Yosemite questions
 

1. If we take the Panorama Trail from Glacier Point, it seems like we can include the Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls Mist Trail on the way down. From what we have read in our books (Lonely Planet and Rough Guide) and on the internet, it looks like you could do all 3 trails together(coming down the Panorama trail), but they all seem to say you can connect with the John Muir trail to end at Happy Isles trailhead. Is there anything special on the John Muir part of this trail?

2. Can you take the Four Mile trail down from Glacier Point (taking the hiker's bus up to it) like you can the Panorama trail? Anywhere I have seen this mentioned they say to add it to the Panorama trail by hiking it up to Glacier Point and then coming down the Panorama trail. It appears in the maps to be on the other side of Glacier Point, so I would assume you would get totally different views. One book said the trail is better to go up than down because of the condition of the trail. Can you go part way up and get any good views (pictures)?

When you come down the Panorama Trail, you will end up just west of Nevada Falls. You have the option of taking the Mist Trail or the John Muir down to Happy Isles. Generally, I would recommend the Mist Trail but there are times when it is very wet and dangerous if the runoff is at its peak. And, on weekend afternoons (or anytime in July and August) the Mist Trail can be very crowded which is especially jarring after the serenity of the Panorama Trail.

I haven't done the Four Mile Trail in many years. In fact, the last time I did it they were still doing the firefall but I'm sure you can hike it down to the valley. Just be careful and it's probably best to do late in the day to enjoy the lengthening shadows on the Valley walls. If you're hiking up, it's best to do it in the very early morning. Combined with the Panorama Trail, it would make a perfect full day's outing if you have that much energy.

Not sure when you plan to be in Yos, but if it's before May 31 you might want to check to be sure those trails are open.

Thanks for your replies. They were very helpful. It would probably be too much for us to do both trails at the same time--that's why we thought we might split them up on different days.

We'll be there the end of May (before Memorial Day weekend). I've been following the road and trail openings and realize some of them may not be open. We'd like to do these trails, but if not, it won't ruin our trip.

The snow is melting very fast this year and you should be in the Valley for the height of the runoff. Barring another storm, even Tioga Pass should be open by the time of your visit.

Even if Panorama is still closed, you will still be able to take the John Muir up to Nevada Falls and hike back down the Mist Trail. Just check with the rangers after you arrive to determine the trail conditions at Glacier Point.

Another great hike that won't be closed due to snow is the Chilnualna Falls hike near Wawona. This is one of my favorites and is never very crowded.

Have a great trip.

I took the trip you are considering some years ago. A great trip. Just allow yourself plenty of time when you reach the valley floor to take the shuttle bus to where you pick up the hikers bus to take you back up. I missed it and ended up walking back up in the heat of the day.

This is a great hike and it does pass by Nevada and Vernal. The mist trail is the most scenic, and I would take that unless your knees are worn out or it is too wet and slick (rangers will know). I don't know if I would take the 4-mile and Panorama because they are concentrated in the same area of the park. Maybe try the Panorama and Upper Yosemite hikes(unless you are trying to focus on down hill hikes).

When we started looking at which trails to take, we had Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls and Panorama Trail (as well as some others)on our list when we realized that you could probably combine those 3 in one trail (we figure it will probably take us most of one day to do the Panorama Trail, therefore combining it with the Four Mile trail isn't really an option for us). Then, while reading about the four mile trail,it appears it goes down a different side from Glacier Point, therefore having different views, etc.(like most others--photography is a goal). We were going to try to do Upper Yosemite Falls (at least part of it--I think the Columbia Rock trail is on the first part of it). We were thinking about the Inspiration Point trail, Mirror Lake and now the Chilnualna Falls trail (as Otis mentioned). What we will end up doing depends alot on the weather, how much time it takes us, and how tired we get of hiking. We would definitely like to do the Panorama Trail, Sentinel Dome and Taft Point, as well as spending time in the Valley (either walking or tram--or both).

We want to go to Mariposa Grove, Tioga Road and Tuolumne Meadows (if open) as well as Hetch Hetchy (has anyone hiked there--I think it is called Wapama Falls)?

We don't plan on doing any real hiking on Tioga Road--figure we'll be driving most of the time and it appears the lookouts are by the road unless you want to go into the backcountry.

We plan on being there 5 nights, so hopefully we will be able to see alot. We are very flexible on these trips--have a loose agenda--but have found that if we have no plan at all too much time is spent while there trying to figure out what to do.

The nps page states that all roads in Yosemite will be open on May 14 at noon. See this link: http://www.nps.gov/yose/now/conditions.htm
I will be arriving at the park on the 16th and can't believe my good luck.

It also says that they will open May 14 without services. What does that mean?

It means the gas stations won't be open yet. Fill up before heading out.

Actually, there are some fabulous, uncrowded hikes off the Tioga Pass road, but perhaps you'll be doing enough hiking! When my husband visited mid-season, the valley trails, including the wonderful Nevada and Vernal Falls hikes {Mist Trail?}, were EXTREMELY busy. It resulted in a lot of stop and go hiking. You're lucky to be visiting in May.

I've done the Hetchy Hetchy trail, though I can't recall it's exact name. Really enjoyed it. We saw a lot of lizards there, but narrowly missed a rattlesnake {hikers coming from the other direction warned us}.

Molly
Do you remember if there were any trails off the Tioga Pass Road that were shorter (2-4 miles)that you liked? I was under the impression that most of them were at least all day hikes.

I just looked in our books and it does appear that there are some shorter hikes off Tioga Road and in Tuolumne Meadows. Since we didn't know if the road would be open (which it appears it will be now), we didn't really explore our options there. I assume we will still be limited due to snow, but if there are any suggestions on hikes, etc. in those areas, we would really appreciate it.

Hi again, maj. We hiked a relatively short trail leading to the Gaylor Lakes. Though the trail to the first lake is only a mile or so, it is a steep incline, so it isn't exactly quick. It took us longer than it should have as we stopped to assist a hiker along the way {long story}. So I'm not certain how long it would normally take. I do recall that at the first lake we made a wrong turn, left instead of right. We never did make it to the second lake. Nevertheless, we thought that this was a lovely trail, with wonderful views, wildflowers {in late June}, deer and marmots, and only a few other people to share the trail with. There are other hikes to alpine lakes in the area that we didn't have time to hike.

We also hiked to one of the groves in the area, either Tuolumine or Merced Grove, can't recall, rather than traveling to the south entrance, and they were most impressive.

Wapama Falls sounds like it's the same trail we hiked in Hetchy Hetchy. There's a dam at the entrance, you hike through a tunnel, and later pass a small waterfall. When we started out in the morning, around 8 a.m., we were alone. It got hot and more crowded on our return, but not nearly as crowded as the valley trails.

I'm jealous! Yosemite is a magnificent place to visit.

Molly

Thanks so much for your help. It's given us another area of the park to consider that we really hadn't looked at too closely.

Hi, maj,

Can't wait to see your trip report when you get back since you'll be in Yosemite less than a month before us.

I don't know if you've been to the half dom cam page (halfdomcam.com) or not. They have a message board similar to this, but much smaller and specific to Yosemite. Patti there posted the following site which has 54 hikes in Yosemite as well as for parks all over the U.S. I thought it might give you some ideas. (activities.wildernet.com) Just follow the logical progression through the maps. And chose hiking and walking from the activities list.

The falls should be magnificent when you're there. I just hope they're still flowing fairly heavy when we get there on June 22.

Have a great, safe trip.

Just a clarification, the website is www.halfdomecam.com

Floridafran just forgot an "e" :)

We are off to Yosemite next week and I cannot wait!

Thanks for catching that, J_Correa. I Thought I proofed it well, but obviously not. Poor maj would have been getting that annoying unable to connect to site message and cursing me.

I envy you going so soon. We can't leave until my hubby, the professor, gives his summer term final. The exam is the morning of the 21st. He'll grade it, post the results, and we fly out late that afternoon. I wasn't willing to wait another day.

Hope you plan to post a report when you get back.

Just to let you know that I found both sites--going to read them now. Thanks again.

Where do you guys stay when you go? We stay in the Housekeeping Camp right on the river.

My favorite thing from last trip was sitting at our camp watching the river flow past while we were eating breakfast. To me, that's living.

I will definitely post a trip report when I get back. We'll be there for 4 nights, so I think I will manage to do something during that time. My mother-in-law is going with us and she isn't one to sit around camp so I imagine we will be taking some hikes and scenic drives. If the sun is out though, I think I will be spending a significant amount of time in a lawn chair next to the river, book in one hand, glass of sangria in the other. ;)

Unfortunately we haven't been able to get the lodging we need inside the park so we're staying in El Portal. I'm still hopeful that someone will cancel and we can stay in the valley. If not, we'll just do our usual thing - up and out before daylight. That's one advantage of coming from the central time zone and having to be up by 6:15 every morning to get ready for work. :-)

Being from the west coast, I have the opposite issue with the time zones. When I travel to the east coast, I feel like I'm getting up at 3am - LOL.