Need advice on snowshoeing Dewey Point

We are going to have our first time snowshoeing this coming weekend (2/5/11). We would like to see if anyone knows the current trail conditions of Badger Pass to Dewey Point. Is wearing snowshoes a must to get to Dewey Point? Or wearing water-proof hiking boots would be enough? We are tempted to skip snowshoe rental - not only to save money but also don't want to rush ourselves on the hill to return the snowshoes before 4pm. Any advice?

"first time snowshoeing" = having snowshoes on


Seriously... read here:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,30843,30870#msg-30870

You can go and ask at the rental place and see what they say... but
you are screwing things up for others if you don't wear the snowshoes.
When others have already compacted the trail... yes, it's consolidated
and you'll see some shmozos without snowshoes on... but they'll
posthole here and there and screw it up.

You should be back at your car around 4 anyway... it'll soon be
getting dark and cold...

My 2 cents.

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Oh, we did that last year, and it was lovely. But you really need snow shoes -- there's way more snow this year than last, I'm sure. My advice is to get to the rental place early to beat the crowds.

We went on a guided hike on Presidents Day weekend, and it was like Grand Central up there. If we were going to do that again, we would just get a trail map and cast out on our own, now that we know how the trails are marked (hint: look up).

Have fun! And bring more water than you think you need! We both drained our packs more than an hour before we were back at the hut.

If you had posted sooner, I would have given you the link the ebay seller that I got snowshoes for $31.00 from. I used them in Yosemite in Dec and they worked great. Anyway, ya, your gonna need snowshoes to get to Dewey this time of year.