Trip Planning Questions, Tuolumne Meadows late August

[ScottG]

Thanks again all; some great discussions and feedback.

[Wandering Daisy]

I camped in 10Lakes Basin early season with nobody in sight, but you are probably correct about August crowds.
Just to add: I would not go down to Yosemite Valley in August but save that for an early summer or spring trip. The valley is really hot, crowded, and full of polluted air, as well as many waterfalls have dried up. Long term climate predictions show that we are supposed to have a hotter than average August.

[ScottG]

I camped in 10Lakes Basin early season with nobody in sight, but you are probably correct about August crowds.
Just to add: I would not go down to Yosemite Valley in August but save that for an early summer or spring trip. The valley is really hot, crowded, and full of polluted air, as well as many waterfalls have dried up. Long term climate predictions show that we are supposed to have a hotter than average August.

Thanks, WD. For our travel / zero day before the hike I had debated spending a few hours in the valley, but for this trip I think we'll get more out of exploring the TM area. Selfishly, I'd rather do some fly-fishing in TM than fight the crowds in the valley.

[rgliebe]

I've seen Rafferty Creek bone dry in late August in an average year, and this is a drought year, so don't expect any water in it in August this year. The first water you will come to that is guaranteed is Boothe Lake, which is where the High Sierra camp originally was located. The problem is you have to hike down to it or you have to hike around it, and either one takes some serious time (maybe 15-20 minutes). Boothe Lake has better campsite options on the west side than Vogelsang Lake or the High Sierra Camp Backpacker's Campground, which forces you to camp a long walk from the water at Fletcher Lake (reminds me of LYV camping), and rarely is more than one group camped at Boothe Lake.

Vogelsang Lake has very little tree cover or flat space, so you will see the stars well at night but you will have very little shade on what is likely a hot day. If the wind comes up, you will get hit there. I have always seen someone camped at Vogelsang Lake when I go through there, so odds are high you won't be the only group there. Fletcher Creek will have some water in it too, but it is a good hour after Boothe Lake and right before the climb starts to Vogelsang Lake. It also flows right through the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, so it gets heavy traffic when that camp is open.

Don't count on the the High Sierra Camps opening this year. When they have opened in recent years, it has been for a short period of time and I have no idea how they made money on them.

As for 10 Lakes, it gets less traffic than any of the trails out of Tuolumne Meadows, and there are plenty of lakes you can camp at with no one around if you avoid the two biggest lakes that are right by the trail. The higher lakes often retain snow well after other areas of the park have melted completely. There are just as many off trail exploration options for beautiful lakes there as there are in the Vogelsang area, just with more trees. The wind always seems to blow strongly most of the time in the 10 Lakes area, so expect it to be windy much of the time. My favorite side trip there is a cross country hike to Grant Lake, the source of Yosemite Creek, following the creek upstream and then returning to the main trail on a spur trail that ends at the lake.