I'm planning a 4 day winter backpacking trip for the end of January. I was thinking of going up from Happy Isles, LYV to Merced Lake - I've done that once before in winter. I thought this was a good group to ask for other ideas.

How was the Bunnell Avalanche when you went by?

Any place you've gone up out of in the summer that you enjoyed.
Try that. Well.. except 4 Mile Trail.
All are worthwhile and almost all doable without much danger.
Even North Dome may be ok. We stopped short and headed back to
top o Yosemite Falls so not certain about that.
If you really search around I've posted almost every trail out of the
valley with winter condtions in the past except top of El Cap.

Have fun

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Thanks for the encouragement. I'm looking forward to this year's adventure.

I don't have the same view you had in Bunnell Avalanche in April 2012 but I did take this two months before on February 18, 2012. I recall the footbridge had a nice cover of snow, ~6-10 inches. In the photo below I believe the footbridge would be in the trees in the lower center of the image.

How bad do the switchbacks themselves get with a lot of snow present? Is it just a snow slope? Last year 3-4 inches of ice was flowing over the trail at multiple points, but no snow. I only thought it was problematic in one spot near the top of the switchbacks. I wondered what it would be like this year, but when I got there it was all melting, (and I didn't check it out after it snowed). I was kind of thinking that I don't know how much fun it'd be if a couple of feet of snow covered the trail.

That is why I was curious about what it was like. I should have perhaps asked what year.
If it was last year that alfalfa went to Merced Lake then snow wasn't much of an issue
all year, at least that is my best guess... perhaps he wants to give that another go.
We are very very leery of that spot... that location along with the squeeze between
Little Grizzly Falls and Bunnell Cascade right below Helmet Dome can get interesting.
Last year on our way up to Clouds and then to Bunnell area we asked people coming
out about Bunnell Avalanche and they had no idea what I was talking about.
(it was non-existant... we hiked there after going up Clouds Rest, etc.)

In 2011 when we went to Merced Lake we took the high trail to avoid these spots.
Here is what the "trail" looks like from above (2011):


In 2010 we went up it on our way to Echo Lake:


It's dicey.

Really wanted to go check it out over the holidays this year... but just too many storms flying thru.
O well..

2010 Echo Lake photo set is here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103089501068510688008/Matthes02

2011 Merced Lake photo set is here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103089501068510688008/MercedLake

Technically these trips were Spring Trips.

Have fun & Be Safe

For Alfalfa... maybe Yosemite Pt. day 1 - day 2 dayhike to North Dome area, day 3 dayhike Eagle Pk. day 4 home

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/2012 09:08AM by chick-on.

Hmm.

This is all it looked like in late dec last year.



Ice like that on most of the switchbacks, then it cleared up, only one spot was "pay attention" though.



So the spot between Lost Valley and (whatever the next valley is called) gets bad too? That's interesting. I only thought about it for a moment when I went through there trying to consider what it'd be like with snow, but it seemed like you could get off the trail to the north 20-30 feet and stay away from the edge? I may not be thinking of the same spot.

**Edit** to avoid hijacking completely, Snow Creek to Watkins then explore! (though in fairness I'd have to say that might be a lead-in to talk about Olmsted in winter, hah!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/2012 07:21PM by steelcup.

There wasn't any snow last year until late January. Was skating on Sunrise Lakes in mid-Jan last year.
The squeeze spot is below Helmet Dome. Between the two cascades. here
It looked like this:

between Lost Valley and the Two Bridges... well... that would be interesting with a lot of snow...
every time I've gone thru there it's been clean. (there's a couple of photos in the sets above... we have always carried our shoes thru there)
The two spots I mentioned hold snow and if it has recently snowed can have falling ice danger.
Not to mention the river is really close...

Have fun

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For those who like the 3D stuff... was able to do this from photos from nearly 3 years ago.



Alfalfa, if you have the time... you can take BP Shuttle up... and hike down... or vice-versa.
(we'll prob. do this over Pres. Day this yr... )
(and by vice-versa I mean hike down and take shuttle back up)

Have fun

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2012 10:35AM by chick-on.

Pretty cool how you can make 3D photos from older photos that were taken without any thought of turning them into 3D anaglyphs.

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