Yosemite September 3 nights 4 days - Looking for trip ideas

[Scout620]

Planning 1st father/son trip to Yosemite. Looking for suggestions. I'm planning a trip with my son for September, just after Labor Day. My son lives in Fremont, CA.
We will be driving early from Fremont. Would like to spend spend 3 nights, hike out the 4th day. (Could spend up to 4 nights. 5 days total available for trip with drove back to Freemont.)
As everyone who goes to Yosemite, looking for some epic scenery. Moderate level, ave 10-12 (+-) mi per day as we will be coming from sea level.
I'm experienced. This will be his first multi day trip.
Want to get any permit applications needed in ASAP. Thanks for your suggestions.

[wornoutboots]

You could park in the Valley and take the JMT out of GP to LYV & camp there on day 1, then leave your camp set up & hike up & do Halfdome. Once back to camp, head up the Merced River to the Merced HSC then onto Vogelsang HSC to Lake Virginia Trail, back then South on the JMT to TM & catch a Yarts back to the valley? It's a perfect 3-4 day trek with jaw dropping scenery & plenty of crazy amazing campsites & hidden little lakes all along the way, It's @ 40 miles, (including the 7 miles out & back from LYV to HD). This route gives you the best bang for your buck, Amazing high country, lakes, cascades in, "Cascade Valley", (high sierra camps) HSC's & high mountain lakes with plenty of places to camp so your not fighting to "have to get somewhere" everyday. I would suggest camping at "Babcock Lake" incredible setting! I suggest the Harrison Map set if you don't have them.
75673www.tomharrisonmaps.com

Enjoy

[wornoutboots]

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[wornoutboots]

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I detoured off the JMT on my 2014 Thru-hike & these are a few pix along the route I described above. Whatever you choose, have a great Adventure!!!

~Boots~

[DLP]

I live in Fremont. :)

I'm very partial to camping on North Dome. It feels like you can reach out and touch Half Dome. It is relatively easy to get permits from Porcupine Creek on Tioga Road. I took these photos with a crappy camera and didn't enhance them at all. https://www.flickr.com/photos/50951735@N05/sets/72157627315606441/ The first day is "flat" for Yosemite and a short day.

From North Dome, I'd map out some kind of hike like up to Olmstead Point and on to Tenaya Lake and down to Sunrise Lakes and Clouds Rest and down to the Valley.

[DLP]

Or at Sunrise Lakes, you can get on the JMT and take it to Tuolumne Meadows. You can cross Tioga Rd at TM and get on the PCT north out to Glen Aulin and then to Polly Dome Lakes or May Lake and do a lolly pop loop back to your car...

[Scout620]

You could park in the Valley and take the JMT out of GP to LYV & camp there on day 1, then leave your camp set up & hike up & do Halfdome. Once back to camp, head up the Merced River to the Merced HSC then onto Vogelsang HSC to Lake Virginia Trail, back then South on the JMT to TM & catch a Yarts back to the valley? It's a perfect 3-4 day trek with jaw dropping scenery & plenty of crazy amazing campsites & hidden little lakes all along the way, It's @ 40 miles, (including the 7 miles out & back from LYV to HD). This route gives you the best bang for your buck, Amazing high country, lakes, cascades in, "Cascade Valley", (high sierra camps) HSC's & high mountain lakes with plenty of places to camp so your not fighting to "have to get somewhere" everyday. I would suggest camping at "Babcock Lake" incredible setting! I suggest the Harrison Map set if you don't have them.
75673www.tomharrisonmaps.com

Enjoy

Thanks Wornoutboots!!! Which set of maps are for this section?
Thanks again!

[Scout620]

Or at Sunrise Lakes, you can get on the JMT and take it to Tuolumne Meadows. You can cross Tioga Rd at TM and get on the PCT north out to Glen Aulin and then to Polly Dome Lakes or May Lake and do a lolly pop loop back to your car...


Great pics! What a view! I can see why you are partial to ND. Thanks so much for your suggestions.

[futureatwalker]

Or at Sunrise Lakes, you can get on the JMT and take it to Tuolumne Meadows. You can cross Tioga Rd at TM and get on the PCT north out to Glen Aulin and then to Polly Dome Lakes or May Lake and do a lolly pop loop back to your car...

We did this a few years ago with our children (aged 7 and 9).

First, Tuolume Meadows is paradise. If you get a permit for the backcountry, you can stay at the backpackers portion of the Tuolumne Meadows campground - which I'd recommend. Be sure to take a swim in the river adjacent to the campground.

The hike to Glen Aulin is spectacular. At Glen Aulin, go for the higher up campsites if they are available.

We did the loop to Polly Dome lakes. I enjoyed it, but it was buggy in late July. In September, it will be perfect.

[Coffee]

I like a number of the earlier suggestions and this year it *should* be a bit easier to score a permit within Yosemite itself since JMT thru hikers are not able to consume all of the Happy Isles and Glacier Point permits if they want to go over Donohue Pass.

