New Sierra Backpacker - April/May Suggestions

[TxAggie]

Have you done any of the other Hetch Hetchy hikes? We’re considering Miguel/Beehive Meadow or Smith Peak. How strenuous is that first ascent from the damn up to Miguel Meadows?

Have you considered the hike along the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite Park to campsites at Rancheria Creek? That's always been a favorite early season backpack for us. Lots of impressive granite cliffs and booming Wapama Falls. The only problem is that sometimes Wapama Falls is too booming and runs over the bridges making them unsafe to cross. That's a problem during peak snowmelt. You'll have to call the Park as the time gets closer to find out whether the trail is safe, but I did notice lots of permit availability in recreation.gov for Friday, May 6 (remember, you only need the permit for day of entry, not for every day of your trip).

Also consider Emigrant Wilderness off highway 108 (Sonora Pass) north of Yosemite. There are no quotas for this wilderness. Check the Stanislaus NF website, but last year, you just needed to call them a couple of days before your trip and they made up your permit.

A friend at work a few years ago did a backpack out of the Emigrant Wilderness Kennedy Meadows trailhead up to Kennedy Lake at the end of April. He had a few snow patches to cross, but nothing difficult, and there were plenty of melted-out areas to camp. This, of course, depends on the Sonora Pass highway being plowed and open that far - check roads.dot.ca.gov.

You might also be able to pack in from the Emigrant Wilderness Crabtree trailhead southeast of Pinecrest if the forest road is open. But again, if you hit it at peak snowmelt, you could be stopped by an uncrossable creek after a few miles.

-Phil Farrell

[TxAggie]

Hetch Hetchy is one my daughter mentioned and we’re considering it. The falls trail is already booked for that Friday, so I’m looking at Miguel And Beehive to Laurel Lake. How long should it take to make the climb up to a camping spot? She doesn’t get out of class until 11, so from Davis I don’t think we’ll be on the trail until 4 at the earliest if we go to Hetch Hetchy. Looks like a long climb, but with the switchbacks not absolutely brutal.

Have you considered the hike along the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite Park to campsites at Rancheria Creek? That's always been a favorite early season backpack for us. Lots of impressive granite cliffs and booming Wapama Falls. The only problem is that sometimes Wapama Falls is too booming and runs over the bridges making them unsafe to cross. That's a problem during peak snowmelt. You'll have to call the Park as the time gets closer to find out whether the trail is safe, but I did notice lots of permit availability in recreation.gov for Friday, May 6 (remember, you only need the permit for day of entry, not for every day of your trip).

Also consider Emigrant Wilderness off highway 108 (Sonora Pass) north of Yosemite. There are no quotas for this wilderness. Check the Stanislaus NF website, but last year, you just needed to call them a couple of days before your trip and they made up your permit.

A friend at work a few years ago did a backpack out of the Emigrant Wilderness Kennedy Meadows trailhead up to Kennedy Lake at the end of April. He had a few snow patches to cross, but nothing difficult, and there were plenty of melted-out areas to camp. This, of course, depends on the Sonora Pass highway being plowed and open that far - check roads.dot.ca.gov.

You might also be able to pack in from the Emigrant Wilderness Crabtree trailhead southeast of Pinecrest if the forest road is open. But again, if you hit it at peak snowmelt, you could be stopped by an uncrossable creek after a few miles.

-Phil Farrell

[Wandering Daisy]

What you mean by Rancheria Falls "all booked"? I thought 40% are available as "first-come" which this year means you book 2 weeks in advance. You could try this Friday 15th? Why not try to book Rancheria Falls for the 30th? and drive over early AM.

What do you mean "arrive" at 4PM? At Hetch-Hetchy? At the Big Oak Entrance? Be aware that they lock the gate to Hetch Hetchy (5PM I think but check on that) and it takes at least half an hour to get from Big Oak entrance to Hetch Hetchy.

Laurel Lake or Migueal Meadows is much less scenic. But when you come back you could do a quick day-hike along the Reservoir. That way you would not miss the best views. It is about 5-6 hours, 6 miles, 3000 feet gain to Laurel Lake. 1475 feet gain 2 miles to Miguel Meadow trail junction (not sure how much more to get to Miguel Meadow).

edit- just checked the hours when the gate to Hetch Hetchy is closed. "Generally, daylight hours" but then summer 2021 was specifically stated as open 8AM to 5PM. Nothing said about 2022. You need to call about that.

edit again- just looked up my times for last year's trip. Left Sacramento 6AM, weekday, left parking lot next to backpackers CG at 10:30 (very fast drive, time can vary a lot due to traffic, via Hwy 49, longer if you get stuck behind RV's). Not sure the fastest way for you starting from Davis. Got permit at Hetch Hetchy entrance station- very quick and nobody ahead of me. Beehive at 2:40 (only two 5-minute stops on way up), I went on to Vernon Lake (2.5 hrs) but it is about half an hour to get to Laural Lake with one creek to wade across. The trail is well graded and easy to follow. It can be beastly hot late afternoon. I was pushing it, not a leisurely pace at all. Hope that information helps.

