Hey everybody. Claire sent in an email asking: “i was thinking you’d be the perfect person to provide some tips about good backpacking routes. my boyfriend and i are coming out for a 4-5 day trip in the second week of may and we’re trying to figure out a good kinda low-key trip (6-10 mi/day, not too too cold/snowy).”
What do you think? What are some good trails for Claire and her boyfriend to backpack on in mid May? Post your ideas in the comments here or send me an email (loyd at yosemiteblog.com).
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Comments
6 responses to “Let’s Help Claire Out”
May’s an early time to backpack in Yosemite, especially for an extended trip. If you want to enjoy yourself, think low elevation. Think Hetch Hetchy. You can always hole yourself up at Rancheria Falls for a few days, if weather is bad. Cross your fingers and aim to complete a 30-mile loop via Rancheria to Tiltill Valley to Lake Vernon to Laurel Lake. Top elevation I believe is about 8K – 8.5K, but that’s only for a short stretch. Have a compass, map, and GPS with you, in case snow blots out your trail. Cheers, K
This trail can be hit or miss in May, but I’ve found parts of the John Muir Trail out of the valley are very nice. When I previously did it in May, the trail was very nice until the last 6-7 miles before Toulumne. However, we had kept a close watch on the trail prior to leaving, which was what allowed us to tackle it.
The way our weather is right now in March, leaves me to believe that in May there will be a lot of snow, mud, mudslides, high water, etc. I would suggest against back country backpacking, unless you are experienced and if you were experienced you wouldn’t be asking a blog question, instead you would researching maps and routes and plan the type of trip you would like to do according to climate and location.
If you would like to spend some time enjoying the park, you can bike ride through the park and then camp in the valley.
Claire:
I agree with Wendy that conditions in May in the backcountry will be questionable. In will be important to check with the Wilderness Office regarding trail conditions before heading out.
That said, here is an option that I would expect to be clear, though not giving you the mileage that you are looking for.
Hike up to Little Yosemite Valley (@6200′). IT’s only about 5 miles, but on the way you’ll go up one of the most beautifull trails in Yosemite – the Mist Trail – past Vernal and Nevada Falls. From there, there are a couple of possible rewarding day hikes. 1) the Panorama trail to Glacier Point. There may still be some snow at GP by then, but probably just patches. At any rate, the Panorama Trail is worthy in itself. 2) Another dayhike is up Litttle Yosemite Valley as close to Merced Lake as you can get (check with the Wilderness Office – you may be able to make it all the way, in which case you could backpack to the lake).
A wonderful provision for those with wilderness permits is that you can stay in the Backpacker’s Campground in Yosemite Valley one night before and/or one night after your wilderness trip ($5 per person per night). This is in my opinion, by far the best campground in Yosemtie Valley – quiet, relative solitude and a fine setting. This is a fine base camp to explore some of the Valley itself.
Hope this helps.
Jon
http://www.YosemiteTrailsDVD.com
While I love TilTill valley, as I understand it, it could be very boggy this time of year. Mid to late summer would be optimum.
Pre summer I would highly recommend the Ventana Wilderness (inland from Big Sur). It is the right time of year for that region (water, wild flowers, greenery), and no snow. This isn’t the Sierras, but it is back country wilderness for sure. No rangers, you are on your own.
Wherever you get to ENJOY!
I second the call for Yosemite. If you’ve never been then you have to go, and May really isn’t too early. Just check the conditions before hand as Jon said.