Home | A - Z | FAQ | Bookstore | Art Prints | Online Library | Discussion Forum | Muir | Weather | Maps | Lodging | About | Search |
CalHotels.US
Lowest Hotel Rates Guaranteed.
Click Here For Yours!
Hotel photos, maps, reviews, & discount rates. U.S. Hotels in California (Yosemite, L. A., San Francisco ), AL, AK, AR, AS, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, FM, GA, GU, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OK, NV, MH, MP, NM, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, PR, PW, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, VI WA, WV, WI, WY |
timberdog26 wrote:Awesome advice, thanks everyone. The current plan is try to get permits for the day before, and include an additional day of hiking. We are traveling from across the country so our schedule is tight due to work and flight schedules. Thanks again for the advice!
Phil wrote:The killers for this itinerary are the time allowed with Half Dome thrown in. If it's down from Cloud's Rest and up to Half Dome on day 2, tough but doable...kind of. If it's day 2 down to the Sunrise Creek junction, then day 3 up HD and back out to Tenaya Lake, absolutely brutal. And this takes in no consideration at all for the weather being hot; slowing you down and putting yourselves at risk for overexertion or heat stroke injuries.
You could come back down HD and exit in the Valley at Happy Isles, as David suggests, but the problem then becomes one of transportation logistics back to the car at the trailhead. The hiker's shuttle stops running 09/10, and YARTS is weekends only. As a matter of fact, by the time you guys go up HD and come back down, assuming you don't find yourselves stuck in the Valley with no ride, you'll inevitably end up spending the night at the backpacker's camp, so you might as well plan for the extra day up higher and loop back to the car via the trail anyhow.
Sorry, I can't go beyond that. To do this right in every possible way, make it 3 nights and 4 days. You'll be doing yourselves the biggest favor of the entire trip in that alone.
Phil wrote:The Friday entry sounds good. 11 am should be about right if you're coming up from the Bay early. Get your permit at the Big Oak Flat office. They'll call down to Tuolumne if it looks like it might be impacted. You're right though, normally this late in the season and things get easier for walk-ups. Going up from Tenaya to Sunrise can get hot if it's nice out, so earlier is always better.
Phil wrote:Lower Sunrise Lake isn't quite on the way, it's left at the junction instead of right toward CR. But, it's not far, and it's a nice little lake. Be sure to ask the ranger if he/she knows if that creek is still flowing. It's usually about year-round, but if not, there's a small pond just north of it on the right side of the trail. Can't miss it.
Phil wrote: If you're starting late, might as well stay north of CR for the night. Duck out right into the trees and skirt the edge of Tenaya Canyon. Aesthetically, oh yeah, it's a pretty profound view, and likely to be much less crowded than down by the JMT junction at Sunrise Creek. Just remember that the area up by CR is dry past that creek, so make sure you have enough for meals AND for hiking the next morning.
Phil wrote:A second car is nice, if you can. Hitching is usually not bad, but one person is better than two for getting quicker rides. If you'll be exiting in the valley over a weekend and get down early enough, I think the YARTS shuttle is still running back to Tioga Rd at 5pm from the visitor's center. Be sure to check that though. A loop would work, too, but you're going to have to climb for it if you go all the way up to the HSC. The second loop alternative is to cut back up on the Forsyth Trail and retrace a part of your original route up and over CR (you'll pass that junction where it returns to the upper trail on your way into CR). Neither way has much going on for scenery or views though, so if the valley is easier, just do that.
tsarles wrote:Sorry for bombarding you with questions, I really do appreciate the help.
Phil wrote:If you're going to come up Thursday night and stay in the Valley, no matter if it's a site, tent cabin, or a hotel room, book in advance.
Phil wrote:You'll be tired when you get to the junction at the top of the Sunrise Trail. If it's hot out, even more so. See how you feel about the extra effort. Lower Sunrise Lake is nice and worth seeing, but if all you've got left is going to get you to camp, that's the way it is. It's not quite 90 minutes, more like 45 minutes, tops, round trip.
Phil wrote:Again, aesthetically, the JMT at Sunrise Creek isn't as nice as north of CR. How you feel depends on you. I wouldn't want to descend CR and then climb HD from the JMT back to back. If that was my day, I would head off cross country from higher up on CR past Quarter Domes and come out somewhere around 7500 ft on the trail over to HD, saving a lot of re-climbing (hate re-climbing!), then drop down to camp when I'm done. The one thing to remember about the trail down to Sunrise from CR is that it's a fairly steep and continuous downhill. It kind of beats up your feet and knees, so you may not feel up to carrying on. But also have to keep in mind that the later you get down to Sunrise, the lower your chances of getting a good site if it's crowded. Down and back up in a day is realistic enough, but it's not the best way to go. A fresh start when it's cooler and less crowded is always the best way to tackle HD.
