High Sierra Topix

And judging from the fire ban map, some of the thousand island lake can have campfire right? Otherwise how should we cook our fish....

No, all grey areas have no campfires allowed, you will have to use a backpackers stove and a fry pan, go pick one up at REI.

But how early do we need to be in order to secure a permit?

Plan on getting there 30 min's before they open, just to be sure. The Visitor Center is located right on Main Street, the road you are on once you get off 395, it's on the right hand side.

PS It really is worth all the extra effort Terry. We will be expecting invites from you, to Baniff and Jasper.

maverick wrote:

And judging from the fire ban map, some of the thousand island lake can have campfire right? Otherwise how should we cook our fish....

No, all grey areas have no campfires allowed, you will have to use a backpackers stove and a fry pan, go pick one up at REI.

But how early do we need to be in order to secure a permit?

Plan on getting there 30 min's before they open, just to be sure. The Visitor Center is located right on Main Street, the road you are on once you get off 395, it's on the right hand side.

PS It really is worth all the extra effort Terry. We will be expecting invites from you, to Baniff and Jasper.

Hahahaha. Sure thing. I went back for school and probably will lay low for a while. But Banff is definitely on my to-do list. It might happen on the way the next time I drive to California.

And ya... I realized about fire ban part later. So we can get the permit SAME day as the backpacking trip starts right? Because as SSSDave mentioned "getting a walk-up permit requires wasting the day before".

Also is the visitor center At the junction of 395 and 136? They seems to be open at 8:00 am. What is the likelihood that I get there at 7:30 and the permits are gone?

NFS:

One day before the entry date all remaining space is made available for walk in permit requests.

True, can you get their the day before, pick up the permit, and chill for one night at one of the Mammoth Campgrounds? There is a mandatory shuttle down to Agnew leaving from Mammoth, but you can drive down to Agnew before 7 am, and park at the trailhead, which would alleviate having to use the shuttle, so there are some pluses of getting your permits a day before.

PS NFS:

Q: ARE THERE EXCEPTIONS TO THE MANDATORY SHUTTLE BUS?

A: Visitors driving in before 7:00am or after 7:00pm, who are camping, who are overnight guests of Reds Meadow Resort, who can provide proof of physical handicap, who are hauling stock trailers, or who are bringing in small watercraft for use in one of the lakes within the Valley are permitted to drive their personal vehicles down the road.

You can get walk in permits for next day entry starting at 11am.
at Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center, Lee Vining or Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center, Mammoth Lakes

If you drive over Tioga Pass the Mono Basin center is closest if you can be there before 5pm.

Centers http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/pass ... rdb5144746
Quotas https://fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUME ... 143453.pdf

John

maverick wrote:can you get their the day before, pick up the permit, and chill for one night at one of the Mammoth Campgrounds?

I can't. My friend don't have any vacation day left. I will try to convince them to do it at August 21st. But that means bad news for me: I have less time to prepare my drive from California to Canadian east coast that starting from end of August.

Oh never mind. I just checked. The river trails does not have enough quota for us. We have group of 5. Does anybody know the likelihood for us get a walk-in permit the same day of the hike? I can try reserve the Yosemite permit first so we can have a backup plan. Money is really not an issue now.

sky00high wrote:... Does anybody know the likelihood for us get a walk-in permit the same day of the hike?..

Unlikely. Trailheads for the Ritter Range are near the largest summer resort population, ie Mammoth Lakes, along the Eastern Sierra, swarming with people every day of the week on vacation interested in summer recreation. There are not going to be any permits available same day for its most popular backcountry destinations. People in line the day before at 11am will take them ALL. Many in line will not get what they want then go down a list of plan B C D etc. Your only chance is if you wait till 11am and then some reserved group of at least 5 people is a no show. Small chance with just 1 person trying to slip in, very slim with your 5.

SSSdave wrote:

sky00high wrote:... Does anybody know the likelihood for us get a walk-in permit the same day of the hike?..

Unlikely. Trailheads for the Ritter Range are near the largest summer resort population, ie Mammoth Lakes, along the Eastern Sierra, swarming with people every day of the week on vacation interested in summer recreation. There are not going to be any permits available same day for its most popular backcountry destinations. People in line the day before at 11am will take them ALL. Many in line will not get what they want then go down a list of plan B C D etc. Your only chance is if you wait till 11am and then some reserved group of at least 5 people is a no show. Small chance with just 1 person trying to slip in, very slim with your 5.

I see. It is good to know this so I don't waste time trying.

I'm a little surprised no one has brought up Saddlebag Lake and the 20 lakes basin. No quotas - walk in the Tuolumne Wilderness office on the way to the trailhead and get the free permit, rent a few bear cans, and go. There's a (expensive for backpackers) ferry if you want to make an easy hike even easier, to ride across Saddlebag. No fires, but gorgeous and the lakes have a variety of trout in them. I have easily pulled in three pound rainbows at the inlet of Saddlebag itself.

You could also play "trailhead roulette" - come in a Yosemite wilderness office around 10, and see if you can bag some unclaimed, formerly reserved spots on a trailhead out of Tuolumne. Young Lakes, Ten Lakes, something heading south to Ireland, Evelyn, Emeric, Merced ... if no luck hang out til 11. (I usually get first choice doing this.)

SSSdave wrote:I've recommended East Lake out of the Green Creek trailhead to novices for years.

For East Lake I should try to get the permit from Hoover Wilderness right? On the scale of 1 to thousand islands lakes, how will you rate East Lake? Do you by any chance know some other trail require more backpacking milage?