Trip Advice, 2 weeks for mid to late May?

[Talimon]

My father and uncle were planning an early season trip and asking me for advice. Given the unpredictable snowpack I know this is a crapshoot, but I figured I would ask and see if anyone had ideas. I usually do my trips to the Sierras in late August and September, so I'm not as familiar with what is and isn't accessible that early.

This is their first real backpack to the Sierras. They keep telling me the Sierras are overrated and I should go check out the Trinity Alps. So naturally my inclination was to send them to high elevation and knock their socks off, but alas that just won't happen in May. Their needs:

Will be out in the mountains for two weeks, starting around May 15th, and want to plan two separate 5-7 day trips. Their ideal trip would be one day out to a lake or water feature, and then base-camp and do side-trips for the remainder of their days. Prefer to stay on trail, but open to XC. Prefer avoiding crowds, which I'm guessing that early in the season shouldn't be a problem.

So in short, need a couple lakes that are accessible that early in the season. Any advice highly appreciated!

[maiathebee]

haha, the Trinity Alps are my go-to for May backpacking. But that's not helpful here! I doubt you'll be able to convince them that the Sierra are better if you can't get to the high country, which will be difficult if not impossible in May. Is there a reason you have to go in May? If you really want to impress them with Sierra superiority (I agree with you btw), I don't think it makes sense to push it in May. Just wait until you can take them there in July or August.

[CAMERONM]

General vicinity trailheads of Lodgepole, Mineral King, Lake Edison and Tuolumne Meadows offer a range of day excursions which can be decided as trail conditions merit at that time.

[Wandering Daisy]

Yosemite is my playground in May. Nothing like the waterfalls at full flow. If Tioga Pass not open, then Happy Isles-Mist Trail- JMT with climb of Clouds Rest, over to Merced Lake, down past LYV, Panorama to Glacier Point, and perhaps continue on the Pohono Trail, cut down old road to Bridalveil Falls and walk the valley floor back to Backpackers Camp. Add the North Rim Traverse, up Yosemite Falls and down Snow Creek, side trip to climb to the top of Mt Watkins. If you do 2-3 trips you can always plan it with a campsite (1-2 days to see the valley) at the backpacker's campground since you can stay there the night before and night after any permitted trip. In the valley, you can shower, rest and buy food for the next trip. If Tioga is open, add the Grand Canyon of the Tuloumne.

[Talimon]

Is anywhere in Ansel Adams completely foolish (Thousand Island, etc)? Would anything even be doable out of June Lake on snow, or is that a stretch? Just wondering given the dry conditions this year.

[kpeter]

Is anywhere in Ansel Adams completely foolish (Thousand Island, etc)? Would anything even be doable out of June Lake on snow, or is that a stretch? Just wondering given the dry conditions this year.

Depends on how much hiking on snow you want to do and how quickly things are melting. You can check out the snow gauges in the vicinity:
http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecstation2/
The snow gauge at Agnew pass has 49 inches of snow depth today. It is down from a peak of 90 inches on March 23. If it stays warm it might well be gone by mid to late May. It is at 9450 feet and I think is in a relatively open area off the cut-off trail from the High Trail to Badger Lakes. It faces more S or SW I think so it will melt out much more rapidly than N slopes. You can see its location for yourself by going to Google Earth Latitude 37.72663° Longitude -119.14173°.

[Harlen]

All great ideas from WD, but if the road is open to T. Meadows, I think a great base camp for one of their trips would be upper Cathedral Lake (9,585'). There are a lot of impressive day hikes/climbs from there: up to the saddle under Cathedral Peak, possibly circling around the peak if they're up for the bit of Class 3; up one of Echo Peaks; over Cathedral Pass to Echo Creek and over to Matthes Lake... up Tresidder Peak; and at least part of the way to Sunrise HSC; .... If they could go over C. Pass and on to Echo Lake (~9,280'), (just 5 or 6 miles in from the TH) they would drop down to the elevation for fires (which in YNP is either 9,400, or 9600?). Fires at night would be nice for cold May backpacking.

A second trip in the same area could either be WD's Valley Base, or (much more snowy) the beautiful 20 Lakes Basin. Lots of good day trips around that basin.... but again- it would be snowy, and no fires. On the east side the best choice might be up from South Lake; there are a lot of options for day trips in that area. How about a base camp at Green Lake, Virginia Lakes, or in Leavitt Meadows- we think you can have fires in all of those, but you'd better check: call the Toiyabe/Bridgeport Ranger Station at: (760) 932-7070. Good luck to them!