We are considering primarily two different routes. Alot will just depend on how my kids are feeling. They are 18 and 16 and have done some significant backpacking but this will be their longest trip. They also tend to enjoy stopping more, exploring, messing around, like normal teenagers so planning can sometimes be a little difficult but it is worth it to see their love of the outdoors blossoming.
We have a permit leaving May Lake>Snow Creek trailhead July 15th and finishing at Tunnelview July 22nd which gives us 8 days.
Proposed Route 1 (Longer/more mileage)Day 1 - May Lake>Snow creek trailhead to Mount Watkins, camp Mount Watkins. (1st day is the same for both trips and short to allow a little more time to acclimatize.)
Day 2 - Leave Mt. Watkins join trail to Olmsted then Murphy Creek trail north to Glen Aulin/White Cascade area, camp nearby.
Day 3 - Head south to Cathedral Lakes trailhead (the reason I was asking about Pothole Dome trail) cross Tioga Rd at Pothole Dome to join trail on south side of Tioga then east to Catheral Lakes trailhead and south to Cathedral Lakes, camp Cathedral Lakes.
Day 4 - Cathedral Lakes to Sunrise Lakes to Clouds Rest, camp near Clouds Rest.
Day 5 - Clouds Rest to Echo Valley then west to Bunnell Cascade, camp near Bunnell Cascade.
Day 6 - West to LYV, then Nevada Falls, Vernal Falls, Panorama Trail, and then south along Illilouette to camp.
Day 7 - Back up Illilouette to Glacier Point and Pohono Trail, camp west of bridge over Bridelveil Creek. (only legal spot)
Day 8 - Finish Pohono to Tunnelview
This plan ends up being around 10 miles a day which doesn't seem to bad but the big question mark was the day from Glen Aulin to Cathedral Lakes.
Proposed Route 2 (shorter mileage)Day 1 - May Lake>Snow creek trailhead to Mount Watkins, camp Mount Watkins. (1st day is the same for both trips and short to allow a little more time to acclimatize.)
Day 2 - Leave Mt. Watkins join trail to Olmsted then Sunrise Lakes trail to Sunrise Lakes, camp Sunrise Lakes.
Day 3 - Sunrise Lakes to Clouds Rest, camp near Clouds Rest.
Day 4 - Clouds Rest to Echo Valley then west to Bunnell Cascade, camp near Bunnell Cascade.
Day 5 - Hike to LYV, use bear lockers and go hike Liberty Cap, camp LYV.
Day 6 - Leave LYV, hike to Nevada Falls, Vernal Falls, Panorama Trail, and then south along Illilouette to camp.
Day 7 - Back up Illilouette to Glacier Point and Pohono Trail, camp west of bridge over Bridelveil Creek. (only legal spot)
Day 8 - Finish Pohono to Tunnelview
Please feel free to provide any input or ideas! This is my first trip to Yosemite and I'm so excited. It will also probably be one of my daughters last trips for a while (leaving for college).
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/2017 01:50PM by Creakyknees.