If you guys are up to it, try Eagle Peak. It's the Upper Yosemite Falls hike plus 6 or 7 additional miles, not especially hard ones, to a great viewpoint that is at most lightly visited. It's the highest of the Three Brothers. Great views of Yosemite Fall, Half Dome, the High Sierra, and the back of someone's head (not!).by bpnjensen - General Discussion
mrcondron wrote: > 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. > Why do yby bpnjensen - General Discussion
It's about time they put bear boxes at each cabin - having them only out by the parking lots was silly. This is much better. Look, the only thing you're going to do in the tent cabin *anyway* is sleep. When you see Yosemite in the spring, you won't want to go to bed. I know *I* never do. I'd rather camp in a tent, but these are an acceptable alternative when camping isn't an option. Note -by bpnjensen - General Discussion
forrestranger wrote: > i've read about this in the past quite a bit, and after > coversing with others on other forums, i've concluded that > pepper spray in many cases attracts bears! (the scent of the > spray)... so rather than carry something that may be illegal in > National parks (as someone mentioned to earlier), i personally > carry a small air horn, small enough to carrby bpnjensen - General Discussion
YPW - your photos are great, and I love your Beehive! :-) Tumi - the Eagle Peak Trail begins a short distance beyond Upper Yosemite Fall and continues along a relatively easy uphill to Eagle Peak. That hike adds a fairly easy 6.5 miles total to the hike. Be forewarned, however - the last time I hiked this in May in an average snow year, the upper part of the trail was still clad in snow, and aby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Hi, Tumi - The landmarks you list that you'd like to see are in Yosemite Valley. Glacier Point is reached by either a 25-mile drive or a nearly 5-mile hike. It is 3,400 feet above the Valley floor. You should know that Yosemite Valley is VERY popular this time of year. In the Valley, the campgrounds are *mostly* reservation-only in May, and virtually all sites are already reserved. As YPW suby bpnjensen - General Discussion
szalkowski wrote: > Somehow I don't quite fathom the allure of "camping" in > Downtown Yosemite (at least during the annual tourist flood). > You might as well consider pitching a tent in any of the > following locations: > 1. Union Square (San Francisco) > 2. People's Park (Berkeley) > 3. MacArthur Park (Los Angeles) > 4. Anywhere (Bakersfield) > > Howevby bpnjensen - General Discussion
tonerone wrote: > Internet only is the secret but that's about it. Calling on the > phone is a waste of time. I had about 6 people helping but I > got 3 of them myself. I had three computers going at work. Time > is very important and every second counts! In past years, I have always used the phone - and sometimes spent HOURS until I got service. Up until about 12 years ago, the inby bpnjensen - General Discussion
lmf67 wrote: > Wow! What's the secret? I couldn't even get one campsite for > one night for the June15-July 15 period. How do you possibly > get 5 sites for four nights??? Shoot - I only got one site... :-) I was on the phone *and* the website at 6:57 am PDT on the 15th, and kept at it HARD until I got a response, redialing and retrying the website - and oddly, it was from the websiteby bpnjensen - General Discussion
jeffblaylock wrote: > >>I'd rather camp up about a mile east of there along the JMT, > near the cascade and pool.<< > > Along Sunrise Creek? Maybe we're thinking of two different spots - when you say the JMT/Cloud's Rest junction, I am thinking of the place at the head of Little Yosemite Valley.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
y_p_w wrote: > I was at the Clouds Rest/JMT junction. There are some pretty > good sites just south of Clouds Rest Trail, but a little bit > high up. The only problem is that the soil is a bit rocky and > you might find it hard to stake a tent. This guy happened to > pass through the area: > > > > There are also rattlesnakes in that area - but if you can withstby bpnjensen - General Discussion
BobH60 wrote: > Good Morning, > > Thanks to everyone for their advice. If Tiago Road is closed > are there some other hikes that I should be considering ? > > Thanks for the advice, > Bob If I were you, for a first timer, I would not leave out just a walk around the Valley Floor loops. There is a great new view around every corner. These loops take you past classic vieby bpnjensen - General Discussion
forrestranger wrote: > i got a site April 18th... my brother and a son are going. Be sure to spend at least and hour or two on the Hite Cove Trail. The wildflowers are wondrous! Late morning to early PM is best, as much of the trail is shaded prior to that time and the flowers have not fully opened yet. Lots of flowering dogwood in the Valley too! Really nice near Pohono Bridge and and aby bpnjensen - General Discussion
