Backpacking with parents (Rafferty Creek to Happy Isles)

[stephen_s]

Thanks so much for all the replies! This is super helpful. And I'm loving the looks of these other options.
A couple follow up questions:

1. Several of you suggest alternate routes that don't go back down to the Valley. Are they pretty flexible about exit trailhead? I've got the permit to exit at Happy Isles on a specific date (July 6).

2. The main concern we have right now is acclimating to the elevation. It's a bit of a crunch for time because we're going to drive to Yosemite on July 1. That means the best we could do is get to Tuolumne Meadows backpacker camp sometime in the afternoon or evening. And then we're supposed to hit the trail the next day. Is that an unreasonably short amount to time to adjust to the elevation? We'll be coming from basically sea level.

[bbayley80]

Wildhiker took the recommendation right out of my head! I ditto that. outstanding.
Stephen_s , as WanderingDaisy mentions- swing into REI and we will be more than happy to help you out

[maiathebee]

Thanks so much for all the replies! This is super helpful. And I'm loving the looks of these other options.
A couple follow up questions:

1. Several of you suggest alternate routes that don't go back down to the Valley. Are they pretty flexible about exit trailhead? I've got the permit to exit at Happy Isles on a specific date (July 6).

You can always change exit trailhead and date when you pick up your permit. The start date and trailhead are the thing that are fixed with your permit. The only exception to this is exiting on the JMT over Donahue Pass, where you'd need a separate permit for that.

2. The main concern we have right now is acclimating to the elevation. It's a bit of a crunch for time because we're going to drive to Yosemite on July 1. That means the best we could do is get to Tuolumne Meadows backpacker camp sometime in the afternoon or evening. And then we're supposed to hit the trail the next day. Is that an unreasonably short amount to time to adjust to the elevation? We'll be coming from basically sea level.

Getting to altitude the afternoon before will help a lot, you should be ok. Try to take a little walk / dayhike around Tuolumne somewhere to get your blood going too.

[bobby49]

Getting to altitude the afternoon before will help a lot, you should be ok. Try to take a little walk / dayhike around Tuolumne somewhere to get your blood going too.

I will agree with that and extend it by saying that getting a good solid night of sleep at Tuolumne Meadows is important. Walking around in the afternoon is important. You don't want to walk around enough to get exhausted, but you want to walk some hills enough to deepen your breathing so that your body senses the decrease in air pressure, and it will start its short-term altitude adjustment, which is mostly a few changes in respiration.

Between your neck and your brain, you have so-called carotid bodies that monitor circulation. That includes baroreceptors that monitor pressure, and chemoreceptors that monitor chemical changes. If you don't take the afternoon walk, then those never get any changes to monitor.

[wildhiker]

As for Yosemite permit flexibility - in my 45 years backpacking in Yosemite Park (well, not every year, but most), the only thing they ever cared about was your entry date and entry trailhead, and camping the first night in the requested direction from the trailhead. Everything else could be changed when you got the permit or "on the fly" as you hike. Take longer, take shorter, camp in different places, come out at a different place - all perfectly legit. Only exceptions to this general rule of flexibility relate to the hordes on the John Muir Trail, starting in Yosemite Valley or exiting over Donohue Pass. You are not planning either of those (nor is anyone suggesting an alternative involving those), so you have complete flexibility, as long as you start up the Rafferty Creek trail on your permit date and camp the first night at least 4 miles up that trail.

A couple of lovely short walks at Tuolumne Meadows the first day would be:
1) From the parking for "Pothole Dome" on the west end of the meadows, take the use trail along the meadow edge for less than 1/4 mile to where the big granite dome on your left has diminished to a nice low-angle slope. Then leave the trail and walk up that slope to the top of the Dome for great views of the whole area. 15 minutes or less to the top of the Dome from the parking area.
2) Walk to the Soda Springs from the parking area at the base of Lembert Dome. Great views of the Cathedral Range peaks across the meadows. Keep going further if you like on the Pacific Crest Trail in and out of meadows, then turn around and come back.

-Phil

[stephen_s]

Thanks again. Everyone is being so helpful!

