Grab your bear can or camp chair, kick your feet up and chew the fat about anything Sierra Nevada related that doesn't quite fit in any of the other forums. Within reason, (and the HST rules and guidelines) this is also an anything goes forum. Tell stories, discuss wilderness issues, music, or whatever else the High Sierra stirs up in your mind.
These are the regions one must select when applying for a permit.
Saving a copy here for reference and archiving. Most names are visible except for some of the smallest areas, including Upper Sunrise Lake, Upper Cathedral Lake. and the part of Vogelsang High Sierra Camp where camping is allowed.
These are the regions one must select when applying for a permit.
Saving a copy here for reference and archiving. Most names are visible except for some of the smallest areas, including Upper Sunrise Lake, Upper Cathedral Lake. and the part of Vogelsang High Sierra Camp where camping is allowed.
This is a useful resource for trip planning in the Yosemite Wilderness, @tomba. This will definitely come in handy when applying for permits. It's also a nice visual way to explore different areas of the park and get ideas for future trips.
My first impression is that the areas are too small, making it overall very complex and leaving very little flexibility with route planning. But then, does this also mean that you absolutely have to camp in the area designated on your permit, excepting first day? Given the lack of backcountry rangers checking, except for very popular areas, I hope this is not very enforceable. As I age, making it exactly to planned destinations is less feasible. Some days I am " hot to trot", some days not. Regardless of permit, I will hike my hike with flexibility concerning conditions, my energy level, and safety.
Glad to see these changes. The recreation dot gov practice of only using lake names as destinations, often left those that don't always camp at such lakeitis places poor choices with the itinerary fields. For years I had to go into Yosemite stations and crudely snap photos of their camp zone maps that in any case regularly changed. The Desolation Wilderness method of zones has worked well that allows a savvy map person to figure out secondary ways to get into areas not intended.
The SEKI zone map also shows adjacent national forest zones, another agency that had kept zone maps out of public view for unknown reasons. Since @tomba originally posted a link for that map in 2011 I've expected they would eventually put that online and indeed have just found it upon drilling down with much better resolution. This link brings one to a webpage where one needs to select more options.
First at page upper right select the Basemap section and then on its pop down select USA Topo Maps.
Then at page left, select the Protect Your Parks section then in the pop down Wilderness Travel Zones. Then zoom in to wherever.
I have an early August reservation for Treasure Lakes out of South Lake on the SF of Bishop Creek. Was not interested in actually going to that 301 zone but rather zone 30 that include Bishop Pass where reservations are difficult. Now with this map, I can clearly see the line between the zones bisects Hurd Peak so have an option to camp the first night in the no name basin due north while effectively saving 350 feet of uphill vertical effort by going off trail at 10240+ easily up towards a noname 10400+ pond west southwest of Hurd Lake that I could also legally camp at. From there is a 20 foot drop to a likely unpleasant fording of minor size but slippery rocky Bishop Creek I'll deal with, then a short steep climb out of that ravine. After that, what looks like a straightforward traverse across moderate gradient rocky granite open forest slope on Google Earth to a pleasant slab area below meadows at 10600 feet. Only about 2 miles and 800 feet of uphill total for the day.
The next morning within an hour of sunrise might have an interesting shot of Hurd Peak's north face if I can find a flowery foreground that is likely. Then will easily climb up 250 feet across the rib just east and after dropping 100 feet, quickly ramble up 50 feet then over to the non-trail bench on the west side of Long Lake where I'll peacefully base camp another 3 nights with views of one of the most spectacular Eastern Sierra craggy chute mountain landscapes of the Inconsolable Range and colorful Chocolate Peak.
Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Fri Jul 19, 2024 9:17 amdoes this also mean that you absolutely have to camp in the area designated on your permit, excepting first day?
As far as I know that's not required. Not even the first night.