I would try to leave from Glacier Point using the Panorama Trail joining the JMT just before Nevada Fall. I would camp at Little Yosemite Valley, setting up camp and then doing a Half Dome hike in the mid-late afternoon (fewer people summit HD in afternoon). Spend the night in Little Yosemite Valley. Hike to Merced Lake the next day and hang around the high sierra camp and lake area and spend the night. Next day hike up to Vogelsang via the Lewis Creek Trail over Vogelsang Pass (rather than the Fletcher Creek trail). Camp at Vogelsang. On the final day, hike to Tuolumne either via the Rafferty Creek trail, or taking the trail from Vogelsang to the JMT in Lyell Canyon and then hiking the JMT toward Tuolumne.

In the summer, YARTS could be used to connect back to Yosemite Valley and there is a bus to Glacier Point, although I'm not sure how the schedules would work out without camping in Tuolumne for a night first.

[Scout620]

You could park in the Valley and take the JMT out of GP to LYV & camp there on day 1, then leave your camp set up & hike up & do Halfdome. Once back to camp, head up the Merced River to the Merced HSC then onto Vogelsang HSC to Lake Virginia Trail, back then South on the JMT to TM & catch a Yarts back to the valley? It's a perfect 3-4 day trek with jaw dropping scenery & plenty of crazy amazing campsites & hidden little lakes all along the way, It's @ 40 miles, (including the 7 miles out & back from LYV to HD). This route gives you the best bang for your buck, Amazing high country, lakes, cascades in, "Cascade Valley", (high sierra camps) HSC's & high mountain lakes with plenty of places to camp so your not fighting to "have to get somewhere" everyday. I would suggest camping at "Babcock Lake" incredible setting! I suggest the Harrison Map set if you don't have them.
75673www.tomharrisonmaps.com

Enjoy

Sorry, WOB what does GP refer to? Can't find on the map.

[DLP]

Sorry, WOB what does GP refer to? Can't find on the map. Glacier Point. Also spectacular!

[wornoutboots]

Thanks Wornoutboots!!! Which set of maps are for this section?
Thanks again!
Harrison Map Set covers the whole JMT + many side trails. This hike can be found on Maps # 12 & 13.

[wornoutboots]

Also GP will not be on the Map set. You'll take a guided shuttle bus from the lodge up to there $25 well worth it! From there you'll start on the Panorama Trail & connect to the JMT, they meet up on top of Nevada Falls.

[Scout620]

Also GP will not be on the Map set. You'll take a guided shuttle bus from the lodge up to there $25 well worth it! From there you'll start on the Panorama Trail & connect to the JMT, they meet up on top of Nevada Falls.

Thank you!!!

[Miner]

Hike through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne between White Wolf and Glen Aulin. Has the best back country water falls. though they will be far more spectacular in May/June then September.

[RedwoodRoots]

I know you already have plenty of input, but Glen Aulin is an absolutely fantastic stop in Yosemite, and from there you can go down the Grand Canyon of Yosemite! Wonderful! I know that my dad has had a hankering to do Lyell Canyon for a while too.

I'll be doing a 5 day, 3 night this summer where we will leave from Glacier Point, camp in the Illilouette valley, and then hike into little Yosemite for Half Dome and undecided where we will be our third night, but we are planning on summiting Clouds Rest and then back into the valley. Lots of ups, since we are doing Half Dome, and Clouds rest, but hiking down from Glacier Point cuts out some of the more brutal up up up hiking in the beginning, and has the added benefit of being easier to acquire permits for...

[Scout620]

I know you already have plenty of input, but Glen Aulin is an absolutely fantastic stop in Yosemite, and from there you can go down the Grand Canyon of Yosemite! Wonderful! I know that my dad has had a hankering to do Lyell Canyon for a while too.

I'll be doing a 5 day, 3 night this summer where we will leave from Glacier Point, camp in the Illilouette valley, and then hike into little Yosemite for Half Dome and undecided where we will be our third night, but we are planning on summiting Clouds Rest and then back into the valley. Lots of ups, since we are doing Half Dome, and Clouds rest, but hiking down from Glacier Point cuts out some of the more brutal up up up hiking in the beginning, and has the added benefit of being easier to acquire permits for...
Thanks RR, Let me know how your hike goes this summer. Have fun!

[Scout620]

Hike through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne between White Wolf and Glen Aulin. Has the best back country water falls. though they will be far more spectacular in May/June then September.
Thanks Miner! Looks like it will be 1st or 2n week in October. With the drought, I don't think there will me much in the way of waterfalls. I'll check out Glen Aulin as a possibility. Thanks again

[Malto]

Having hiked extensively all over the Sierra I would like to offer an alternative. When I started I thought Yosemite was the end all be all until I discovered Kings Canyon. I would seriously consider doing a trip in from Florence Lake. This year could be interesting with the water levels but in normal years you can take a boat across and you are dropped right in the heart of the Sierra. From there you can head up the JMT to evolution Lake and there are limitless options to explore in that area. IMHO, a much better bang for the buck.