Suggestions for 4-6 day trip...

[Tonydavid]

I would like your advice on a 4-6 day backpack route. Also interested in when we should go this summer to minimize exposure to bugs!

First want to thank Maverick and many others who were so helpful in planning our backpack trip last year. My son and I took 6 days and 5 nights and went from Agnew Meadows to Touleme Meadows. It was fantastic. I previously posted the trip report but here it is again…
https://spark.adobe.com/page/FdVlXFfjLaSEi/

Perimeters for backpack trip this summer…
Level 2-3. I am very experienced backpacker and my son has some experience)
Class 1-3 terrain.
5-8 miles a day depending on altitude and elevation gain.
I will be 59 and son is 14. Agnew to Tuolumne was perfect level of difficulty. High altitude and over than 2000 feet elevation gain a day is harder on me now! We like moderate mileage and gain - it also gives us time and energy to enjoy the scenery and take pictures.
4-6 days.
Prefer loop or lollipop route
Trailhead must be accessible with passenger car (can take a public shuttle but only one car).
No dog.
Mosquitoes really like my son and he does not like them.
Main interest is big mountain scenery, camping at lakes, photography
Open to all areas of Sierras.

I appreciate you people so much! Thanks in advance for your replies, suggestions and advice!

[maverick]

The Rae Lakes Loop (41.4 miles) would fit your requirements and by August the mosquitoes should have subsided to tolerable levels. Roads End>Paradise Valley (Middle or Upper)>Woods Creek>Rae Lakes>Layover (Day hike into 60 Lakes Basin)>Glenn Pass>Charlotte Lake>Bubbs Creek>Roads End, going clockwise will allow you time to acclimate before reaching Rae Lakes and going over Glen Pass.
https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/ ... s-loop.htm
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14902&hilit=rae+lakes+loop#p111190

The Mineral King Loop (38 miles) would be another trip great trip, you could do up Timber Gap>Pinto Lake>Blackrock Pass>Little Five Lakes>Big Five Lakes>Soda Creek>Little Claire Lake>Franklin Pass>Franklin Lakes>Mineral King. Going clockwise again will allow you to acclimate before getting to the higher terrain, especially on this trip.
This was done in reverse: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10211&p=77055&hilit ... oop#p77055

The North Lake to South Lake (57 miles) is another great trip, this would be a counterclockwise trip starting from North Lake, but ending at South Lake. North Lake>Piute Pass>Humphreys Basin>Piute Canyon>Evolution Valley>Evolution Basin>LeConte Canyon>Dusy Basin>Bishop Pass>South Lake, it would require you to hitchhike back to North Lake, it also is a little beyond your mileage requirements, but if you could add another day or two to you trip, this one is well worth it.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6758&hilit=north+lake#p46912

[markskor]

Try a Reds Peak Pass loop...my favorite trail in Yosemite!
Leave car in Valley - Curry Orchard parking - stay Valley BP camp...one night only, no reservation needed - but must have a wilderness permit.
Early morning bus 8:30 AM, Curry to Glacier Point... but exit bus just 1 stop before...at Mono Meadows TH.
With a late start (bus and all)...camp 1st night somewhere on Illilouette Creek and next day you will reach Lower Ottoway early next afternoon, (about 13 - 14 miles MM TH to Lower Ottoway.)...BTW, good fishing here.
Next day up over RPP to Red Devil Lake - Maybe add a layover day somewhere along here.
Next, a long day but head to Triple Peak Fork trail...down to Washburn.
Follow the Merced down...stay Moraine Dome Waterslide, or 2 miles further at LYV.
Down the Mist -
6 or 7 days...5 or 6 nights, plus the Valley BP stay.

BTW Sierra, never Sierras.

[balzaccom]

Lots of options, further North, too.

If you want to avoid mosquitoes, go later in the year. Pure and simple.

Look at a loop out of Twin Lakes into Northern Yosemite, or Viriginia lakes Pass, or Humphreys Basin for a base camp and tons of lakes to dayhike to. In Yosemite, you could go out Glen Aulin into Virginia Canyon, back through Young lakes with a nice but very easy cross-county from McCabe Lake.

