First visit to Sierra’s

[Berger]

I have not been to the Sierra’s.
If I were thinking of just up and coming from the East Coast, what are my chances of finding motels- without reservations- near the most popular day hiking trails, including Yosemite? What month(s) would be best? Are the trails over used? Any advise appreciated. Thanks

[balzaccom]

Without reservations you won't find lodging in Yosemite. And try to bear in mind that the Sierra Nevada is about 350 miles long. So you really need to decide what part of it you want to visit. The most popular parts, like Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, are crowded and have a thousand people a day or more on the most popular trails. Other areas are less so. There are some trails that may not see 50 people all season. It's a big mountain range.

Between early June and late October there is enough above 8,000 feet to make most of the trails very difficult unless you are accustomed to snowy alpine conditions---and that includes crampons and ice axes.

I'd suggest that you do a little more general research on the National Parks (Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon) and also some of the state parks(like Calaveras Big Trees, Donner Lake and DL Bliss) which will give you a better idea of what there is to do. And when you return here with questions, make sure you explain how much hiking experience you have, how far you want to hike each day, and what kinds of things you want to see, from lakes and rivers to big trees and high peaks.

And you can check out the website in my signature line for more info, too

[davidsheridan]

If you know your dates, there is still some availabilty in Curry Viallage tent cabins in Yosemite Valley. Well priced and Yosemite Valley is worth seeing.

You should consider the Eastern Sierra too, there are kinds of accomodations in Mammoth Lakes area. And the trail options and recreation options are endless. From here you can access Yosemites high country and Andel Adams wilderness, Inyo National Firest, and Hoover wilderness. Hot springs, breweries, dramatic scenery.

[TurboHike]

I have not been to the Sierra’s.
If I were thinking of just up and coming from the East Coast, what are my chances of finding motels- without reservations- near the most popular day hiking trails, including Yosemite? What month(s) would be best? Are the trails over used? Any advise appreciated. Thanks

Berger,

I suggest you get reservations. This will allow you to spend your time enjoying the great scenery of the Sierra Nevada instead of driving around looking for lodging if everything is booked. Yosemite is busy in the summer. The last time I went, about three years ago, it took us 1.5 hours in bumper to bumper traffic to get from the front gate to the valley. Not fun. You can avoid this type of situation by going other times of year, other than summer than is.

My favorite month in the Sierra Nevada is September since the days are still warm and the families with kids are back in school. This makes things less crowded, especially if you dayhiking some of the more popular trails. This comment applies to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, not just Yosemite.

Of course if you are singularly focused on Yosemite, the waterfalls are one of the main attractions, and going earlier in the year, May or June, you will see maximum water flow. In September it will not be as amazing.

The Eastern Sierra has some fantastic dayhikes, easy to google this. Caltopo is nice online map tool. Most features are free. You can use it to calculate distance of your planned hike(s).

Have fun!