Critique My Big Yosemite Backpacking Loop

General idea

Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley permit is secured for mid-September 2023

Version 2:

0. In at Happy Isles -> Little Yosemite Valley

1. LYV -> Clouds Rest / JMT junction basecamp -> Half Dome -> basecamp

2. basecamp -> Clouds Rest -> basecamp

3. basecamp -> Sunrise Lakes

4. Sunrise Lakes -> Cathedral Lakes

5. Cathedral Lakes -> Tuolumne Meadows (resupply at post office) -> Nelson Lake

6. Nelson Lake -> Evelyn / Fletcher / Vogelsang Lake

7. Evelyn / Fletcher / Vogelsang Lake -> Washburn Lake

8. Washburn Lake -> Triple Creek Fork

9. Triple Creek Fork -> Ottoway / Merced Pass Lake

10. Ottoway / Merced Pass Lake -> Somewhere before LYV

11. Somewhere before LYV -> LYV

X. LYV -> Out at Happy Isles







Version 1:

In at Happy Isles -> Little Yosemite Valley

Base camp at LYV campsite and do short dayhike(s) to help acclimate to altitude

LYV -> Half Dome -> LYV

LYV -> Clouds Rest -> Sunrise

Sunrise -> Cathedral Lakes

Cathedral Lakes -> Tuolumne Meadows (resupply at post office?) -> Vogelsang

Vogelsang -> Washburn Lake

Washburn Lake -> Triple Creek Fork

Triple Creek Fork -> Lower Merced Pass

Lower Merced Pass -> LYV

LYV -> Out at Happy Isles



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2023 11:19AM by BackpackBoffin.

You didn't say WHEN you want to do this. Apart from the standard issues with getting the popular HI --> LYV permit, there's going probably going to be snow on parts of the trails into July this year.

Assuming you can get a permit for a time when snow isn't a problem (or that you can deal with snow), looks like a good trip, but I don't understand why between 4 and 5 you want to drop over 1000 feet to Tenaya lake and then hike up to Cathedral, which involves both a longer hike overall and more elevation change than just taking the JMT from Sunrise to Cathedral. Also, if you haven't been to the Cathedral Lakes area, I wouldn't pass on it, but then rather than following the trail you outlined (down to TM then up Rafferty Creek to Volgesang), you can consider going x-country from Cathedral to the Vogelsang area (via Echo Lake/Matthes Lake/Nelson Lake/Reymann Lake). On the other hand, if you're looking to restock on food, you can either cache food beforehand in one of the bear boxes at the Cathedral Lakes trailhead, or pick up stuff at the TM store...which may or may not open this year (see recent thread about Aramark's abysmal performance).

Thanks for the feedback!

>> You didn't say WHEN you want to do this.

Yeah, leaving off the dates was an error, just added those in (mid-September)

>> Apart from the standard issues with getting the popular HI --> LYV permit

I won the lottery system for a Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley permit, so, that's all set.

>> I don't understand why between 4 and 5 you want to drop over 1000 feet to Tenaya lake

I just read good things about Tenaya lake, but, maybe not worth the extra effort.

>> you can consider going x-country from Cathedral to the Vogelsang area (via Echo Lake/Matthes Lake/Nelson Lake/Reymann Lake).

I thought going off trail was not allowed (of by x-country you mean cutting across from 5 to 6?

>> you can either cache food beforehand in one of the bear boxes at the Cathedral Lakes trailhead, or pick up stuff at the TM store

I won't have a car, so, not sure how I could cache stuff beforehand.



Basically, just trying to figure out the best possible loop when the number of days is not a limiting factor.

If I were to spend 2-3 nights at one camping location, to soak things in, where might be best for that?

Just an FYI, I was worried that stopping at the post office might be considered "leaving the wilderness", but it seems OK:

Question:

Hello, Is picking up a resupply package from the Tuolumne Meadows post office in the middle of a 10 day loop considered "leaving the wilderness" for the purposes of a wilderness permit? Thanks!

