Re: First Come First Serve Questions..

Hi and thanks in advance for any and all info you guys and Gals may bring me... I am going cross country with my daughter and son (16 and 15) and because it is a short planned trip I have no reservations for campsites in yosemite. Plan on stayinf for 3 days. So here are my questions.

1. What the best site to hit the trail to the Half Dome that is available to walk ups.
2. I am planning on arriving at the park on Thursday Aug 12th, how early should I be there to get in line.
3. Or am I crazy and should just book at a camp outside the park such as Yosemite pines and drive in.

Thanks

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Bags
1. What the best site to hit the trail to the Half Dome that is available to walk ups.

That would be Camp 4.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/camp4.htm
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hdpermits.htm
The NPS website is very good and will clarify a lot of your questions.
It sounds like you have some knowledge of Yosemite Valley and perhaps have visited in the past.
There have been changes to access to Half Dome and if you plan to hike to the top during the weekend (Fri-Sun), you will need a permit (and all the August permits have been taken, to my knowledge). It sometimes seems like the entire world is trying to visit the Valley during mid-August.

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The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

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Bags

1. What the best site to hit the trail to the Half Dome that is available to walk ups.
2. I am planning on arriving at the park on Thursday Aug 12th, how early should I be there to get in line.
3. Or am I crazy and should just book at a camp outside the park such as Yosemite pines and drive in.

Thanks

The only place in the valley that's first come/first serve camping is Camp 4. You might check at the kiosk at Curry and see if you can grab a cancelled spot in the Pines campgrounds. You should get in line for the campsite as early as you can. You should get in line for the permit earlier than that (I was in line at 5 am, two people ahead of me, and barely got permits for Happy Isles -> Little Yosemite Valley - the person directly behind me got a big fat nothing.)

I don't know that you'd be able to book a spot outside the park. You might be able to grab a spot in Bridalveil, which is quite nice... and all walk in.

It's been mentioned that Camp 4 is the only FCFS campground in Yosemite Valley. It would also be worth noting that they charge per person ($5 each person per night) while other campgrounds charge per site. Each person must register individually, and anyone know if there's a chance that three people together could be split up if there isn't enough room for 3 on one site. I would think that telling the attendant that the intent is to use one tent would make it easy to assign one site for all three, but I haven't tried it.

There is another option, but the backpackers campgrounds may be used by people arriving on foot, bus, or bicycle. It's an obscure rule, but one in the list of rules put out by the park superintendent every year.

The NPS is also instituting a day-use permit for Half Dome now for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If your plan is to start a 3 day visit on Thursday, I don't see how you're going to manage it. The permits are apparently being enforced.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hdpermits.htm

Just so you are aware, the Pines campground office is in the northeast corner of the large, dirt Curry Village parking lot. If I was doing your trip, I think I would try for a spot at either Toulumne Meadows or maybe Bridalveil. The valley in August is a place I will never go again. I went once. It is hot, crowded and the water is usually too low for rafting (might not be this year). And as someone else said, you'll not be able to do Half Dome on the weekend without a permit. So do something else, like Clouds Rest, starting from Tenaya Lake, perhaps.

Rumor has it that the NPS is establishing a tattoo shop on the top of Half Dome and will require anyone that ascends via the raised cables will be required to have the word "TOURIST" inscribed on their forehead before they are permitted to descend.
(FurrilyInconspicuously Yours)
The Marmots



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2010 10:19AM by szalkowski.

Quote
szalkowski
Rumor has it that the NPS is establishing a tattoo shop on the top of Half Dome and will require anyone that ascends via the raised cables will be required to have the word "TOURIST" inscribed on their forehead before they are permitted to descend.
(FurrilyInconspicuously Yours)
The Marmots

Will the ice cream stand and ferris wheel still be operating? What about the photo booth?

If I was going by myself I would think camp 4 would be the best bet.. but from what I have read it can be a very young and rowdy crowd. I have also been camping, hiking, hunting since I was 10, so novice I am not just have not been to Yosemite yet.
I think I am going to go with bridevil