QuoteIwantmyyosemiteDo you have any suggestions as how to make finding a good camp site easier? Not really, it truly does come down to developing an eye for it. By definition, an ideal camp site is invisible from the trail. That means you are looking off to the side of the trail for terrain that might hold a good spot so you can head off-trail and investigate. After a bunch of miserable failureby Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Pure gold all the way through - thanks very much for this!by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
My 2c on food is stick to freeze-dried for your first few trips; it makes your life very simple. Some folks here like to do real cooking, some go even more basic. We prefer Mountain House to other brands, as usual YMMV. You can buy some and try it at home to see what you like. These days, we do freeze-dried meals for breakfast (Mountain House blueberry granola rocks) and dinner, but no lunch - weby Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteIwantmyyosemiteNevada Falls, camp somewhere there There is nowhere you can camp before LYV. Nevada Fall and LYV are actually very close to each other. You can go beyond LYV and try to find somewhere to camp; I forget the minimum distance you have to travel beyond LYV before you are allowed to camp; I think it's a least a mile. It can be surprisingly hard to find a good camping spot; that'sby Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Very cool - thanks for posting this! PS: Great web site - very interesting.by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The first backpacking trip we ever did was Hetch-Hetchy up to Rancheria Falls. I think it's an excellent starter trip, but obviously not the same as a trip based around Yosemite Valley.by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteIwantmyyosemiteI was wondering though what the Little Yosemite Campground is like? We think it is obnoxious - having done it once, we would never willingly camp there again. It's not just the crowds - the dust from the heavily over-used camp sites is vile, gets into everything (including your mouth, nose, and lungs) and won't come off your gear due to static electricity. A lot of the peoplby Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I see no-one has mentioned bear canisters (they are mandatory in Yosemite). For two people x 6 nights backpacking, you would need two bear canisters. Even with two canisters, there is an art to fitting that much food in. Showing up at the park gate and renting canisters would mean that you have zero experience packing supplies into canisters, and thus no clear idea what will/won't fit, not to menby Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Darn, I was thinking we might be able to get Rancheria all to ourselves this year. Seriously, though, that is pleasing news.by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
More intelligent lechers wait until the attractive female is past, then follow along admiring the view.by Royalist - General Discussion
Quotetwarfieldnot sure if you can just "walk in" to LYV You can, any time after your first night. But I wouldn't want to - crowds of really clueless people and clouds of really nasty dust make this a place to pass through as quickly as possible.by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuotetomdiscoI'm pretty sure this plan would require 2 extra permits (for each time you cross Tioga Road). These constitute new trailhead entries. [...] It would appear to me at least that there have been inconsistencies within the permit offices on this subject of crossing Tioga Road. I never heard of any rule prohibiting crossing Tioga Road; I'm all but certain that the written rules don't saby Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteCoolburnIf we enter through Trail Pass, do we still need the exit permit? Yes - you always need a permit to be in the Mt. Whitney Zone, even if you are just day-hiking. If you come from the backcountry and exit through Whitney Portal, you need an exit permit.by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteeeekIt'd be better just to undo the screwup, i.e. put the parking lot back. Ah - so it's not just me who thinks that! That project discouraged me from donating to the Yosemite Fund, because they kept using it as an example of the kind of thing they would use the money for.by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I like the forced perspective in the first photo - those trees are big, but not quite THAT big!by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Spot has had a lot of bad reviews in the past. Personally, I would go with a true PLB, like the McMurdo one.by Royalist - General Discussion
Victim's storyby Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteAlmostThereThe family was having a picnic at Wawona and did not notice the kid wander off toward the deer. The deer was a spike buck, and was not aggressive - it was grazing while the child approached, and when startled, jerked its head up and caught the child under the shoulder in a major artery, causing damage that combined with the long drive to a hospital, killed the child. Quoteplawreby Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteParis92 Thr front desk has always provided us with additional blankets when needed. The one time we stayed there (never again!) they ran out, which caused a few folks some anguish. ("Never again!" is not because of the blankets; it's just really not our kind of thing. The only reason we did it was to be handy for Half Dome, and in the end I made a late start due to snow, so weby Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteoakroscoeAnd I'm curious how having morals would prevent Vick from playing in the NFL? He went to prison and served his penance to society, is he now not allowed to earn a living? Where do you draw the line when someone demonstrates they are morally depraved? Would you say the same if the conviction had been for child molestation (I had to set the bar high here - we already know that sexuby Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteplawrenceIronic isn't it that his friends and family who undoubtedly set up the conservation fund in his honor would deface the wilderness that he apparently so loved. I think it's strangely appropriate, since he was "both an avid hunter and enthusiast of birding".by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteBigROne of things we like to do is build Inuksuks (trail guardians) whenever we hike. Please don't do that. It's a wilderness. The engineered and well-worn trail is unavoidable, but many of us feel strongly that ducks, cairn gardens, etc. detract from the wilderness experience.by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteplawrenceA quick Google search indicates he was a former president of Signet Testing Labs, Inc., based in Hayward, CA. Naturally I did a "quick" Google search before I posted here, but I didn't manage to dig up that specific detail. It doesn't really shed much light on the plaque, though. It must have required power tools and significant effort to install the plaque (the screwby Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Found this plaque at Smedberg (on a rock on the N. side, above the horse-packers camp). Can someone explain it (not just who he was, but how he got to have a plaque in Yosemite)?by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
We are planning to head up to do the Kerrick Canyon/Matterhorn Canyon loop in the next couple of days. Looking at the map, I am wondering wher we an expect to find water in Matterhorn Canyon in this very dry year?by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteyose42Valley -> Nevada Falls (once by Mist Trail, other by JMT) -> Glacier Point via Panorama Trail -> Valley via 4-mile That's a favourite of ours!by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuotecalipidderThe ruins of Bennetville, just outside the park boundary. Don't stop at Bennetville! Carry on up Mines Creek as far as you like - it's lovely country up there, great views of Dana, etc.by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuotetomdiscoI wonder if this decline actually applies to high interest areas such as Yosemite. The ranger I spoke to 11 days ago in Yosemite said last year saw a record-breaking number of permits issued. They were expecting similar this year. My personal observation has been that even the less-popular trailheads have been showing up "full" much more this year.by Royalist - General Discussion
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/fod/3214728194.htmlby Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotebill-e-gphoto #14 (labeled Echo Peaks <actually it's Echo Ridge> <Echo Peaks are further west> ) Fixed!by Royalist - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion