Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon in June 2018
 

Hi, its time to start planning for next year's (June 2018) NP trip to Yosemite, etc.
(btw, in another month or so, we will be going for this year's trip - Arches/Canyon, Monument Valley,Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, etc. - so super excited about that!! and hope to report on that trip here once we are done) ...

Anyway, we (2 adults and two 8-year olds) plan to do Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon in June 2018 ... I have two questions:

1. If we go in June 2nd/3rd week, could we be reasonably certain that Tioga Road, Glacier Point, etc. will be open? If not, we will prefer to go later in June ...we have heard that early part of June will be less crowded ...
2. We are thinking of spending 2 days in Kings Canyon, 2 days in Sequoia, and 4 days in Yosemite - (excluding travel time to and fro) ...does this sound about right? We want to see the main points and do some light hiking, if possible.

Thanks for all your help.

Read the topic "Tioga Rd closed May-Oct??" It is very dependent on how much snow the Sierras get next winter. This past winter was much above average. The top of Logan Pass is at 9945' above sea level.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon are attached. 3 days should be enough for the two of them.
How are you arriving in California? It might make sense to fly to Fresno instead of a larger airport.

Tomfuller, thanks for yr inputs ...

We will be flying in from the Midwest ... so have flexibility with regard to the airport ...however, we will need to rent a car at the airport - is Fresno good from that perspective (compared to the larger airports)?

The airport in Fresno (FAT) is the only place in town to rent a car. We took a taxi from the Amtrak station to the airport to rent a car to go to Yosemite.
There is now an option to go to Yosemite from either Fresno or Merced on a YARTS bus if you didn't want to rent a car.

There is no way of telling -- most likely Tioga Pass will be open by early June but no Guarantees. This year has had record amounts of snow and seldom do we get two really wet years in succession.

I personally would not let that determine when I book. You don't have to use Tioga Pass to travel between Seq/KC and YNP. The odds are in your favor and even IF the back country isn't accessible there is more than enough to fill four days in Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove, which 'should' have re-opend by then.

Fresno is the closest airport -- but w/ pretty limited scheduling. If you can find convenient flights -- then sure. Otherwise Sacramento or any of the Bay area airports would work.

Another option is to fly to Bakersfield connecting via Phoenix.

From Bakersfield you have the option of going first to Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon,or heading east via Lake Isabella on 178 to 395. And you won't have to deal with any Bay Area traffic.

Personally I'd rather go that way if you can't find good rates into Fresno.

Along Lake Isabella on the south side there is a friendly motel in Mountain Meadow, or if you want to take more time you can go up to the north side in Kernville. I posted some info on that other thread.

Thought I would weight in ... we are in Yosemite and leaving tomorrow for Sequoia NP.

We've only had 2 full days in Yosemite and would recommend the following:

1 - we stayed in a small cabin (perfect for 2 but we have our two teenage boys) in foresta which is inside the Park, and closest to Mariposa entrance. Driving in was stunning! We are 12 mi from the Valley floor so easy to reach Yosemite valley and without any crowds at night. The stars here are indescribable!

2 - Spent all day yesterday headed to and in Tuolomne. stunning drive. No camping this year but we did two hikes - Elizabeth Lake, which was stunning. Not hard and about 6 mi round trip by the time we left our car and went through a closed campground. The water level was still really really high but the scenery once we got to the area near the lake was gorgeous. Alpine. Tons of water still melting from the snow. Snow-capped peaks everywhere around us. Mosquitos nearly ate us up (bring big spray) and it was almost empty.

3 - My guys then walked the Lembert Dome hike. Harder than Elizabeth Lake but they said the view was great. It was pretty busy up top.

4 - My regret was not spending time in Tuolomne Valley - it's gorgeous.

5 - Today we spent nearly 8 hours in Yosemite valley, mostly walking the shorter version of the Yosemite Valley loop trail. We walked 11 miled in total but you dont have to. Rather than doing a climb, we decided to stay in the valley floor and after the swarms of people (from all over) at Lower Yosemite Falls (dont miss it), we had the path nearly to ourself. We ended the day on the back porch of the Majestic (I know the native name but cant spell it) having a drink and playing cards. What a lovely day. Back at our cabin now cooking dinner.

Have a great trip!

No way to predict. Going later gets you Disney worthy crowds but also the chance to get up to Glacier Point and Tuolumne, which IMO are much better experiences than the Valley.The meadows along Glacier Point had stunning wildflowers two weeks ago. The views of the falls from Glacier Point and Washburn Point are distant but a lot easier to access.

I vote for later. And minimizing time in the Valley.