Emigrant Wilderness is wonderful that way...lakes every few miles, and lots of lolly-loop combinations out of Crabtree or Gianelli Trailheads.

[Tom_H]

Do a search for Trip Reports on the North Lake to South Lake loop that Mav. mentioned and go through Evolution Basin. There are dozens of TRs on this route. Some people do it from the other direction.

If you are willing to hitchhike along CA89 and US50 for a bit, this route is East Desolation is quite nice:
http://caltopo.com/m/4L3H

[robow8]

Try a Reds Peak Pass loop...my favorite trail in Yosemite!
Leave car in Valley - Curry Orchard parking - stay Valley BP camp...one night only, no reservation needed - but must have a wilderness permit.
Early morning bus 8:30 AM, Curry to Glacier Point... but exit bus just 1 stop before...at Mono Meadows TH.
With a late start (bus and all)...camp 1st night somewhere on Illilouette Creek and next day you will reach Lower Ottoway early next afternoon, (about 13 - 14 miles MM TH to Lower Ottoway.)...BTW, good fishing here.
Next day up over RPP to Red Devil Lake - Maybe add a layover day somewhere along here.
Next, a long day but head to Triple Peak Fork trail...down to Washburn.
Follow the Merced down...stay Moraine Dome Waterslide, or 2 miles further at LYV.
Down the Mist -
6 or 7 days...5 or 6 nights, plus the Valley BP stay.

Markskor,
I'm planning on doing this loop in early July. I know, there will be blood, from the mosquitoes. I have some questions. It seems like Mono Meadow isn't a "specific" stop for the tour bus. Will they indeed stop there? Will a little palm greasing help? And other than being shorter, is why do you prefer Mono Meadow over Glacier Point?

I did this loop in 2014 and really enjoyed it, except for the climb out of the valley. Taking the bus this year!

[markskor]

Robo -
While Mono Meadows is not "listed" as a stop, all Yosemite buses (just not the shuttles) will stop almost anywhere on route, if safe to do so. There is a wide pull-out for the bus, right in front of the 10-car parking lot. I just asked the driver...(no palm greasing needed)...and no problem. As for why there vs Glacier Point? Just 3 miles shorter mostly, and it avoids some "up" as the GP (Panorama) trail initially goes down all the way to Illilouette Creek. MM trail doesn't hit Illilouette till much later up higher.. (see TOPO).

The only drawback to this grand loop adventure is the bus fee. The only bus up, advertised as a tour excursion thing, (comes with witty patter from the driver) ... is a round trip package - $25/pp - and there is no break even though you are only going less than half way. (sigh!) Still, a spectacular trip, all trail, with few others to be seen till Merced Lake. Always nice to be walking back down to the car too.
BTW, are you fishing? Any more Q's...just ask.
mark

[kpeter]

Here is my trail report from last year on that loop, including my logistics issues. I think hiking from glacier point would be slightly prettier than Mono Meadows at the cost of an extra mile or so, but permits from Glacier Point are harder to obtain than from Mono Meadows. By all means, buy your bus tickets as early as you can so you don't get stuck the way I did.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14806&p=110481&hilit=devil#p110481

[robow8]

Here is my trail report from last year on that loop, including my logistics issues. I think hiking from glacier point would be slightly prettier than Mono Meadows at the cost of an extra mile or so, but permits from Glacier Point are harder to obtain than from Mono Meadows. By all means, buy your bus tickets as early as you can so you don't get stuck the way I did.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14806&p=110481&hilit=devil#p110481

Enjoyed your trip report. Actually, we did this loop in 2014, not 2013. The Meadow fire was "creeping " in Starr King Meadow while we were there, and was being monitored. It roared to life the week after we were there.

I plan on getting tickets upon securing a permit.

[robow8]

Got my permit and bus tickets for the first week in July. We will celebrate our nation's and my wife's birthdays on the trail! Trying to figure out what surprise I'm going to bring for her. I know there will be bugs and snow.