Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia adventures August/September

Great choice of location: the Sierra is some of my favorite backcountry.

One thing first that’s a moderately unique feature if the American west
: the Sierra is black bear country and these clever (they easily open car doors using the handle if it’s not locked) animals have identified the food carried by backpackers as a source of easy calories. The federal parks are concerned that close encounters between a creature that can peel open a steel car door frame like a Pringle’s can and we rather soft humans is best avoided and have established wilderness food storage regulations o severely reduce the possibility for food rewards to bears from backpackers (they have zero interest in people as prey, these are NOT the far more hazardous grizzly bears which is no longer found in California).

So in all of Yosemite and certain zones in Sequoia Kings Canyon all food must be stored in hard sided bear resistant food storage containers. The alternative for much of SeKi is hanging a food storage sack high in a tree: but much of your areas of interest are above tree line...,

Yosemite
www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bears.htm

Sequoia Kings Canyon
www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/bear_bc.htm

Routes with names are very competitive for trailhead entry permits, and Rae Lakes further restricts overnights at each lake. An alternative to consider, though a lollipop from Onion Valley would work (but that drop and climb into and out of Kings Canyon: ugh) so another option with a huge daily quota could be one of the trailheads out of Horsedhoe Meadows: 100 per day split between reserved and walk in. Head north to Crabtree and day hike Mt. Whitney (highest peak in the lower 48 states, great views) then keep north and either loop around the Kern headwaters or go over Forester and beyond, maybe exit out Kearsarge. There are commercial shuttles to get you back. Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce has contact info.

lonepinechamber.org/services-available-chamber-of-commerce/

Inyo NF trailheads and quotas
www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5143453.pdf

Recreation dot gov for Inyo Wilderness Permits
www.recreation.gov/permits/233262

Cathedral is arguably THE most popular trailhead in the entire park. Even beyond the crazy Happy Isles as there’s no climb out of the hot Valley. If you get it, terrific, but otherwise a nice alternative is the Rafferty Creek TH then over either Vogelsang or Tuolumne pass and onward to reverse your loop. As they hold a percentage for walk in applications at the Tuolumne Meadows wilderness office you’ll have choices no matter what.

Bear canisters are mandatory in Yosemite, nothing else works and there’s one bear that stays near Snow Creek that has learned even canisters give up their contents when dropped off a cliff onto granite boulders... for a reason no one knows she’s not taught that to her cubs so the rangers just closed her area to overnight camping (too bad great views of Half Dome) and monitor her.

For relevant current information in Yosemite nothing beats its webpages.

www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildpermits.htm

Trailhead/trail descriptions etc. also a full trailhead reservation report.
www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/fulltrailheads.htm

Though, of course they hold some for walk ups.


The Sierra has some very high elevations and some people take a while to acclimate (staying in top of hydration helps: the air is really dry): so Yosemite with its lower elevation could be a good start, then head over Tioga Pass and down 395 to your next trailhead (some of those passes are very high: Glen at 10,500, Forester at 13,153 and of course Mt. Whitney at 14,505....

Solitude is a relative term. You won't be alone on those routes, but by most standards, they couldn't be termed "crowded". Busy, but not enough to distract from the beauty.

If you have been to Yosemite Valley years ago, the crowds there these days are intense from May through October. Spend as little time in the valley proper as possible.

A good side day hike as you go from Tuolumne Meadows area hiking to the east side is 20 Lakes Basin, pretty flat trail at 9,000 feet. If you can, make reservations and spend a night at Tioga Pass Resort. They were hammered by snow damage in 2017 and rebuilding. You'll need to stay on top of it to get reservations if they open in 2020. Not a "must do" thing, but it has charm and great food, even if you don't spend the night.

www.tiogapassresort.com/

The Mobil Mart in Lee Vining has good food one wouldn't expect at a gas station. Fish tacos and general fusion food. It's kind of a novelty. If there is a crowded parking lot and/or tour buses in the parking lot, not worth dealing with the crowd.  Also a good place to fill up the gas tank if you are driving.

www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g32617-d582887-Reviews-Tioga_Gas_Mart_Whoa_Nellie_Deli-Lee_Vining_California.html

Nicely's in Lee Vining has more traditional american food without the gong show.

www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g32617-d532494-Reviews-Nicely_s-Lee_Vining_California.html

These are some of the better places to eat between the west entrance of Yosemite and June Lake.

Mammoth and Bishop are another story entirely.

There is a good hostel in Bishop for an inexpensive night's stay if that's your thing.

www.thehostelcalifornia.com/en-gb

^^^ was hoping you would show up on this thread markskor . Will you be working at the TM store again next year?

Yosemite is not my strong area other that Lyell Canyon.

hi All, thanks for the great tips and info.

Mark, your suggested amends sound great if we succeed in getting permits; Washburn lake looks very pretty. Looking at all the amazing scenery and options, it's hard to contain my desire to squeeze everything in; it's a long way to come from Scotland, but I'm sure we'll return to explore more of the Sierras.

Our tent is great in windy conditions www.vango.co.uk/gb/camping/1131-scafell-300.html, but I'm worried that it's going to be tough to pitch on the rocky, granite surfaces. A dome tent is much better suited to those ground conditions. Do you think we should be okay with a tunnel tent? We'll hopefully get the chance to say thanks in person when we make it to TM.

High Sierra Fan, thanks for your view on Lewis and we will be very cautious with the different bear behaviours in Yosemite.

John, the suggestions for eating and sleeping look great, we'll be sure to check them out.

Happy New Year when it comes everyone!
Susan

You will be fine. Use rocks to anchor the tent guyouts rather than stakes. I don't carry stakes in the sierra. Tie long loops of para cord to the tent guyouts and loop them over heavy rocks.  I'll post up a pic later.

As toejam notes, there are a plethora of backpacking options in the sierra. We could flood you with our favorites, but I think you've selected a good intro to the area. Do you want other suggestions?

As a side note, lodging anywhere in the sierra can be hard to come by at that time, especially on weekends.  It is very busy with both US and Euro tourists.  If you get your itinerary nailed down hard enough to know what nights you will want to stay in a hotel, it is best to make reservations as soon as possible so you don't find yourself going from hotel to hotel trying to find a room. When you decide which towns you will be staying in, we can make some hotel recommendations based on your price range.  Best to be in the back country on weekends and use weekdays for town visits to avoid crowds at hotels, restaurants and roads.