That's two miles in a day. Things do get a little slower in avalanche zones.by mrcondron - General Discussion
John, Not quite what you want but I've done it from TM to Road's End in King's Canyon only. No Whitney summit. I am single but did the trip with a hiking buddy.by mrcondron - General Discussion
Since you are coming form the bay area I would suggest traveling to somewhere like Buck Meadow and staying in a motel with a reservation. You could get an early start Friday morning and try your luck at Tamarack Flat, White Wolf, Yosemite Creek, and Porcupine Flat campgrounds for a site on your way to the east side. These campgrounds are first come first served and may very well have a spot Friby mrcondron - General Discussion
The snow patch visible on the Sentinel Dome camera will tell the tale. When that patch is gone then I would bet the snow is gone most everywhere south of 120.by mrcondron - General Discussion
No, you can get to Mono Meadow from 120. One might not like to route though.by mrcondron - General Discussion
I'm betting that by May 25th most if not all snow will be gone between the valley and 120. There will probably be a patch or two in sheltered areas at the higher elevations.by mrcondron - General Discussion
I agree with Billy. It's not so much the fire but the number of fire rings that are made and left by backpackers. It's kind of disheartening to hike in a few days with a couple of miles cross country added only to find fire rings all over the place. Sort of takes some of the wind out the wilderness experience.by mrcondron - General Discussion
I don't know your plan but you can get to Sunrise Lakes via the John Muir Trail starting in the valley. They can be can be reached in one hard day or two easier days. Snow on the trails should not be a problem in two weeks at the most. I drove over Hwy 88 Monday and the snow was getting very thin even at 8K'. It was nearly gone at 7K'. It's melting fast. Silver Lake is nearly thawed and Capby mrcondron - General Discussion
Most if not all HSCs have an area for backpackers use. You might get to use the toilet facilities and maybe even buy a dinner. You can also camp anywhere nearby that meets the requirements of being away from the trail and water. Hard to say when 120 will be open. After the actual plowing in done there may be repairs to be made, some trees to topple, and waiting for all avalanche danger to melby mrcondron - General Discussion
Anvanho, You can cross the bridges at Wapama Falls under just about any time even during the big runoff in springtime. If the water is flowing at a high rate you will get wet and it will be cold. I would suggest that you have a cover for your pack. You might find the spray refreshing. Forget about hiking on the south side. There is no trail and a cross country trek would be extremely difficby mrcondron - General Discussion
Nothing will open on 120 from Crane Flat to the Tioga Pass until all work has been done on the snow removal and any needed repairs have been completed. The plowing does start on the west side and proceed toward the east. The plowing at the Tioga entrance station probably doesn't go very far.by mrcondron - General Discussion
Plan your departure leaving enough time to get to North Dome and then make the trek to the top of the falls. Continue on and if the snow gets too bad turn back. You will have had a great hike getting to the top of the falls and maybe even further on.by mrcondron - General Discussion
You might run into snow by Beehive Meadow. Snow for sure by the time you get to the Moraine Ridge trail junction. The snow will be pretty dense so you can probably walk over it without too much trouble especially in the morning. The last mile or so along Falls Creek is open granite and a southern exposure so it may be clear of snow. Since the trail may be obscured by snow be sure to haveby mrcondron - General Discussion
Friday I drove from Modesto to Carson City via 88. The snow started on the west side at 6100' with what I would call full coverage even on the southern slopes varying maybe from 1-4' deep. The snow continued like this until about Kirkwood where things lightened up. Silver Lake is still frozen over. East of Kirkwood, even though at 7000' plus, the snow disappeared rather quickly. This coupby mrcondron - General Discussion
YPW, You're right about the $5 but I'm sure the BP campgrounds require a wilderness permit regardless of your mode of travel. Enforcement was very strict at HH a few years ago but now it seems to have dropped off to almost nothing. From the YNP site: "Walk-in campgrounds are available seasonally in the Tuolumne Meadows Campground, at Hetch Hetchy, and behind North Pines Campground inby mrcondron - General Discussion
