High Sierra Topix

No kids, only a couple of old duffers who haven't been there, but, for the past 45 years or so, have been intensively working and hiking in the Sierra, and plan to for a long time yet...

oldranger wrote:Tim,

Sorry to disagree with everyone else but I would not consider Jennie Lake as an early May alternative. My experience in the area is that except for a couple of unusually dry years you don't want to count on that area until Memorial Day. In big snow years you might consider doing a Memorial Day trip to Jennie on skis! Redwood Canyon is an excellent suggestion and unless regs have changed one of the few places where you can camp amongst the Sequoia.

Mike

I'll put in another vote against Jennie in early May. I visited Jennie last June (heavy snow year) and the Big Meadows Road was still closed, there was up to five feet of snow still along the upper reaches of the trail, and the lake itself was frozen solid.

Thanks for all the input - it looks like Redwood Canyon might be the best option if the snow has gone from there, or the foothills if not. I was never expecting to get up to high mountain scenery that early in the year, just hopefully to see some snowy mountains in the distance. What I'm really looking for is a relatively easy overnight location without going too far from the trailhead, as opposed to camping in a developed campground.

Any opinions on the South Fork (Lady Bird trail?) vs Middle Fork as a early season hike?