High Sierra Topix

Thanks Wandering Daisy! I have always wanted to check out Bedsores road, I just wasn't sure on the conditions of the road, which are the good trail heads,permits..... A friend had suggested checking out the Dinkey Lakes area which I have never been to. My only complaint was that some of the lakes seemed to be almost too short of a hike. I think in the beginning of July I am going to do another 3 night trip out of Buckeye. When we did it last year at around the same time, we had no trouble crossing the river and saw zero people the entire trip. Tons of bear activity though! Thankfully bear canisters work! It's definitely on my list for more trips! Anyway I will check out all the suggestions from everybody, I really, really appreciate it! Some years I have more time to figure out new routes but this has been a very busy year for me. With this trip I have to take so many factors into account that it can be really difficult to find a spot that works for everyone. Thanks for helping me think it through and I'll give a trip report when we return.

Flow in the rivers this year (80-100 % snowpack) at the same time are going to be vastly different then last year (15% snowpack), as is the amount of snow on the ground. I have done Buckeye three times, and once I had to wade through crotch to waist deep water (but I am short). One other difference this year is that the last week when generally the snow is melting, it has been unusually cold and even more snow has fallen.

Another early trip I have done out of Bridgeport is Green Lake and then on some snow for day-hikes up to East Lake and West Lake. Again, with the recent snow, I am not sure the road will be open.

Wandering Daisy wrote:SEKI does not allow dogs in the parks.

I would not say the east side is out, because with Tioga Pass open, it is a straight shot to Lee Vining. I think the higher elevations, thus more snow, is more of a factor that would deter an east side trip, rather than the drive time.

Look at the FS land on the south border of Yosemite. From Fernandez trailhead you can easily get into the Lillian Lake area. It is at about 8500 feet but gets fair sunlight so may be snow-free enough to find dry campsites. It all would depend on if the Beasores Road is open to the trailhead. I heard that Minaret Road is open now. Another close by area would be Cora Lakes up to Sadler Lake. Again it depends on the road being open.

Obviously, if you leave the dog home, more possibilities open up such as Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, which has been one of my regular early season trips. Or trips out of Hetch Hetchy.

I am debating on a 5-6 day trip around Memorial Day too. Deep river crossings are a problem. Am looking for a route with bridges.

If you do the Lillian Lake route, I can offer some good tips. Great area.

Wandering Daisy wrote: Desolation Wilderness is also dog friendly, but not sure what their group size limit is. Aloha Lake is huge with lots of campsites. Suzie Lake from Gen Aulin offers less in roomy camping. The Velma Lakes are nice but you may hit snow on the way in.

Many Desolation zones have quotas of 8 or less, but there are some zones that have large quotas. Permits for Aloha are almost surely reserved for a weekend start date, but the quota is 36 so a walk up may be possible. I was out that way hiking Glen Alpine trailhead towards Aloha on 5/23/14 and we only made it to Heather Lake due to too much snow. With more snow this year, I guess maybe two weeks later could possibly be ok, but I'd definitely go in expecting snow.

Check the Desolation Wilderness guide for details.

Snowfields on the west shore of Susie on 5/23/14 by Maia Averett, on Flickr

At that time of year, Emigrant out of crabtree would be the best place as it's at a lower elevation without steep passes. Emigrant is a really fun place to hike. There are no quotas for emigrant.