Questions and reports related to Sierra Nevada current and forecast conditions, as well as general precautions and safety information. Trail conditions, fire/smoke reports, mosquito reports, weather and snow conditions, stream crossing information, and more.
Standard HST disclaimer due to past experiences here trying to be helpful passing on information. This is all from conversations I did not record, believe me or not but save us all some time and don't bother to call me out and mockingly demand proof.
* Tuolumne Lodge is expected to open in a few weeks.
* The Tuolumne store/grill is supposed to open on August 9th, but there was a raised eyebrow. It's actually coming along pretty nicely, it's all framed up and the post office is in a little awning nearby like a stall at a farmer's market.
* High camps aside from Vogelsang (banged up, see photos from last October) and Merced are expected to open on the 19th - Sunrise, Glen Aulin, and May lake.
* Overnight vehicle stashing IS allowed again in the back lot at the mono visitor center for backpackers - but be sure to leave your make/model/plate and expected return date with someone at the front desk. Apparently whatever LEO was uptight about it last year has relaxed their stance.
I have reservations at the Tuolumne lodge on 7/15 which is now opening day for the lodge.. I've been unable to make the recommended reservations for dinner though because the phone number just rings and rings. Will the kitchen be open? Should I bring backup dinners/breakfasts? It's only for 2 nights before we head out Rafferty Creek but still makes me a little anxious..
@dbargaehr1 I copied and pasted this from my group and added the HST disclaimer so the photos were referring to something off-site, sorry.
The last time I passed on information from a (former) ranger here two people here didn't believe me and demanded details beyond what I could reasonably get from a casual conversation to prove I wasn't lying with some attitude to boot. I was later able to confirm via the SEKI trail atlas (to no response), but the burden of sharing information here is a bit much. It's a trend, I literally had someone tell me a ranger put cairns on part of an old trail after I stated I talked with that ranger by name and he didn't know it existed... not sure how that works.
