Re: Temperature variation @ night from low to high elevations.

What kind of temperature change is there from the valley floor to say above LYV in June. Night time temps. especially. I have heard or read that it runs aprox. 15 degrees lower at higher elevations than the valley floor. Trying to plan for 2+ week trip from June 8th - 24th with my teenage sons. Gotta be comfortable!! Thanks for any info you may have!!

Quote
beardbuster
What kind of temperature change is there from the valley floor to say above LYV in June. Night time temps. especially. I have heard or read that it runs aprox. 15 degrees lower at higher elevations than the valley floor. Trying to plan for 2+ week trip from June 8th - 24th with my teenage sons. Gotta be comfortable!! Thanks for any info you may have!!

It's called the temperature lapse rate and is nominally around 3.5°F (2.0°C) for every 1k elevation gain.

If you are to be up there for a couple of weeks, you can't plan for average temperatures. You could get snow, freezing rain, and/or hard frost in June, even if that's not very common. Prepare for the worst case.

We stayed in the valley backpacker camp one night and hardly needed sleeping bags - lows were in the 50s. One dude in our party left his sleeping bag in the car, deciding he was fine to go another night in those temps... the temp in the campsites at LYV dropped to freezing the next night.

There are three factors: elevation, weather and local geography. If you camp in the bottom of a valley or canyon next to water you will be colder than if you are somewhat higher, say halfway up a ridge.

I prepare for 20F year round in the Sierra, regardless, unless the forecast is for 20-25F, in which case I prepare for lower than that!

Yeah, I have a 20 and a 0. Usually I bring the 20 unless the forecast tells me otherwise.