Phil wrote:Wow! Where to begin? In order to get the second car to the Valley, follow them down, leaving your car there, then all shuttle back up together and drop off everyone at their designated trailhead. They could go up to May Lake and hike Mt Hoffman, go to North Dome, Cathedral Lakes, Glen Aulin, Young Lakes as overnight in-and-outs or multiple days without going too far or the hike being too hard for the most part. All these places also have lots of views and places to explore with day hikes. By name, the trailheads are by the destinations I just mentioned, so pick one and see what's available. Check your topo to see what they might be interested in. Check the full trailhead report I linked for what's likely easy to get and by name. Trailhead maps and descriptions: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/ ... lheads.pdf.
tsarles wrote:What I meant by this is, if we have to start our hike on Saturday and not Friday, we were thinking of camping north of CR instead of Sunrise Creek and doing HD and back down to the valley all of Sunday (all for the priviledge of getting sunset and sunrise on the summit). Would this be worth the extra work on Sunday or is it even possible?
tsarles wrote:Also in regards to bushwhacking past Quarter dome - this sounds like an awesome detour that I would love to hear more about. Do we just stay on the edge of Tenaya Canyon all the way to HD Trail? Does this route save a lot of time? Is it easy to find or do we run of the risk of getting lost and having to backtrack? Also how difficult is it compared to just taking the trail? We would obviously like to save time and energy and this does seem like a great route but just scared of getting lost/being to scary to continue. Do we have to summit QD or can we go around it? If you could provide any details regarding this I would love to hear more.
Phil wrote:Dependent on when you get to the Valley on Thursday, you can also pick up permits at the wilderness office there, which closes at 5. At that point, if they're available, that would be for Friday entry. If not, either spend the time hanging out down there until 11 or use it to make your way up to Tuolumne. Also consider that driving in from the Bay Area on Thursday, earlier, is better than Friday. You'll not only avoid the weekend rush and potentially long lines at Big Oak Flat, and have a better shot at getting your permit, late afternoon/evening traffic from the Bay Bridge to Oakdale is hellacious. If it's looking like you won't make it to the Valley before the office closes, go ahead and swing by the permit office at Big Oak Flat for the best chance of hiking on Friday happening.
Phil wrote:You kind of still lost me here. Are you wanting to see the sunrise/sunset from the summit of HD or CR? Sunrise is easy. But sunset from CR isn't going to get you down to Sunrise Creek the same day, and sunset from HD isn't going to get you down to the Valley, the exception being, hiking and making camp by headlamp. It's doable, but it's not the most pleasant and relaxing way to spend your evening...more a mission than an outing. Either Friday or Saturday, camp north of CR. Take in the sunset from there that night. Honestly, while HD is bucket list, "iconic", I don't consider it worth the time or work at all anymore. Anybody that's here regularly will tell you that CR is the superior experience. Be that as it may, if you're at Sunrise Creek, it's a long day to go up to HD and back to the Valley on the same day, but millions do it. If you're north of CR, consider the cross country route, although I'm hesitant to recommend it if you're lacking the experience and have any personal uncertainty at all (more on this next).
Phil wrote:I take it you have a topo map and can read it to some extent? Look at the trails and the contour intervals. You're not going to climb anything or whack any bushes, you're going to leave the trail and walk through the forest on a gentle descent, in basically in a straight line. You're also not going to get "lost". You might get momentarily disoriented, but you're completely boxed in by trails that are in close proximity, as well as a really big drop if you go too far right ( which, yes, you can follow if you need to). What that route does is cut you across the big trail loop, a 1200 foot descent, and another 1200 foot re-climb that you would otherwise have to take on-trail. If you have any reservations at all, don't do it. It's easier than you might think though, and you will hit the HD trail eventually, somewhere along it, but my perspective is one where, besides having experience and solid navigational skills, I'm perfectly willing to wander around until I figure it out, and don't consider myself lost until I run out of food and water so, YMMV. If you do it, and if you have a GPS receiver, bring it. Even if it's not life and death, I'm not big on sending people out to get into things that put them too far out of the comfort levels of their ability.
Return to Yosemite Hiking & Backpacking
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests