I'm going to be visiting Yosemite from Washington, DC so my perspective of 100 degree weather is based on living in a humid climate.

The weather reports show the recent temperatures in Yosemite to be around 100 during the day. Aside from bringing lots of water with us on hikes and maybe bringing a hand-held fan, is there any other advice you would offer as to how to stay cool in order to get the most out our time there? We're really looking forward to hiking and don't want the hot weather to ruin our time there.

The only advice I can think of is the logical: Get up and out early, lay low in the shade in the middle of the day, and continue activities into the evening. When's your visit? Right now, it probably isn't dark until well after 8 p.m., so the days are very long.

And there's more water than what you'll drink: the Merced River runs through the Valley, and on some trails there is waterfall mist...

Remember sun screen!

The humity out here is very low so you might want to get a Misty-Mate Personal Cooling System.

I have the 16 oz one and it works really well when you put ice in the water before you leave on a hike.

http://www.cloudtops.com/misty_mate_...al_cooling.htm

Utahtea

Whatever you do, bring your own water. Do not drink water from any body of water. Giardia (sp?)is very common in the water there and you WILL feel terrible if you contract this.

We'll be there in mid-August. I guess I was surprised that it was so hot.

I like your advice Jean. I never think about cutting my day into pieces and rest in mid-day.

And I'll look into the personal cooling system. Yes, I know first-hand about giardia. So I won't drink any stream water, no matter how clean it appears.

Although drinking the water in the river is not advisable, getting INTO the water definitely is. Just putting your feet into the water will cool you off tremendously. One thing you can do on a hot day is rent a raft at Curry Village and take it down the river.

I would be very surprised to see 100 degree weather in Yosemite because of its elevation. Generally, at this time of year, you can expect the most extreme temperatures to be in the high 80s, although it can get to 90-91. You do not have to deal with the humidity that you have in Washington, DC. You might also get an occasional thunderstorm, which can cool things off.

Yes, Yosemite gets HOT during the summer! If you are hiking, my advice would be to avoid trails which have little shade and expose you to the sun. Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls trails immediately come to mind here - IMO they are the hottest trails in the valley, not to mention some of the most strenuous.

For cooler hiking, definitely climb the Mist Trail. If you proceed beyond the Vernal Falls to Nevada Falls or Little Yosemite Valley, the trail is much more exposed, FYI. Mirror Lake is a cool, short valley hike. You can also take the hiker's bus to Glacier Point and hike DOWN the Four Mile Trail, lots of shade there too, and kind of fun to avoid the climb up, lol.

I thought rafting had been banned on the Merced in Yosemite Valley, but apparently not. Rafting is another excellent way to keep cool.

We were in Yosemite in May and we saw several people rafting down the river. It was still too chilly at that time for me to try it though. We were told by a park ranger that starting in June Curry Village offers raft rentals and you can put in right near Curry Village and then there is a special shuttle to some point further down the river that will pick you up and take you back to Curry. Possibly rafting in the valley was banned for awhile and then the ban was lifted.

To NotMe,

I wouldn't be surprised to see 100 degree weather in Yosemite Valley. It looks like August is the hottest month. Check out Weather.com records and averages for Yosemite.

http://www.weather.com/outlook/drivi...nthly/USCA1269

Average high temp in Mid August is 90 with almost every day of the month having a record breaking 100 degree or higher day. Infact, on August 2, 1977 they had 109 degrees. OUCH...that's hot!

This is in the Valley (elev. 4000 ft) It will be cooler in the high country of Yosemite.

Utahtea