eeek wrote: > Watch the bears. > We always do! :-) They have never gotten our food yet, either in the campground or in the backcountry, nor have they removed any hardware from our vehicles. They *have* rummaged through some empty clean pots and pans, though.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Just gloating out loud - Well, got us a camping reservation in Yosemite Valley (yippee! - that process is always a nail-biter), Upper Pines at the end of a loop, for 4 nights June 16-20. Never have done a spring reservation before so late (usually April or May) but had to wait for the kids to get out of school, and I never want to do Memorial Day weekend again! Just a tent, thank goodness - Iby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Vince wrote: > I would not camp in the valley even if it were free. No thanks. Camping there sure saves a bunch of gas and travel time, if the Valley is what you want to see...by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Hite Cove Trail should be completely accessible by April - in fact, except in instances of extremely rare super-heavy snowfall at low elevation (has this ever happened?), I cannot imagine that it would ever be inaccessible to a serious walker. I would not hesitate based on trail conditions - just exercise usual caution in the event of landslides in the south fork canyon. Traffic now flows wellby bpnjensen - General Discussion
mark2 wrote: > <snips> Specifically, I am referring to the strengthening and widening of various roads > into and out of the valley, that they say will accommodate the > large tour buses better, the expansion of paved trails at the > Lower Yosemite Falls area, that they say will accommodate more > people, which they feel is a positive statement. Clearly their > new Yosemiby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Lucrativ wrote: > looks like this camera is back up and running .. although i > still wish they would point it back more towards the valley > how it used to be . . I wish that just *one* webcam could be aimed toward Yosemite Fall...or *any* waterfall.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Lucrativ wrote: > looks like a well-rounded visit .. sunnyside bench and sierra > point ... nice ! It was nice, but we had our Sunnyside Bench effort (which was really an attempt at Fern Ledge) scuttled. After entering (I think) Sunnyside Bench, we became totally flummoxed as to how to proceed more than about 100 yards west of the rockslide - the trail such as it was, became completelby bpnjensen - General Discussion
I think we should mob the place ;-)by bpnjensen - General Discussion
I am in the second picture, the old guy with the blue fleecy thing on. My son wears his favorite red under the cotton shirt, and my wife is the brunette. Her pal came along too. We had fun, except we got a little bit sick on the Lodge food :-(by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Here is a set of Yosemite pictures taken by a rank amateur during the first week of January, 2008. They aren't all great by any means, but some are OK. http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/bpnjensen/California%20Natural/Yosemite%201-2008/?start=allby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Here's another of our coyote friend, this time responding to a distant call from a ranger's siren...by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Here is what works - you want to post a picture using an "by bpnjensen - General Discussion
We watched him at very close range for awhile (less than 60 feet), and he seemed unconcerned - until some bozo with his binoculars glued to his face walked right up to him and stared at him - the poor canine got spooked by that, all right, and beat a hasty retreat into the woods across the road.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Nice sharp photo - what camera/lens combo are you using?by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Nice picture! We might have seen the same fellow patroling Ahwahnee Meadow around January 6, sniffing and leaping for mice - got some pics of him, also at close range - perhaps will have them available next day or so.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
For summer (these are from memory, so there may be minor mileage gaffes): 1 - Sentinel Dome and Taft Point - moderate 5 mi RT, lovely and dizzying views of the Valley and High Sierra; Glacier Point Road. 2 - Mt. Hoffman - requires some minor route finding skill, but a great 7 miles RT. A good deal is steep and strenuous, spectacular views. Off Tioga Road. If rain/thunder threatens, turn backby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Too bad about the composting toilets - they were a good idea :-(by bpnjensen - General Discussion