2022 Yosemite Park changes/closures - might affect backpackers

[wildhiker]

Found these interesting articles from the Fresno Bee regarding news shared by Yosemite Park with "gateway partners" (presumably local businesses and governments):

https://www.fresnobee.com/news/californ ... 08937.html
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/californ ... 02877.html

Glacier Point road will be completely closed for all of 2022 for reconstruction. This will make the southwest corner of the park wilderness less visited. Might be a good year for a Pohono Trail backpack starting at the Wawona Tunnel and then descending from Glacier Point on the 4 mile trail - no crowds of tourists at the Point.

There will also be ongoing construction work on the Tioga Road causing delays.

Tuolumne Meadows campground will be completely closed for renovation until at least 2024! Here's the official announcement:
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tmcamp.htm
Important for us backpackers: the Tuolumne Meadows backpackers' campground will also be CLOSED that entire time. Hopefully, the one at White Wolf will be open.

The High Sierra Camps are expected to re-open in 2022, after being closed for two years because of the Covid pandemic. That means more crowded conditions around those camps and on the trails to and from them, including more horseshit on the trails from the pack trains servicing the camps.

Aramark says they plan to restore the hiker bus service from Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows and to restore the Tuolumne Meadows shuttle. I don't trust Aramark a lot, so we shall see.

The description of the new wilderness permit system in Yosemite also had this interesting piece of data:

There’s increasing interest for getting into the wilderness. Yosemite issues upwards of 25,000 wilderness permits each year from May to November, with the three people on average per trip, Webb said, so around 100,000 people yearly who normally go on two to four-day backpack trips. That’s an increase from around 5,000 wilderness permits a year in the early and mid 1990s, he said. “The wilderness is basically full,” Webb said, “and so we really need the permit system more than ever to manage who’s out there and for how long.”

[gary c.]

I'm waiting now for results on my wilderness application. I should hear something Monday.

[c9h13no3]

I wonder if you'll be able to get wilderness permits for trails like the 4-mile trail now. Or if they'll just issue them for glacier point like normal, and let you figure out how to get there.

[wildhiker]

I wonder if you'll be able to get wilderness permits for trails like the 4-mile trail now. Or if they'll just issue them for glacier point like normal, and let you figure out how to get there.

When I perused the Yosemite permits available on recreation.gov, I saw that NONE of the trailheads normally accessible from the Glacier Point Road were listed at all, so clearly, they are not issuing permits for those. Will they issue a permit to start in the Valley and head up the 4 mile trail to Glacier Point and then beyond? I don't know.
-Phil

[Wandering Daisy]

There may be a lot of construction at Glacier Point itself, in which case, they would not want to permit for 4-Mile Trail, or Tunnel View. I suppose if you are willing to take the risk, you could go from Happy Isles, Panorama Trail and sneak through Glacier Point. Personally, the hike is not worth the risk to me. There are plenty of other routes available.

[LMBSGV]

They are doing permits for the Pohono Trail from Tunnel View, but they are still saying "Camping is not allowed east of the Bridalveil Creek footbridge." Also, "The only access to Glacier Point will be via the Four Mile, Panorama, and Pohono Trails, all of which are strenuous hikes." So I guess if you wanted to go from Bridalveil footbridge to Glacier Point and down the Four Mile Trail, you could, though the walk from Four Mile back to you car would make a long day even longer unless they bring back the shuttle bus to Bridalveil Falls.

[Wandering Daisy]

Good to hear Pohono from Tunnel View is open. It is rigorous but quite do-able if you keep pack weight low. And, well, I am OLD so younger folks should so well. You could walk down 4-Mile Trail second day and stay at Backpacker's CG, then walk back to car next day-- 3 day trip. If you continue to LYV on the Panorama Trail, it would be a 4-day trip if you have to walk back to the car. This trip I did last year was my first trip of the season (my typical "shake down" trip). You can look up the trip report. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21512

Day 1 drove early AM and started at Tunnel View at 11:20 AM, camped at Bridalveil Creek (5.5 hrs 7.2 mi)

Day 2 went to the meadow above Bunnell Falls; 10.3 hrs 15.7 mi and THAT was hard! (I had a pass-through permit). But to LYV it was only 7.4 hrs and 12 miles, much easier

Days 3-5 up to Merced Lake and over to Sunrise Creek and day hikes (3 days)

Day 6 (Day 3 if you only go to LYV) Walked out, camped at Backpacker's CG, walked around in the Valley. The walk down only takes a few hours. It is gorgeous so you will want to go slow and gawk at the falls. I got down early afternoon and did a lot of sight seeing. You can buy food in the valley so do not need to pack this food on the trip.

Last day I walked back to Tunnel View 4.6 hrs 9.1 miles, easy and very scenic walking, then drove home. No bus, but the bus usually does not run all the way down to El Cap Meadows early season anyway.

You could probably reverse the route. Getting a Pohono permit is easier than a LYV permit from Happy Isles.

[narc1370]

When I first discovered Yosemite when I was in college 30 years ago, after a few trips to the overpopulated valley, I vowed to never go there again between Memorial Day to Labor Day. In fact, for the better part of my 20's, I spent December 26-January 2 in the valley and I swear there were more coyotes than people. 30 years later, I treat the Yosemite Backcountry the same way. Let them have July and August to take over the trails. In 2021, I took three trips to Yosemite after Labor Day, including Lyell Canyon, Rafferty Creek, and Yosemite Creek and had complete and total isolation each night, with picture perfect campsites that would be impossible to get any other time of year.

[Wandering Daisy]

If you want to see Yosemite waterfalls at peak flow, you have to put up with the crowds. I do not view it as a wilderness experience, rather 100% for the scenery and photographing. I also did Rafferty-Hutchings-Lyell after Labor Day 2021, and although empty of people, it was less than ideal due to dried out vegetation. Again, I would tolerate the crowds for a few days in and out to get the better scenery in the off-trail cirques. Agree that in a high snowpack year, after Labor Day is fine because the high country is still lush. Dry year like 2021, no. Yet to see what 2022 snowpack will be.