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Getting up to Cathedral lakes in early October.

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:29 am
by fern.adams
Hello all,

Firstly thanks, this forum has so much useful information for a first time Yosemite-visitor!
In a few weeks I will be visiting Yosemite with my boyfriend from the UK (it's been on my bucket list for years) and we are planning a one way backpack trip starting at Cathedral lakes on Oct 9 and ending in Yosemite Valley 4-5 days later. We've got all the equipment for the sort of weather in October we might get (aka anything from sunshine to snow!), permits and tonnes of excitement. We've just come across one problem which we are really hoping some folk who know the park well could help us to figure out. We were planning on leaving our hire car in the Valley and using the in park shuttle to get up to Tuolumne meadows to start our hike but it's now clear the buses will have stopped running by then. Has anyone done a one way trip at this time of year before? Is there a cab company someone knows of, or a local guide who we could pay for a ride? Any other people planning something similar we could hook up with? We thought about trying to hitchhike up there but it seems that it may not be the most sensible idea given the Californian laws. Any knowledge or ideas would be really really appreciated as we really want to make this work.

Thanks so much for you help.

Kind regards

Fern
UK

Re: Getting up to Cathedral lakes in early October.

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:35 am
by AlmostThere
Your options are hitchhiking, hiking back to Tuolumne Meadows, or changing your permit to a valley trailhead and hiking out and back from there.

You could try Uber but that can be difficult, not all Uber drivers are willing to drive out beyond cell service. You have some service in the valley with ATT/Verizon but up the pass not so much.

Nice timing - right before overnight parking on Tioga Rd ends for winter.

Re: Getting up to Cathedral lakes in early October.

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 1:01 pm
by bobby49
I have hitchhiked successfully in Yosemite National Park. Worst case, you might have to wait an hour or two. First, you need to get one ride to the western end of Yosemite Valley. Then you need a second ride to get to Crane Flat, the western end of the Tioga Road. Then you need a third ride to go east on the Tioga Road until you get to Tuolumne Meadows or where your car is parked. I know it sounds complicated, especially if you are not trained on hitchhiking.

Re: Getting up to Cathedral lakes in early October.

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 1:08 pm
by maverick
Have a small cardboard sign "Tuolumne Meadows" written on it, makes things easier when hitchhiking. :nod:

Re: Getting up to Cathedral lakes in early October.

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 6:08 pm
by bobby49
For a sign, I simply use a broad marker on the back of one of my topo maps, instead of carrying something extra. I write "RIDE." That seems to work.

Re: Getting up to Cathedral lakes in early October.

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 11:29 pm
by wildhiker
Or turn your hike into a loop from Tuolumne Meadows to avoid transportation issues. You could hike up to the Cathedral Lakes and down to Sunrise camp area on the John Muir Trail, then over to Sunrise Lakes, up and over Clouds Rest down to the camp area on Sunrise Creek at 7,000 feet elevation, and then back on the John Muir Trail to Tuolumne Meadows. Your permit lets you camp in the Yosemite Valley backpacker's campground the night before and after your trip, so you could plan to camp there on the night after and then dayhike up to Nevada Falls the next day before leaving.
-Phil

Re: Getting up to Cathedral lakes in early October.

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 4:20 pm
by mrphil
Short of having access to a second car, hitching is the best way to go for when you'll be there. Finding a guide service to shuttle you is going to cost hundreds of dollars with only two people. Your other option is to do as mentioned and loop back around to Tuolumne Meadows, maybe back out the Rafferty Creek or Glen Aulin trailheads (they're arguably nicer hikes anyhow).

In the Valley, you can put out the sign and stand on the side of the road and wait. Or where you park your car before your trip, the backpacker's parking area near Happy Isles, you can hit people up face-to-face and ask them directly. Also, if you stay at the backpacker's camp the night before, ask around. There are usually at least some people going up or back up to Tuolumne.