I'm considering all the excellent suggestions you've provided and also looking into a couple alternate routes, based on permit availability.
Is anyone familiar with the May Lake to Snow Creek or Porcupine Creek trailheads? I'm looking at something like this:

Day 1: Enter May Lake to Snow Creek, camp along Snow Creek or Tenaya Creek.
Day 2: Hike to Sunrise Lakes
Day 3: Day Hike Clouds Rest, camp Sunrise Lakes
Day 4: Hike to Cathedral Lakes
Day 5: Exit at Tuolumne

Here's a link to the route: https://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/view/2440051939

Looks pretty doable. But I wonder if that first night has anywhere good to set up camp.

[bobby49]

I'm familiar with those places. May Lake is north of the highway, but Snow Creek is south of the highway, so it isn't clear where you are going or why. If you are going to Sunrise Lakes, then there are other better trailheads for a start.

The Snow Creek Trail is a good way to go between Yosemite Valley and the highway or vice versa.

You know, in Yosemite you generally need to be at least four miles in before you can camp.

[c9h13no3]

Thanks again. Everyone is being so helpful!

I'm considering all the excellent suggestions you've provided and also looking into a couple alternate routes, based on permit availability.
Is anyone familiar with the May Lake to Snow Creek or Porcupine Creek trailheads? I'm looking at something like this:

Day 1: Enter May Lake to Snow Creek, camp along Snow Creek or Tenaya Creek.
Day 2: Hike to Sunrise Lakes
Day 3: Day Hike Clouds Rest, camp Sunrise Lakes
Day 4: Hike to Cathedral Lakes
Day 5: Exit at Tuolumne

Here's a link to the route: https://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/view/2440051939

Looks pretty doable. But I wonder if that first night has anywhere good to set up camp.

The route you shared isn't public. Planning to go down into the valley from the May Lake trailhead? Or hike past Olmstead point along the highway up to Tenaya Lake & then on to Sunrise Lakes?

I don't really think that super-busy corridor from Happy Isles Bridge to Cathedral Lake (including Half Dome, Clouds Rest, LYV & the JMT) is the best for backpacking. All the neato stuff is pretty close to a road & in day hike distance, so no need to lug a ton of weight around. Course, I avoid Yosemite June-August altogether, so what do I know?

[stephen_s]

The route you shared isn't public. Planning to go down into the valley from the May Lake trailhead? Or hike past Olmstead point along the highway up to Tenaya Lake & then on to Sunrise Lakes?

Oops! Fixed that. Here's the link again: https://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/view/2440051939

Yeah the trailhead starts at Tioga Rd and goes south along Snow Creek (It's called May Lake -> Snow Creek). Apparently there's a pretty impressive overlook near the Snow Creek footbridge, but in past years camping is sometimes prohibited because of a bear that pushes canisters off the cliff. So I'm wondering if anyone has camped somewhere in that area or otherwise along that trail.

And yes, the idea would be to hike past Olmstead and then on to Sunrise. The whole reason for the route is to find an alternative with less elevation change, and an easier first day to help with acclimating. It also sets us up nicely to be able to day hike Clouds Rest.

I know it's not an ideal itinerary, but I'm balancing a couple things: trailheads are largely booked up, so that means getting creative; and my parents are concerned about the elevation gain on the first day of our existing plan, which starts at Rafferty Creek.

May Lake -> Snow Creek has wide open availability, which makes me think there's something wrong with it. Haha!

[bobby49]

Yeah the trailhead starts at Tioga Rd and goes south along Snow Creek (It's called May Lake -> Snow Creek). Apparently there's a pretty impressive overlook near the Snow Creek footbridge, but in past years camping is sometimes prohibited because of a bear that pushes canisters off the cliff. So I'm wondering if anyone has camped somewhere in that area or otherwise along that trail.

There is a view from the Snow Creek Trail, but is it worth it to hike all the way downhill that far to see a view of Yosemite Valley, and then turn around and walk back uphill again? Some people do camp near the Snow Creek Cabin. I would not think of that as a great place to camp. The Snow Creek Trail is more of a route to get from the valley up to the high country in a hurry.

There are all sorts of places to go, but somehow you aren't finding them.