Off to Yosemite for a week

[jeffrow]

Yee ha! Leaving Sunday morning to spend a week in the valley. Staying in Coarsegold for a night then on to North Pines for 7 nights. Our favorite trip of the year because we go with kids and grandkids.

 

[cpaharley2008]

Enjoy and please post pictures....

 

[h2owmn]

have a wonderful time making memories with three generations!

 

[Upfisk]

How did you get a site? I tried Feb 15th when the Recreation.gov website openned for June 22-June 29. In 3 minutes all of June at all the sites were gone.

 

[Bea]

How wonderful! Camping family memories are the best, aren't they? Our favorite little campground just outside Yosemite burnt down last year so curious to hear how you like North Pines. Happy Yosemite Trails!

 

[jeffrow]

Thanks all. This is our 4th year in a row at North Pines. Bike are a must with all the crowds, getting to trail heads is tough if you have to fight traffic.

A couple of mornings I will throw the bike in the back of the 4Runner and drop the vehicle off at Sentinel Beach and ride the bike back to the campsite so we can raft from the camp through the valley.

Getting sites is always a challenge, Recreation.gov put in new software this year. Some of the techniques used in the past don’t work so well anymore. Keep in mind that they don’t release all the sites initially, quite a few are in areas that are prone to flooding. They are released much later when they know that it is safe to do so. We got one of our sites just this week.

 

[Jmn n]

I normally recommend the high country sites in the summer, Tuolumne Meadows, Porcupine Flat, etc. And Forest Service sites just east of Tioga Pass. And I avoided the Yosemite Valley until after Labor Day. BUT the high country is not yet open for the season. This is a late opening, must have had a lot of (or late) snow.

Tioga Pass Road is scheduled to fully open July 1. (No dates yet for the Tioga Pass Road Camgprounds.)

https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/news...oga-road-beginning-on-friday-june-21-2019.htm

 

[jeffrow]

Lots of much needed snow last winter, Tioga Rd opening was most recently delayed due to avalanche danger around Olmsted Point. My personal favorite, Bridalveil Creek is still not open.

For overall fun for kids it is hard to beat the valley though. Fond memory of a few years ago was the priceless look on the grandkids faces when it sunk in what “no cell service or internet “ really meant.

After a week of meeting new friends, swimming, hiking, biking and most of all freedom, they were a different bunch of kids going home.

 

[Farther]

BUT the high country is not yet open for the season. This is a late opening, must have had a lot of (or late) snow.

Your post prompted me to check and this is the information I found.

"Yosemite National Park has measured the snowpack in the Tuolumne River basin to be an average of 176% as of April 1, 2019. Please note the High Sierra Camps will not open this year due to the high snowpack. We are in the process of contacting guests with the option of a transfer to 2020 or a refund."

 

[Mike G]

Yee ha is right! You're making me want to come along. I think it's been 6 years since I've been to Yosemite.

...A couple of mornings I will throw the bike in the back of the 4Runner and drop the vehicle off at Sentinel Beach and ride the bike back to the campsite so we can raft from the camp through the valley...

What a nifty idea! How long does it take to float that far, usually? The water might be running fast this year; one could always float a little farther and stop at Cathedral Beach, I guess.


Bridalveil CG is my favorite, too. One of these years I could see myself camp hosting there for a few weeks.

 

[Greggo]

In July??? Keep us posted!

G

 

[jeffrow]

Yee ha is right! You're making me want to come along. I think it's been 6 years since I've been to Yosemite.


What a nifty idea! How long does it take to float that far, usually? The water might be running fast this year; one could always float a little farther and stop at Cathedral Beach, I guess.


Bridalveil CG is my favorite, too. One of these years I could see myself camp hosting there for a few weeks.

Maybe an hour and a half? Never actually timed it. Park rules prohibit rafting past Sentinel Beach.

 

[jeffrow]

In July??? Keep us posted!

G

[emoji1]leaving this morning

 

[jeffrow]

Back.... had good time. Pretty crowded as usual. River was high and after a SAR op between the first and second bridge the rangers made everyone portage to the second bridge to launch.

Did the Panorama Trail, been on the bucket list for a while now. Saw a momma bear and two cubs. Mother was clawing on a log for bugs I assume. Trail ended up 11.9 miles and was awesome until the crowds at Mist trail and John Miur Trail.

Came home via Tioga Pass and the 395.


1. Mirror Lake Loop hike.

2. Bad photo of bear and 2 cubs

3. Campsite

4. View from Panorama Trail near Glacier Point.

 

[MyronL]

Great stuff! After 30 years I got to get back there.

 

[Mike G]

I can almost smell the air and feel the breeze.