Reply:

Hello,
Hiking through Tuolumne Meadows (and stopping at the post office) is OK.

Jeffrey

--

National Park Service
Yosemite National Park
www.nps.gov/yose

I completely agree with the Geezer. You don't mention dates, but with the snowpack this year, Red Peak Pass will have plenty snow into August.

Not sure why you are going to Tenaya Lake. And those last couple of days are long...albeit downhill with an empty pack.

---

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

Thanks!

I replied above.

You think there will be snow in mid-September?

If I were to add 1-2 extra days on the final section, where do you think good stops would be?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2023 10:41AM by BackpackBoffin.

That sounds like an amazing trip.
If it were me, I'd tweak it a little.
LYV is a communal experience. You'll be around a lot of people, which can be cool, but I'd hit it for just the first night. It does have the advantage of being near the merced river for swimming.
Day 2 I'd take my pack towards half dome, stash it at the junction, and take a daypack to the top and back, then I'd take the short hike towards Cloud's rest junction and find a spot near the creek for two nights. You'll have more solitude and its a nice area.
Day three, I'd daypack up clouds rest and return to cloudsrest junction.
Day 4, take the JMT to bypass Clouds rest, then pick-up your route for a bit, but spend night four around sunrise lakes (not the HSC). There are 3 lakes and they should still be pretty and deep enough for a swim, not a bad place for 2 nights
Day 5 swing around the HSC and catch the JMT up to cathedral lakes. Thats a beautifiul area, you may want to spend some time wandering around. Also not a bad place for two nights.
The hike from cathedral lakes to vogelsang is long, but I'm not that familiar with Rafferty creek. Maybe there are good campsites along the creek. You may want to swing past rafferty creek to take lyell canyon, where there are lots of campssites along the creek.
If you do go the lyell canyon route, you can head up to Evelyn lake, then to vogelsang.
From there, I'm not familiar with the rest of your route, but you should get some more good advice from the others who are.

Thanks for the tips!

Quote
Day three, I'd daypack up clouds rest and return to cloudsrest junction.

I'm trying to figure out the reason for this suggestion?
It seems that would have me have to make up go up and back down clouds rest then have to make up that altitude again over the JMT, instead of just going over clouds rest and continuing?

two reasons.
One, it allows two nights in a nice campspot.
The second is that hiking up that side of clouds rest with a full multi-day backpack will be more than strenuous. I didn't even want to hike down that trail with a full pack.
The JMT trail around clouds rest is much less strenuous, although not as beautiful because of fire damage.
Look at that hike in detail.
Are traveling alone?

Ahh, got it.

Yes, will be solo.

Hiking cross-Country is perfectly fine in Yosemite. Note that this refers to hiking to a destination without using an existing trail. It does NOT refer to cutting switchbacks on an existing trail.

Illilouette Canyon has quite a few campsites below Ottoway Lakes, although Lower Ottoway Lake is one of my favorite spotsi n the Sierra--you may want to spend a few hours just enjoying that. Evelyn and Bernice Lakes are both nice--I prefer Bernice.

---

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

Thanks!

Split the x-country hike with at stop at TM post office for a resupply (see version 2 above)

BB

You may consider a left turn before Merced Lake and take the High Trail to the Lyell Fork of The Merced. The Lyell Fork is a true gem. It is an easy cross-country into the basin as it's hard to cut a trail into sidewalk smooth slab granite. The High Trial runs at +/-9700ft so down trees may be an issue. For me this is better than dropping down to Merced and Washburn Lakes.

The snow melt is doing fine in the Merced Basin with several snow sensors showing 0in. Even Tuolumne Meadows shows 0in. This really means open areas are clear of snow, under the trees is another story. With a heat wave on the way conditions should improve at a quicker pace. Besides you can walk on snow but creek crossings are not forgiving. The High Trail crossing can be tricky with knee high water. The crossing at Triple Fork is sand bottom, slow spot, piece of cake. It looks like travel will be possible by later July.