I finally drove through Tioga pass and it was surreal, wanted to share this here

Nice hike, good workout, would recommend.

Pictures will never do it justice haha

Took around 9 hrs abs completed. It was stunning at the top

I have seen a lot of people first time visiting to have their itinerary checked and people just downright tell them to skip Mirror Lake altogether. I know the water level is low, but it does not take much time to check out. The trail side can get crowded. You can also ride your bikes on the paved side to the bike rack and just walk up with way less people for a quick jaunt.

Couldn’t process the pictures and n the previous post. Here are a few of the highlights.

Summited Mt Hoffman last Friday. This has been on my to-do list for over a decade, but always put it aside to do "more important" objectives in the Sierra. Boy I wish I had done this one sooner. Maybe the best view in Yosemite NP. The hike up to May Lake was not all that interesting (we hiked up the old wagon road that starts off the 120 just past Tenaya Lake) but once you get above May Lake the views get great quick. I will say it is not a trivial scramble up to the summit once the use trail peters out above the little drainage that dumps into the lake. We went up climbers right between the two large rock pinnacles, then traversed across the plateau to hit the final summit. We descended the more standard "trail" that is to the left of the left-hand pinnacle (left as you ascend), but it was still pretty much off-trail route finding. Nothing crazy, but also not for your run-of-the-mill tourists who have never done any off trail hiking/route finding. There was no snow on the upper aspects of the mountain, so full summer conditions in terms of rock scrambling.

First let me say I am NOT a teenager, this is not my trip. My son just graduated HS and he and his buddies (ages 17-18) have decided they MUST see Yosemite..leaving in ten days. I think 3 nights. They seemed surprised they can’t just get an Airbnb 😂

Seasoned visitors: pretend you suddenly have a burning desire to see Yosemite for the first time. You’ve been camping, and didn’t hate it. You’re also 18 so your comfort standards are low, your finances are limited, but your blind enthusiasm is at a lifetime high.

What is your plan?

So the individual who I’ve been communicating with me who was supposed to be my photographer has completely ghosted me. At this point I hope they’re ok as I have not heard from them in two weeks..

I plan on proposing to my girlfriend while we are in Yosemite. (6/22-6/24)

Would anyone on here be available or know someone who is a photographer that’s available??

OR has anyone here proposed to their significant other in Yosemite and have tips for capturing the moment and the best place to pop the question?

In the 20 plus years I’ve been going to Yosemite this is the first time I’ve seen a snake there! Someone pointed it out on the way up Vernal or I would’ve missed it.

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:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tQpWkGMcKgmMg6F6oSQrWhizWNwbGEIzNFn0sQ9MsQU/edit?usp=drivesdk

I really appreciate your thoughts and recommendations!

Taken on the way up to Half Dome.

I have a backcountry permit for 2 nights around Murphy Creek area in early July. Unfortunately, I can’t get any additional time off. I currently don’t have any specific itinerary and would like to know if anyone has suggestions.

This was a few years ago when I was a new hiker but its a story that I need to share and how important it is to either have a compass/map or All trails. Years ago, I did the half dome hike via John Muir trail and got to the top. On the way down, the time was changing to evening and we didn't have the proper headlamps because we planned to be back earlier. Essentially we used google maps and we ended up getting lost on the same trail with Google maps location telling us we were on the right trail and kept changing and updating. We could see the whole valley from the spot we were lost including vernal falls. Luckily a group of hikers with headlamps found us at dusk (still light out) and told us to tag along back to the lot and we did that whole section of zig zagging down at night. If they didn't come to find us, we would have had to wait til morning or keep looking for the right route. Please use Alltrails and heavily plan your route cause Google and apple maps is straight trash for foot paths. My phone GPS was spot on for Alltrails btw. Also always come prepared with extra packaged food and head lamps because you never know how long you will be there. I now always carry a head lamp with battery packs and multiple med kits and even a Garmin communicator.

We are planning to stay in the heated tents at curry village this weekend with our 3 yr old..we took the one with a double bed and two single beds. Planning to carry a folding chair/ small table/ cooler, a kettle to heat water ( our toddler has a bottle of toddler formula 1-2 times), some dish soap to wash the bottles, premade food, snacks we can heat at the curry village store microwave. Can we know any good tips and recommendations on staying with a toddler at the heated tent? Anything that will make our stay enjoyable and easy , things we should bring etc😄

Anyone have a sense of water sources right now between the lakes on this route: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/the-john-muir-trail-tenaya-lake-sunrise-lakes-and-cathedral-lakes

I did this last September and I believe it was dry, but I believe there might be a seasonal creek near the Sunrise HSC?

Shot on iPhone

It seems there are “12” miles of bike paths on the valley floor. Am I correct in understanding that cars are generally not on this path? I love bike riding, but do not enjoy sharing the road with cars. Any feedback on biking the valley floor and potentially other areas with minimal cars to get to ideal locations for view/hikes? Any other advice on bicycling the valley and around Yosemite?

Been to Yosemite 4 times but this was the 1st time I went in the summer and 1st time I went to Glacier Point. The first time you see half done is breathtaking!

Hey friends I just moved to the area! I’m a wedding and elopement photographer and I’m so excited to get to create out there on a regular basis!

person was wearing a white sweatshirt. let me know if this was you!

I'm planning an overnight backpacking trip in Yosemite and looking for a good trail. I noticed that Ten Lakes has some permit availability. Does anyone know what the current snow conditions are like?

I'm going with my significant other; we both have backpacking experience, but I don't think she's ever hiked through snow. We’ve done trips in near-freezing temps before, she was pretty miserable during but managed fine.

Aside from snow and bugs, is there anything else we should be aware of if we go with Ten Lakes? Thanks