Anything off of Hwy 120 will probably only be accessible by hiking up from the valley floor. Even then there might be a lot of snow above 7000'. You might look at a trip out of Hetch Hetchy. Go up the switchbacks and then west to Miguel Meadow checking out Gravel Pit Lake and perhaps Swamp Lake and then up to Laurel Lake. If Frog Creek is impassable then you could go west to Lake Eleanor. Ifby mrcondron - General Discussion
This weekend there was 1-3 feet of snow with pretty much 100% coverage from 6100' and up in the Aspin Valley area including the trail to Bald Mountain and to the South Fork of the Tuolumne River. Two weeks ago the snow level was about 500' lower. At this rate it will be a while before things clear out between the north rim and 120 so if you have any plans to hike there in the next few weeks beby mrcondron - General Discussion
That hike would be about the same as or maybe even more than the trip to Half Dome. It would be a great one though. Lots of views. Might be a bit of snow still behind Eagle Peak at that time but probably not enough to cause a problem.by mrcondron - General Discussion
That's Dolly Parton Pass.by mrcondron - General Discussion
Aviprk, Try the Diamond O campground (spelled Dimond O on the signs at the site). It is on Evergreen Road just off of Highway 120. Evergreen is the road that takes you to Hetchy Hetchy. The junction of Evergreen Road and hwy 120 is about 1 mile from the Big Oak Flat entrance to the park. This campground opens in April so Memorial Day is pretty much a sure thing. Not to much farther down Eveby mrcondron - General Discussion
Bruce, You're right. Lone pine to the valley floor is about 45 miles shorter but I think the scenery on the 395, 88, 49, 120 route is a LOT better than Tehachapi, Bakersfield, 99, and Fresno. Things do get a little better after Fresno. Harvey, If you do get to Lone Pine try to spend an extra couple of hours there and go see the Alabama Hills. http://www.lonepinechamber.org/siteseeing/alabamby mrcondron - General Discussion
Take 395 north to Rte 88 in Mindon NV. Go west on 88 to Cal 49 and then head south on 49 to Cal 120 and then go east on 120. This will take you in the Big Oak Flat entrance of Yosemite. 88, 50 and 80 are the only east-west routes open right now. At least up in this section of the state. Going over to 99, I think, is even worse.by mrcondron - General Discussion
It's a bit of a drive from the valley floor but the hike out to Wapama Falls at Hetch Hetchy is a good one plus you get to see the dam and lake.by mrcondron - General Discussion
So where did you end up going? How were the conditions? A friend and I went in toward Aspin Valley off of Evergreen Road and camped by the "Falls" (as shown on the topo map) about a mile south of the road. We got about 1/2" of snow during the night.by mrcondron - General Discussion
Lake Vernon is eleven miles in and 2500' up. A good day even with no snow. I would recommend against it at this time of year. You'll probably get only 1 mph on the snow. The hike into the camping area at Rancheria Creek is a good bet. It's about 7 miles with about 1500' elevation gain. (Some ups and downs) The trail has a southern exposure so there shouldn't be any snow to worry about. Iceby mrcondron - General Discussion
There is Priest Grade (Hwy 120) which is the road cars, tour buses, RVs, and large trucks use and then there is the Old Priest Grade which is the route to avoid. To get onto Old Priest Grade you actually have to leave the obvious roadbed of Hwy 120. Just stay on 120 and it is an easy drive. Old Priest Grade road was the only automobile route until the 1960s I believe. The longer "New&quoby mrcondron - General Discussion
From Stockton you go south on highway 99 and head east on highway 120 at Manteca. Highway 120 will take you to the Yosemite Big Oak Flat entrance. The valley floor is about 30-40 minutes after the entrance. There are several places along the road after entering the park you might want to stop and take in the view. There may very well be a delay as you approach the valley floor due to road conby mrcondron - General Discussion
Last summer I drove from Carson City to TM and figured I'd run my tank down and gas up in Bridgeport. $4.40 I put in enough to get me to the 120 junction and put a little more in there. It was at around $4+ at that station. I wouldn't be surprised to see Bridgeport hit $5.00 or more this summer. Post Edited (03-23-08 17:57)by mrcondron - General Discussion
I think that due to the really low count last year that there will be fewer this year also. It might take one more year before they are up to normal. Last year there just weren't any in the high country. OK maybe a few. I don't remember needing and DEET last year.by mrcondron - General Discussion
You have to look around for the actual pipe with water coming out but it is in there. 37d-44'-58"N, 119d-30'-51"Sby mrcondron - General Discussion