Recs for an early July trip (~8 days, ~70 miles)

[corvus]

Thanks for the suggestions, Phil and oldranger and balzaccom. I'll check out those spots. Fundamentally I just really want to do some high country travel. Wish I had time later in the summer.

Tom, I'm not sure I fully understand the levels. I've done a ton of backpacking and route-finding, including winter high desert travel and trip leading, but only a little snow camping.

[Wandering Daisy]

There are many kinds of "snow" travel, from simply walking over snow-covered trails on mellow slopes, to high angle hard-packed snow and ice.

For the backpacker, one requirement if going out early when snow lingers, is navigation skills since trails are burried and difficult to find. The other major skill needed is how to judge safety on snow slopes -- snow varies hour by hour and at some slopes it is safe if you can get a good step kicked, not safe if the step you kick slides on you. All this is learned through experience. I think it is good for all backpackers to become accostomed to snow, a little bit at a time. You will then build your skills. Early season backpacking with snow is really great; less people and I love the snowy covered scenery.

PCT hikers go through the Sierra early and when snowy, they make a major trench/trail that often allows others to go the same way without as much post-holeing. But beware that their trail may not necessarily be correct!

Even with a high snowpack, you seldom have to camp on snow. There are plenty of dry nitches to set up a tent.

As for gear, I find that good solid shoes (leather with a aggressive tread) work better than trail runners. Snow is cold! In fabric shoes, my feet get really cold. Either shoe, you will get wet feet, but I find that leather shoes keep my feet warmer. I also alway have knee-high gaiters. I sometimes take crampons, simply because I have them and know how to use them. Often I will take crampons but not an ice axe. I find trekking poles essential! Good micro-spikes also work well. This will get you over icy conditions on low-angle slopes. The reality is if you fall on a long, exposed hard snow or ice slope, even an ice axe is not much good. And if you have read AlpineMike's latest post, it is obvious that carrying crampons but not putting them on does not prevent a fall. So safety on snow, regarless of equipment, still boils down to your ability to judge condtions. But micro-spikes will keep you from slipping and falling on your hip causing injury.

Swollen creek crossings are, for me, a more serious problem. I always plan my early trips where there are bridges across major streams or plan crossing creeks high in the watershed, where they are still small.

Some of my early season trips:
Grand Canyon of the Tuolumene (as long as the bridges are not washed out)
Hamilton Lake with a day-hike up to Keweaha Gap
Miter Basin
First-Second and Third Lakes
Yosemite- Pohono Trail, North Rim traverse, up the Merced River
Castle Domes (there now is a nice bridge where you used to have to cross a log).
Desolation Wilderness (pretty "civilized" with many bridges)
Stuff out of Hetch-Hetchy (stopped at Piute Creek which I could not cross)
Stuff out of Cherry Reservoir over Kibby Ridge
Upper San Joaquin above Hemlock Crossing (big bridge)
Kennedy Lakes and Emigrant Lake (Kennedy Meadows north)- often cannot cross the inlet to Emigrant Lake so that is as far as you can go

[TehipiteTom]

Some of my early season trips:
Grand Canyon of the Tuolumene (as long as the bridges are not washed out)
Hamilton Lake with a day-hike up to Keweaha Gap
Miter Basin
First-Second and Third Lakes
Yosemite- Pohono Trail, North Rim traverse, up the Merced River
Castle Domes (there now is a nice bridge where you used to have to cross a log).
Desolation Wilderness (pretty "civilized" with many bridges)
Stuff out of Hetch-Hetchy (stopped at Piute Creek which I could not cross)
Stuff out of Cherry Reservoir over Kibby Ridge
Upper San Joaquin above Hemlock Crossing (big bridge)
Kennedy Lakes and Emigrant Lake (Kennedy Meadows north)- often cannot cross the inlet to Emigrant Lake so that is as far as you can go

Good recommendations. You can access a lot of lakes at the 7,000-ish level via Kibbie Ridge. There's a lot of exploring you can do both above and below Hemlock Crossing in the North Fork San Joaquin drainage. If you're a masochist with a desire for solitude, there's always Kendrick Canyon out of Hetch Hetchy (though Frog Creek might be difficult to cross early season this year). There's also Tehipite Valley, though if Crown Creek is impassable that limits it to a 5-day out-and-back (assuming you take a layover in the valley); also, there's word that the trail is unmaintained and possibly dangerous.

[maiathebee]

And the further north you go (Trinity Alps) the lower the snow level will be.

That's true, but also the Trinity Alps are overall lower elevation and tend to get less snow in general, so they melt out sooner. I've found them to be pretty great for early season trips because they offer that granite high Sierra feel but at elevations in the 7k-9k range. I've gone in early May in both 2014 and 2016 and encountered minimal snow on both trips. Granted, 2014 was an exceptionally light year and 2016 was also low snow, but two months earlier than the OP wants to head out, so... maybe?

The deluge that is setting records in the southern Sierra is also having much less of an impact in the north. As of today, the northern Sierra is at 131% of April 1 (still a lot!!), while the southern Sierra is at 164%. (Check here for updated info.) Of course a lot could change over the next few months, but I think early July in the Trinity Alps might just be doable.

[notis]

Thanks Wandering Daisy! Really great information there for all to see.