Re: Backpacking overnight advice

Hello,
i ask for an advice : we'll come to US and yosemite at the end of august and we're looking for a two or three day backpacking with camping overnight, which hike would you advise ?

at what time should we arrive to get a day permit ? and where ?

sorry for my english,

Jerome

All the info you need is at http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/backpacking.htm

What you should do depends on whether you have been backpacking before, and what you want to do. There are a lot of choices to make. If you are wanting to see a lot of Yosemite classic sites, I recommend skipping backpacking and being a tourist instead - you can camp or stay at the lodge and day hike to many awesome viewpoints. The most popular backpacking trip is Half Dome and the area between Tioga Rd and the Yosemite valley floor. It's hard to get permits for it but you don't need permits for day hiking, except for half dome itself which is a very difficult 16-18 mile round trip hike and requires you to get a permit regardless of how you hike it. All the details are on the Yosemite website.

How many days do you have in Yosemite, total? You posted on my trip report, which would suggest you'd like some of the higher country (around Tuolumne Meadows, for example, though those pictures were in the Sierra south of Yosemite NP), but if you're travelling from France it'd be a shame not to give sufficient time to more commonly-enjoyed day-hiking sights in the Valley and Glacier Point.

I agree with what others have said. If you have never been to Yosemite and are coming all the way from France it would be a shame to concentrate on backpacking.The permits are going to be hard to acquire anyway, especially for the high country trails originating from Tuolumne Meadows or other places off Tioga Road.

For first time visitors many of us highly recommend experiencing Yosemite as a tourist. I would allow a minimum of 3 days to see the highlights of the park, including at least two short to medium length day hikes. If you have more time the number of gorgeous days hikes available are sufficient to keep you quite busy for a week or more. This will provide a higher quality trip for a first time visitor than trying to manage a backpacking plan. It also saves on luggage. All you need is a day pack and a few day hiking essentials.

We do not intend to discourage you from backpacking Yosemite. It's just that you will experience so much more by driving around the park and attempting as many day hikes as possible on your first visit, even if it is your only visit here. While here, pick up a good book on hiking in Yosemite both for this trip and a possible backpacking trip in the future. Good luck and welcome.

Some people can't afford to stay at motels or other lodging accommodations inside or outside Yosemite. For them, camping is the only affordable option.

That said, Jerome and his traveling party don't necessarily have to backpack overnight (and secure the necessary wilderness permits) if they want to camp in Yosemite and do day hikes. As a more affordable option to lodging, I would recommend camping at one of regular campgrounds inside Yosemite, be it one of the first-come, first-service campgrounds, or trying to reserve a Yosemite Valley campground for the dates they'll be in the park

Of course, if they want to backpack overnight in the Yosemite wilderness, that's fine too. It only take less than three hours to see all the world famous landmarks within Yosemite Valley itself. The rest of the time could be spent exploring the Yosemite backcountry.

.

Here is a good review of many of the dayhikes:

http://www.yosemitehikes.com/