Campers can still hit the jackpot in Yosemite
The opening of the last great trailhead camp to begin the summer season is imminent.
In Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Creek Campground, the launch point for one of America’s greatest day hikes to the brink of Yosemite Falls and the north rim of Yosemite Valley near the Lost Arrow Spire, will open to the public within the week, first-come, first-served.
Yosemite Creek gets overlooked by out-of-state tourists because it is not in Yosemite Valley, the access road is too rough for RVs and trailers, and the campsites don’t have the world-class beauty of much of the park.
This is part of a phenomenon at the Yosemite right now. The landmark sites are packed and booked full into fall, and yet at many others, if you play your cards right, you can still hit the jackpot.
What doesn’t work right now is to go to Yosemite Valley. All the parking spots can be filled by 9 a.m. The short hike up the hill (on asphalt) from Happy Isles to Vernal Fall looks something like Bay Bridge traffic on foot. The wilderness permits to hike the John Muir Trail from Yosemite to Mount Whitney are filled through September. Forget it.
In the high country of Yosemite, at 8,600 feet, Tuolumne Meadows campground opened last weekend. Half the sites each day are first-come, first-served. The openings of White Wolf and Yosemite Creek are looming.
Tuolumne Meadows (along with Yosemite Creek) is one of the best trailhead camps in the Western U.S. To the south, you get access to Lyell Canyon. Beyond is a series of alpine lakes, with a right turn taking you to Vogelsang Pass. Eschewing the turn and heading straight ahead on the JMT leads to Donohue Pass and an off-trail spur to Mount Lyell. You hit snow at 10,000 feet.
Permits are available each morning at the wilderness office near Tuolumne Meadows. A line forms and then permits are awarded at 11 a.m., first-come, first-served. Of each daily quota for a trailhead, 40 percent are available to walk-ups. There are many trailhead options, of course. Even with a filled quota, hikers disperse in their search for destinations, so each visitor has a chance for a quality experience.