Here is where the FS dispersed camp area is, in case you cannot get to the gate in time.

FS dispersed campsite on Evergreen Road

[TxAggie]

Thank you, this was just the information I needed.
From what I saw online, it said only walk-ups were available for Ranchiera for 4/29. I’ll keep an eye out at the 2 week mark just in case. You make a great suggestion though, we could arrive Friday, do a short hike near the campground then head back for a walk up permit for Ranchiera on Saturday. The 4 pm is estimated based on checking driving conditions from Davis to the hiker campground in .Friday afternoon and leaving Davis by 12 noon.
Given it took you about 4 hours from the trailhead, I’m thinking that route might be a little too ambitious for Friday afternoon. My original plan was to get up to Beehive Friday then circle clockwise over to Ranchiera and back to the trailhead.

Thank you for your feedback, it’s a great help! There are just so many choices it’s a bit overwhelming for my first trip out there, plus I want to make sure my daughter enjoys herself. She’s backpacked with me before, but the Maryland AT is nothing like what Yosemite and the Sierra offer.

What you mean by Rancheria Falls "all booked"? I thought 40% are available as "first-come" which this year means you book 2 weeks in advance. You could try this Friday 15th? Why not try to book Rancheria Falls for the 30th? and drive over early AM.

What do you mean "arrive" at 4PM? At Hetch-Hetchy? At the Big Oak Entrance? Be aware that they lock the gate to Hetch Hetchy (5PM I think but check on that) and it takes at least half an hour to get from Big Oak entrance to Hetch Hetchy.

Laurel Lake or Migueal Meadows is much less scenic. But when you come back you could do a quick day-hike along the Reservoir. That way you would not miss the best views. It is about 5-6 hours, 6 miles, 3000 feet gain to Laurel Lake. 1475 feet gain 2 miles to Miguel Meadow trail junction (not sure how much more to get to Miguel Meadow).

edit- just checked the hours when the gate to Hetch Hetchy is closed. "Generally, daylight hours" but then summer 2021 was specifically stated as open 8AM to 5PM. Nothing said about 2022. You need to call about that.

edit again- just looked up my times for last year's trip. Left Sacramento 6AM, weekday, left parking lot next to backpackers CG at 10:30 (very fast drive, time can vary a lot due to traffic, via Hwy 49, longer if you get stuck behind RV's). Not sure the fastest way for you starting from Davis. Got permit at Hetch Hetchy entrance station- very quick and nobody ahead of me. Beehive at 2:40 (only two 5-minute stops on way up), I went on to Vernon Lake (2.5 hrs) but it is about half an hour to get to Laural Lake with one creek to wade across. The trail is well graded and easy to follow. It can be beastly hot late afternoon. I was pushing it, not a leisurely pace at all. Hope that information helps.

Here is where the FS dispersed camp area is, in case you cannot get to the gate in time.

Ackerson dispersed camp.JPG

[Wandering Daisy]

I am not sure the entire Vernon Lake Loop (what you had planned first) would work. There was a big fire (Tiltill Fire) last year and according to Yosemite website, the trail is closed between Tiltill Valley and Vernon Lake. But the fire is out, so it would only be a matter of fallen logs. If that is your plan, call Yosemite Wilderness and ask about the condition of the trail through the burn or if it is even open yet.

If you start in the morning you can get all the way to Vernon Lake, like I did. Vernon is more scenic than Vernon Lake.

There is a trip report you should read (by giantbrookie). I will try to put a link here.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21487

[wildhiker]

Thank you, this was just the information I needed.
From what I saw online, it said only walk-ups were available for Ranchiera for 4/29. I’ll keep an eye out at the 2 week mark just in case. You make a great suggestion though, we could arrive Friday, do a short hike near the campground then head back for a walk up permit for Ranchiera on Saturday. The 4 pm is estimated based on checking driving conditions from Davis to the hiker campground in .Friday afternoon and leaving Davis by 12 noon.
Given it took you about 4 hours from the trailhead, I’m thinking that route might be a little too ambitious for Friday afternoon. My original plan was to get up to Beehive Friday then circle clockwise over to Ranchiera and back to the trailhead.

Here's some clarifications on the wilderness permit issues for Yosemite, courtesy of the park's website.

