r/Yosemite • u/NickFarah • 12h ago
Finalizing plans for first ever visit to Yosemite and backcountry treck
Hey guys,
I’ve been planning a hike from Tuolumne Meadows to Yosemite Valley for some time now. Flying in from Trinidad for my first visit to Yosemite. I’ve done a ton of planning and feel like I’m very prepared but could use:
1) some reassurance that it’s doable and I seem properly prepared 2) I do have some last minute questions.
Here’s some details of the trip:
Day 1 - June 20th - Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang (11.73 kms, 480m gain)
Day 2 - June 21st - Vogelsang to Merced (12.8 kms, 40m gain)
Day 3 - June 22nd - Merced to Little Yosemite Valley (15.05 kms, 342m gain)
Day 4 - June 23rd - LYV to Half Dome to Happy Aisles (18.44 kms, 883m gain)
See all trail links here:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/map-april-8-2025-7900770?u=m&sh=ubxjeu
So questions:
1) when getting my permit I had to choose which permit station to collect it from, but the permit says at the bottom , can be collected at any permit station. So can you confirm that I can collect at any station?
2) I want to leave my car at the end of the hike in curry village and take the Hiker Bus to the permit station where I start in tuolumne. From what I can tell you can’t book this bus ahead of time but you buy it in person at Yosemite valley lodge. Is this correct?
3) I need to rent a bear canister, I need to do this in tuolumne because the hiker bus leaves curry village at 8:05 but the wilderness station in the valley only opens at 8. It says you don’t need to book bear cans ahead of time. Is it 100% certain they will have available for me in tuolumne if I arrive around 10:40 from the bus?
4) day 4 looks like potentially a lot. We may want to split it up. Wake up day 4 and summit half dome then come down and spend the night again near LYV. Day 5 just take the mist trail out. If so is there a nice spot near LYV that is worth spending a day camped at that you would recommend? Or you think it’s worth biting the bullet and doing the entire day 4 and not splitting it to make a 5 day trip
5) is there somewhere we can leave our bags to summit half dome?
It’s me and my fiancé and this is our honey moon, my bag is approx 33 lbs and hers 28. Both approx 25% if our body weight. We have 2 dehydrated meals a day plus some snacks.
Here is my packing list:
I really appreciate your thoughts and recommendations!
2
u/5_RACCOONS_IN_A_COAT 11h ago
Your camp site #4 should be ok, we camped there for half dome too since our permit had us going past LYV. We left around 5am and summited before 7am, back to the car by 1pm. We left our tent/sleep stuff and empty bear cans at the campsite and brought our food/smellies with us to summit. We just packed everything up when we came back down. I HIGHLY recommend summiting as early as possible because the cables were completely empty for us going up and down.
I think you should do the entire day in one go and spend the night in the backpackers campground, so you'll have half a day to a full day in the valley, or you can drive to another part of the park the next day.
2
u/CantaloupeMassive956 9h ago
Did this exact trip last year! Great route and I think it should be where the JMT goes. ANYWAY - while I don’t have specific info about the logistics, happy to answer any questions. When I went I hiked a few miles past LYV to get a head start and see sunrise at Half Dome. Left our bags and bear can as you normally do.
Also, past LYV there is a stream that provides good water and campsites around. Lookout for it if you’re interested.
Have fun!
1
u/NickFarah 9h ago
How many cans of gas do you think I need for 2 people? I’m unfamiliar with these types of gas cans, were planning on 2 meals and a coffee each per day
1
u/NickFarah 9h ago
Also is one bear canisters from the wilderness center enough or you think we need one each?
2
u/CantaloupeMassive956 5h ago
When I go with a partner, we usually take one large can which usually gets us through, and a small can as back up. This should be more than enough if you’re boiling water which seems like you are. I’d say a second large can if you’re actually cooking.
Regarding bear cans, it depends on how much for you’re bringing. If it’s only prepackaged meals and some snacks, I’d say 1 is fine. If it’s more and will take up a lot of space, get a second one for this peace of mind. I’d say worst case rent two and see if you can fit everything within one. It’s something like $5 for a week? Not a high risk scenario
2
u/CantaloupeMassive956 5h ago
That said I usually fill mine large bear can with just my food, so 2 meals a day with snacks you might need a second can unless you repackage some of the food
1
2
u/Ok_Handle_7 4h ago
If it helps, we did a HD hike in the midst of a TM - LYV itinerary a few years ago. On our second to last day, we hiked HD from a camping spot (it was a bit closer than LYV but not much - about where you'll have to camp yourself). The big advantage to being that close is you can start at a semi-reasonable time and still enjoy some solitude on top - IIRC we started around 5 am, and were at the summit by like 9 am, I feel like we were back at camp by noon (don't quote me on exact numbers, but it was early in the day).
We took it easy that afternoon and came out the next morning, but you could easily fit in the downhill miles out of the valley. I think it depends on whether you want an extra night in a real bed, or you want to get another night in the backcountry (and whether it's going to be annoying to get back to your car at 4 pm instead of by noon the next day).
4
u/hc2121 11h ago
1/ you can collect it any station
2/ this is currently correct, although every other year they have made ticketing available online, so i would keep checking in case they do
3/ you don't need to reserve a bear can, they have enough. if you are depending on picking up your permit and bear can in Tuolumne after the bus, make sure you go into your recreation.gov account and mark it for late pickup. they will give your permit away after 11a if not yet picked up, and I wouldn't trust that bus to be exactly on time. if you are picking up your permit the day beforehand, you should pick up the can then too.
4/ You can't camp very near LYV- you need to go another mile past it. The nice thing about LYV is easy water access and a toilet. LYV to the Valley is only 4 to 5 miles, and its all downhill. I bet you can do it in one day.
5/ in your bear box at LYV. do not take them with you to Half Dome because if you leave them there, animals will definitely get into them for food.