It's depressing and scary for me to think people like this are at the Four Mile trailhead, a place of such tranquil beauty. I always get sick when I drive past the area where Cary Staner adducted and murdered the female ranger in the park.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
For hiking, you can't beat September (AFTER Labor Day until October). Some years you can still hike in November in the High Country. If you're not hiking, May is great because of the waterfalls.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
In the last 20 years I have probably seen 60+ bears while hiking in Yosemite. I have seen many more feeding early in the morning by Crane Flat on the road, while I was in a car. I have also seen countless bears in Mammoth, either hiking or in the campgrounds. I've never encountered an aggresive bear, not even when with cubs. Almost every time in Yosemite I have bumped into them on the trail whby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Bragging to who? Most people don't know or care where Half Dome is. Even if you tell colleagues, "I hiked Half Dome!" you will know what that entails, they will have no clue and wont' appreciate it. I think it's a vastly overrated hike, populated mainly by non-hikers who are ill-prepared and seem to be suffering every step of the way. The views I also think are overrated. Clouds Restby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Half Dome is an easy 8 mile RT hike with offers great views of the valley floor. The best hike IMOP from TM is Clouds Rest. 13 miles RT with about 2300 elevation gain, but offers tremendous 360 degree views.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I actually think Half Dome is a very overrated hike. The unprepared people there always detract from the experience for me. The great hikes, IMO, in Yosemite are in the High Country, but that's just me. Here is a more scenic alternative to Half Dome on the Valley Floor and just about as strenuous: Begin at the trailhead for the Four Mile Trail on the Valley Floor. Ascend 3500 feet to Glacieby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I'm planning a hike in July from Red's Meadow in Mammoth to Touloumne Lodge. I will stay overnight there in a tent cabin (already have a reservation), and then hike back the next day. I have the topo map and to me, it looks like 24.6 miles, but I have another guidebook as well as a few Internet sites saying it will be 30.4 miles. Can anyone give me the definitive answer? Thanks.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I still think 300 permits a day for Half Dome is too much. Every time I hiked in last year, even on weekdays, the trail was overcrowded. And most people were totally unprepared, as has been the case for decades on this trail. More people than not have no daypacks and most carried a jug of water in their hands.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The pizza is edible, though the crust tastes like cardboard. That's about the only thing they sell there. The place right next-door (but indoors), sells bar food and has some good Nachos, fries and speciality beers. There's also a place right outside the store in Curry Village that sells burritos and tacos. I would not recommend that food at all.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
This is a heartbreaking story. These despicable men should have gotten 10 years in jail. Minimum!by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The fall colors have already peaked and faded in June Lake and Lake Lundy. My two top picks for best fall colors in the Sierra's, aside from Aspendell, above Bishop.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Please tell us this is a temporary closure and Tioga is not closed for the remainder of the year!?by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
A great short hike is at the Young Lakes trailhead in the high country. Go to Dog Lake, a beautiful lake and only about 2 miles RT. Breathtaking!by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I haven't read that people here have claimed hiking alone is "baaad." However, there is no disputing the fact that hiking alone is more dangerous than hiking with a partner. That's indisputible. As a female, I would never hike alone. I doubt I would do so even if I were male. Obviously countless people hike alone and nothing "bad" has ever happened to them. Hike your own hby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
"He/She who hikes alone, has a fool for a companion." I also have problems with anyone leaving a hiking group, either for a day hike or backpacking adventure.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The salient point really is that there are countess people who launch seach and rescues in national parks who are not in an emergency situation. Recently, some hikers in the Grand Canyon recklessly issued an emergency alert from their GPS because their 'water tasted salty." So a dozen seach and rescue people were detailed to rescue these people who were not in any danger at all. Their sby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I've always thought the most superlative fall colors in the Sierras are not in Yosemite itself, but at Lake Lundy (7 miles north of Lee Vining on 395), and especially June Lake. The colors are late this year. In some years, the aspens have already turned yellow or orange in June Lake., So far, the aspens are still green.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I believe they will. I took the hikers shuttle on Sunday from Curry Village to the Cathedral Lakes trailhead. The bus driver mentioned that hellicopter rescue for overdue hikers generally runs $3500 and that the hiker is billed. If they do not pay, she said the bill goes to a collection agency. I recommend the book "Death in Yosemite," which has a great chapter on the extraordinary fby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I just returned from a 5 day hiking trip in Yosemite. It was COLD... far colder than is usual in mid-September in the park. So make sure you plan on layering your clothes and if you hike in the high country, expect very cold morning temps.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I would estimate your chances of getting a spot at White Wolf to be slim. It's a small campground. I spent last week in Yosemite and all the campgrounds in the high country had 'Full" signs outside. Your best chance would be one of the campgrounds directly outside the park coming up Tioga pass. They are closer mileage-wise to the Clouds Rest trailhead than White Wolf and they weren't full.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The vast majority of people doing Half Dome start from Happy Isles and do it as a day hike. Few start from Sunrise, as you did (though I think that's a decent alternative). Those who do it as a backpack generally stay in the campground in Little Yosemite Valley. So I assume Traildaddy is following the prescibed itinerary for most people.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Whatever you decide to do, Traildad, make sure you start early for Half Dome from Happy Isles, preferably with a headlamp. The mist trail becomes intolerably crowded, and even if you choose to go the JMT route, that is still packed in the summer. The Half Dome trail can also be extremely hot, especially the section in the sand through Little Yosemite Valley. So an early start is a good tip for thby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Or is it open yet? I had heard opening date would be July 23?by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
You can easilyt do that as a day hike, it's about 26 miles. I have done this as a "flip flop" many times... park the car at Agnew Meadows and hike to TM, sleep over, then hike back the next day and the car is waiting for you where you left it. That eliminates YARTS altogether. And you can drive your car up there as long as it's prior to 7:00 am and pay a $7 fee upon exiting the Devils Pby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thanks for the video, but these guys did it from Happy Isles on the Valley Floor. They didn't start from the High Country and Sunrise Lakes trailhead. Snow wasn't an issue in that part of the park.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Just back from a week in Yosemite and the Rangers told me Clouds Rest was not traverseable so far. However, last year they told me the same thing in June and it was fine. Mammoth Lakes is basically un-hikeable except for Valentine Lake (Duck Pass... forget it). Hoover Lakes also has a dangerous snow bridge on the back side which I was too scared to cross, so I had to abort that hike as well. Iby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The buffet at CV is pretty good, I will agree there. We'll have to agree to disagree about their pizza, however.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Curry Village has cabins, not motel rooms. Under no circumstances take the tent cabin at CV, since they are primitive and have no electricity or running water. The Stoneman House is part of Curry Village but the rooms there are more expensive and really no better than the CV cabins. Yosemite Lodge has better and more modern rooms than Curry Village, and you do have a cafeteria where you canby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
One cautionary note about Mineral King: be careful of the marmots earing through your radiator hose underneath your car if you go hiking. This has never happened to me at MK, but I have had to drive two other groups of hikers down because their car was dismantled by marmots up there. This is a real concern, not a trifling one. The Vistors Center even has a pamphlet highlighting this risk.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Three Rivers has a Holiday Inn Express which is great and not that expensive. As everyone else has told you, the drive into the park from Three Rivers is pretty much hell if you go after 7:30 am. From the park entrance to the Lodge with no traffic will take you 40-45 minutes. However, if you're stuck behind a big rig or RV, forget it. Count on 75 mins. It's very twisty and impossible to pass in mby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion