would really like to hike to Clouds Rest and do an overnight right near there. From what I see online all the wilderness permits are booked for all the trail heads leading to Clouds Rest ( Sunrise Lakes, Cathedral Lakes, Happy Isels/ John Muir, and Glacier Point > LYV) the whole time we were planning on being in Yosemite ( June 14-16th) I'm wondering if there are any other Trails that lead to Clouds rest? We were planning an over night hike for Wednesday night the 15th. We are pretty good hikers and have done overnight hikes before. So even if it's a longer trail we could probably handle it.....

Any advice/ help would be awesome!

If we are not able to hike Clouds Rest and camp there, we would still like to do an overnight somewhere in the wilderness, preferable on a peak overlooking the valley.... I do know they still have first-come first- serve wilderness permits available the day before you want to hike... We may have to try that, but it's risky, and I would rather have something planned for sure than just hoping to be able to get one the day before.

What's your favorite overnight wilderness trip in Yosemite?


Thank you!

Hmmm. I bet there is one trailhead that still has open slots: Snow Creek out of the valley, which you can hike up for a few very steep miles, and then camp on top of either Mt. Watkins head towards North Dome. Both have stunning views. Neither has any water though, so you have to carry that from Snow Creek bridge at the top.

You could also do that hike from the May Lake Trailhead, or Olmstead Point, and hike down. There are still slots available there. From May Lake you could also climb Mt. Hoffman, which has a view every bit as good at the view from Cloud's Rest---and that's saying something. Bear in mind that May Lake is a High Sierra Camp. If you want to avoid crowds, May Lake is not the place to do it.

Other options with views of the valley are to hike down from the Glacier Point Road (stop and see Sentinel Dome and Taft Point on the way) to Dewey Point, which has a fabulous view--water available at the bridge over Bridalveil Creek, or hike up the Yosemite Falls trail and camp at the top of the falls or head to Eagle Point. Water at the top of the falls. Be Careful.

Are you convinced that you need to have views over the valley?

My favorite overnight? Maybe Ten Lakes Basin, or Budd Lake/Echo Lake. And while it isn't my favorite, Youngs Lakes is very popular, and the section via Dog Lake is a wonderful hike in the high country.

We have links and photos of just about all of these hikes on our website---in my signature link

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

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balzaccom
You could also do that hike from the May Lake Trailhead, or Olmstead Point, and hike down. There are still slots available there. From May Lake you could also climb Mt. Hoffman, which has a view every bit as good at the view from Cloud's Rest---and that's saying something. Bear in mind that May Lake is a High Sierra Camp. If you want to avoid crowds, May Lake is not the place to do it.

Two caveats with using the above trailheads for Clouds Rest: May Lake cannot be used as a starting trailhead for destinations south of the Tioga Road unless you spend at least one night north of the road. Also, the Olmsted Point trailhead was removed from the system last year--but when it was available it was explicit that it couldn't be used for travel continuing on the Sunrise Lakes trail. I suspect it was removed because this restriction was not sufficient to prevent abuse from Half Dome or JMT-bound travelers.

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basilbop

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balzaccom
You could also do that hike from the May Lake Trailhead, or Olmstead Point, and hike down. There are still slots available there. From May Lake you could also climb Mt. Hoffman, which has a view every bit as good at the view from Cloud's Rest---and that's saying something. Bear in mind that May Lake is a High Sierra Camp. If you want to avoid crowds, May Lake is not the place to do it.

Two caveats with using the above trailheads for Clouds Rest: May Lake cannot be used as a starting trailhead for destinations south of the Tioga Road unless you spend at least one night north of the road. Also, the Olmsted Point trailhead was removed from the system last year--but when it was available it was explicit that it couldn't be used for travel continuing on the Sunrise Lakes trail. I suspect it was removed because this restriction was not sufficient to prevent abuse from Half Dome or JMT-bound travelers.

Sorry, I wasn't referring to the Cloud's Rest hike, but the hike to North Dome or Watkins from May Lake. I think the rangers will let you do those...

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

Other views from the top of the valley would be Dewey and Eagle Point (Yosemite falls th)!

Thank you for all the help! We have been doing more research with the info given. We are going to try and get a wilderness permit Tuesday am when we get into Yosemite for one of the trail heads leading to Clouds rest but as a back up plan, in case they are all out when we get there, We have decided to get a wilderness permit for El Capitan via Yosemite Creek Campground trail .


A few questions... Will we be able to spend our first night, Tuesday, at YCC if sites are still available ? Is it open for backpackers in June?
From YCC, Wednesday AM, we are planning to hike to El Capitan, from there can we get to Eagles peak then from there take a trail back to Yosemite Valley? If so what are those trails.

Thank you!

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SCramer
Thank you for all the help! We have been doing more research with the info given. We are going to try and get a wilderness permit Tuesday am when we get into Yosemite for one of the trail heads leading to Clouds rest but as a back up plan, in case they are all out when we get there, We have decided to get a wilderness permit for El Capitan via Yosemite Creek Campground trail .

A few questions... Will we be able to spend our first night, Tuesday, at YCC if sites are still available ? Is it open for backpackers in June?
From YCC, Wednesday AM, we are planning to hike to El Capitan, from there can we get to Eagles peak then from there take a trail back to Yosemite Valley? If so what are those trails.

YCC is first-come, first-served, so you can camp there if there is space--and if the campground is open. There is no backpacker-only camping there, but there is at nearby White Wolf--again, if the campground is open. If YCC is closed, you will have to hike in from the Tioga Road--probably either from the Lukens Lake or Ten Lakes trailheads.

You have several choices to get to the Valley. The easiest is to go down the Yosemite Falls trail, but that will require backtracking from El Cap and Eagle Peak. You can also go down the "Rockslides"/Old Big Oak Flat Road trail, but it's not maintained and has a few sketchy sections near the valley floor--definitely research this route on this forum before committing to this route. Snow Creek would be the only other reasonable way* to get to the Valley floor, but in addition to the backtrack from El Cap and Eagle, this would add another day or so of hiking from the top of Yosemite Falls. You could decide to visit North Dome instead of El Cap if you don't want to backtrack.

How were you planning on getting back to your car at Yosemite Creek? Hiker's bus or shuttle? If shuttling, exiting via Tamarack Flat may make the most sense since it will be easier to arrange the car shuttle--it's easily an hour drive from Yosemite Valley to Yosemite Creek campground.


* You two know what the other route is, and why it's not reasonable...

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basilbop
* You two know what the other route is, and why it's not reasonable...

Who you "you two"-ing? ...

If and me.... Yah... We know what the other route is... And I know it's unreasonable... Won't speak for the Pink One. But hope he thinks same!

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JustKeepWalking

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basilbop
* You two know what the other route is, and why it's not reasonable...

Who you "you two"-ing? ...

If and me.... Yah... We know what the other route is... And I know it's unreasonable... Won't speak for the Pink One. But hope he thinks same!

I am very reasonable.

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I've had really good luck getting a permit the afternoon before, rather than the morning of,
and the lines are shorter.