Renting Equipment in Yosemite?
 

My husband and I will be going to Yosemite for 3 nights in mid-August. We planned to do the hike down from Glacier Point and the hike up to Nevada Falls. Does anybody know if there is some place to rent hiking poles in the park? We rented them at the Grand Canyon.

you could buy them at a sporting goods store or walmart. they fit in most suit cases. the calapsable ones do anyway. you could buy them when you get there. most are less than $10.

I think you'd be better off buying, too, but that said, we rented X-country skis there a few years ago, and as I recall it was a pretty well-stocked shop. Surely you could call? Sorry I couldn't be more specific.

Don't make any plans - until we know how the fire conditions settle out.

Currently the Park is ope but w/o power. But the sort of terrain where this fire is will make it VERY hard to control.

Stupid target shooter that triggered this one - some folks are dumber than rocks!!!

Yep - some folks are indeed dumber than rocks.

We were invited to go target shooting a few weeks ago - we declined and told the people we didn't think they should go out either with the fire danger so high. It is too risky.

I called The Village Sport Shop and they said they don't rent them; she said some place else in the park might but she wasn't sure.

We have heard about the fire in the park. we will not be going until August 12 so hopefully, the fires will be out. I can't believe it was a target shooter!

By the way, we did buy some at Target and we were not very happy with how they held up. Are there any other brands people recommend?

I know a lot of people just use ski poles. If for some reason you don't go to Yosemite, head to Sequoia/Kings Canyon. Maybe better hiking there anyway. You will not have the waterfalls though. Less-crowded and the biggest tree in the world.

Kerry, do you have an REI near you? That's my go-to for any and all kinds of hiking equipment, and the salespeople there can give you very good advice. Failing an actual store, you could check out their website...

The fire is not in Yosemite. It's about 20 miles west along the Merced river.

&quot;<i>We have heard about the fire in the park</i>&quot;

As Barbara says - the fire is not in the park. However, there is no electricity in several parts of the Valley. The Valley is not being evacuated at this time - but many visitors have left because of conditions (no power/smoke/etc)

Saw one whiny ass gal - harumphing about how dare they charge for rooms w/o any electricity - while 2000 firefighters are trying just to save some homes and keep the hwy open

The main problem is the area has not burned in more than 100 years so the growth/brush etc is VERY dense and is burning very hot.

BTW - fires are GOOD - they help regenerate the forest. Unfortunately partly because of misguided fire suppression in the past and all the residential developments it means blazes can become huge and uncontrollable in a short time.

Here's a short article giving some idea of conditions in the Park from the LA Times today:

http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal...re-yosem-2375/

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, CA-140 is now closed.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl....DTL&amp;tsp=1

The Panorama Trail (one of our absolute favorites ever) starts at Glacier Point and goes by (actually over) Nevada Falls and Mist Trail on the way down. People sometimes go up to Glacier Point on the John Muir trail and then back down on the Panorama Trail. I haven't followed Yosemite posts lately, but assume these trails haven't changed. Just wondered why you want to hike back up to Nevada Falls.

As far as the hiking poles, we bought some (collapsible trekking poles) from a web site (could have been REI since they didn't sell them in our area at the time) about 5 years ago. I can't believe how much I have used them. (and we aren't avid hikers) We probably paid about $50 for them at the time but it was well worth it. They easily fit in our luggage. Sounds like it might be worth your while to buy a decent pair. It is a very individual choice, but you have already tried some so have a better idea of what you want. Have a great trip.

Well, we broke down and bought poles. Long story but we are happy with them. I am sure they will come in handy on this trip and others!

Taj- I have been looking at maps and as far as I can tell, the two hikes are different. we planned on taking the hiker's bus to Glacier Point and then hiking down. To get to Nevade Falls, we plan on doing a combination of the Mist/John Muir trails.

What do people think of this plan?

I got this off the nps.gov web site:

Glacier Point to Yosemite Valley (strenuous)

Four Mile Trail: 4.8 miles (7.7 km) one-way; 3 to 4 hours
Panorama Trail: 8.5 miles (13.6 km) one-way; 6 to 8 hours

Begin at Glacier Point (Four Mile Trail begins north of the store; Panorama Trail begins south of the store)

It is strongly recommended that you take the hikers' bus to Glacier Point and hike down, rather than parking at Glacier Point and planning to catch the hikers' bus back up.

The Four Mile Trail switchbacks down to Yosemite Valley, providing wonderful views of the Valley.

The Panorama Trail provides a close-up view of Illilouette Fall and panoramic views of eastern Yosemite Valley before joining the Mist or John Muir Trails down past Vernal and Nevada Falls.




Sorry, I meant that you can take the Four Mile Trail up (not John Muir -- sorry) and Panorama back down. We took the hikers bus from Yosemite Lodge up to Glacier Point and then the Panorama Trail back down via Nevada Falls and the Mist trail to the valley where we caught the free shuttle back to the Lodge.

This was four years ago. The Panorama trail (if that is the one you are talking about taking from Glacier Point) goes to Nevada Falls where you have a choice of taking either the John Muir trail or the Mist Trail back down to the valley. If you hike up one trail you can hike back down the other.

We haven't gone on the Four Mile Trail if that is the one you are planning on taking down from Glacier Point so I can't comment on the views, etc. but the Panorama trail to Nevada Falls and on down via Mist trail is fantastic. Hopefully someone who has done all of them will be able to help.

Just heard on the news that the Park is back open and the fire has been 40% contained.

Taj-
Thanks for the info! After doing further research, I think we are going to do the Panorama Trail. It definitley meets both our goals- to hike down from Glacier Point and to see Nevada Falls! I'll let you know how it turns out.