First, read through the main Yosemite website for permits at https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildpermits.htm
You will see this description of "walk-up" permits, which are now available for reservation 7 days in advance (NOT two weeks in advance) and will rarely still be available for true walk-up the day of your trip:

For the 2022 season, the remaining 40% of trailhead quotas will be released on a first-come, first-served basis on Recreation.gov seven days in advance at 7 am PDT. Popular trailheads will fill very quickly; be logged on and ready to reserve promptly at 7 am PDT seven days in advance of your desired start date. The latest you can make a reservation is three days before a trip (although, few reservations will be available at that point). For example, to start a trip on a Saturday, the earliest you could make a reservation would be the prior Saturday, and you would be able to make a reservation until Wednesday at 11:59 pm. The first on-sale date will be April 22, 2022 (for an April 29 start date) and the last will be October 16, 2022 (for an October 23 start date).

The trip leader or alternate must pick up the wilderness permit in person at a wilderness center one day in advance (8 am to 5 pm) or on the same day (8 am to 10 am, unless held on Recreation.gov for a late arrival up to 5 pm). A reservation confirmation letter is not a valid permit.

Any unreserved permits will be available in person at wilderness centers only on the start date of the trip. Few, if any, unused permits will be available on any given day. You must arrive at a wilderness center during business hours to get a permit. All wilderness centers operate from 8 am to 5 pm. After-hours permits will not be available. In order to get a same-day permit, you must be in the park either by reservation or by entering during non-peak hours.

The need to get a reservation to enter Yosemite park during peak hours (6 am to 4 pm - see https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm) makes it difficult to get a true walk-up permit, so best to plan for a wilderness permit reservation, which exempts you from the peak hour entry reservation requirement. However, in a practical sense, this peak entry reservation requirement does not apply to same-day walk-up wilderness permits for Hetch Hetchy. As the Hetch Hetchy entrance station issues wilderness permits, you just park right at the entrance station, walk over to it and get your walk-up wilderness permit, and then go back and drive in your car, which is now exempt from the peak hour entry reservation since you have that wilderness permit.

The Hetch Hetchy entrance station issues wilderness permits from 8 am to 5 pm, although it is open later (depending on season) for day-use entrance - see https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/ ... ations.htm

No matter which trail you take from Hetch Hetchy, leaving Davis at noon, driving to Hetch Hetchy (with likely extra traffic from everyone else getting out of town for the weekend), getting your wilderness permit, and then hiking many miles to a suitable campsite sounds like a grueling experience to me! Hetch Hetchy has a backpacker's campground (see https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bpcamp.htm) that you can use the night before (or after) your wilderness trip for $8 per person per night. It's not the most attractive, but has all facilities and is conveniently located. Only backpackers with a wilderness permit can use this campground. Knowing that, here is what I would do.

I would make a wilderness permit reservation to start my backpack trip on Saturday, April 30. I would drive up Friday, April 29, as you originally planned, pick up my wilderness permit at the Hetch Hetchy entrance station, and setup camp in the backpacker's campground. If I had time, energy, and daylight, I would then do a short day-hike up whichever trail I was NOT going to backpack the next day.

Personally, for just a one-night backpack, I think the Rancheria Falls trail would be the most scenic and the right length. I would be online and logged into recreation.gov by 7 am PDT on April 23, when the "walk-up" reservations are released for April 30, with my session open on the Yosemite Wilderness Permits reservation page. I would refresh my browser window a couple seconds after 7 am and then book my permit reservation. I bet Rancheria Falls permits will be available - permits for 14 people will be released (see trailhead quotas at https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/trailheads.htm).

-Phil

[TxAggie]

That is a wealth of information, thank you! Especially on the walk-up reservation part, I missed that somehow. I’ll try and find it so I know for next time. What you described is what I was thinking of doing after Wandering Daisy’s post. I assume this process is the same for all Yosemite permits, including Yosemite Valley trailheads?

[J0han]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading this topic and we too want to go do an early 3 night backpack trip, but already want to start this sunday/monday

We are doubting between hetch hetchy loop, upper yosemite falls to snow creek falls or something from happy isles maybe. The last trail I already did often but I always love going that direction.

Strongly leaning towards hetch hetchy loop but anyone who can draw us over the edge? We will have crampons but don't want anything dangerous.

Johan

[TxAggie]

A couple of weeks ago I went ahead and reserved permits for Beehive Meadows for Friday night (just to make sure we had something), thinking we would have time to make it up the trail. But now I’m realizing that simply won’t be possible on Friday. I tried changing the start date to Saturday, and there are open permits for Miguel, but it won’t let me.
What happens to my permit if I arrive too late to make it to our first night’s destination? I’m pretty sure we would make it in time to pick up the permit, just not enough to make it up the trail far enough by sundown.

[Wandering Daisy]

Pick up your permit on time and do what you can to be safe. If that means not starting until the next day, I doubt anyone will bother you about that. If stopped just say you were worried about getting stuck in the dark and opted for a safer option. You may be too early to change the permit- have to wait until the "first come" window opens. I would just go with what you have. Perhaps you will be lucky, and the drive will go faster than anticipated so you can start on time.

As for the Vernon Lake loop, call and check if it will be open. The Yosemite website has no indication that the trail closure through the Tilltill Fire area has been lifted yet.