Backpacking - Yosemite Grand Traverse - Itinerary
- About the Trip: This backpack
trip is a real stunner with highlights including a Half Dome ascent, a section of the John Muir Trail, a tour of Yosemite Valley and a nearly 60-mile hiking traverse through the heart of Yosemite. The start is from a remote trailhead in the Ansel Adam's Wilderness area in Southern Yosemite. We'll enter the park after the first day over Post Peak Pass into a very remote section of Yosemite. From here we'll travel the high country with moderate mileage each day through a few of Yosemite's famous High Camps before climbing Half Dome, and eventually exiting the trail through Cathedral Lakes into Tuolumne Meadows 8-days later.
- Accommodations: 1 night shared lodging at Piccadilly Inn in Fresno, 6 nights in tents
- Group Size: 4-12 backpackers with 1-2 guides
- Grade: Moderate to strenuous hiking up to 10 miles day at elevations of over 11,000'. Must be comfortable with some off trail hiking and carrying a loaded backpack. This trip is not for beginners and requires minimum daily mileages to complete the loop. There are no re-supplies of food, so you'll be carrying an additional approx. 17lbs of food in a 3lb. bear resistant can to start (in addition to your normal pack weight).
- Equipment: SYMG can supply all needed personal and group camping equipment (backpacks, sleeping bags, ground pads, tents, bear cans, etc). A detailed gear list will be sent 60 days prior to trip departure date.
- Cost of the Trip: $1695.00 per person (Single supplement: requested $150, forced single $75.00).
- Your Cost Includes: First nights' shared accommodation, meals while in the backcountry, personal camping gear (any needed tent, backpacks, sleeping bags, pads), group camp camping gear (first aid, stoves pots/pans, water filters, bear cans, etc) permits, guides, and remote shuttles to the beginning point trailhead on Day 2 and Tuolumne pick -up point on day 8.
- Not Included: Personal gear, meals while in the front country, optional gratuity for guide (typically 10-20% of trip cost), transportation to and from Bass Lake, Ca. Single lodging supplements.
- Meals: Meals begin with lunch the first day on the trail and are provided through breakfast the last day.
- Preparation: ncrease your physical activity and exercise routine. Hike at least one long hike with a fair amount of elevation gain prior to the trip, with a weighted backpack (30-40lbs).
- Day 1: Check in at the Piccadilly Inn adjacent to the Fresno Airport anytime after 4 PM. Meet your guides and go over a summary of the trip 6pm in the lobby. Have dinner on your own at the Hotel.
- Day 2: After an early breakfast on your own, our van will meet you at 7am to drive to the remote trailhead (7,300'), about a 2.5 hour drive. The hike to our first camp will be roughly 6 miles to Staniford Lake (8600'). That evening there may be time to swim or fish while your guides prepare dinner beneath the high peaks. The day ends with campfire and stargazing.
- Day 3: The next day is a longer one at roughly 11 miles spent hiking over Post Peak Pass into Yosemite National Park. We'll be camping at Lake 10K (10,005') with views towards Isberg, Long Mtn, and Forester Peak (10,996', 11502', and 12057' respectively).
- Day 4: Today's hike is a grand downhill, through the creek drainages that eventually form the mighty wild and scenic Merced River. Views of the Eastern slope of Yosemite's Clark Range are abundant. The day's hike drops us 2500' over 11 miles to the Merced Lake camp at 7300'.
- Day 5: Today we'll start heading West towards the world's most famous monolith and Yosemite's crown jewel, Half Dome. 7.5 miles of gradual ups and downs to the Sunrise Creek area (7200') put us below Half Dome in time for an early dinner for an early start the following day.
- Day 6: We'll be up before sunrise to start on our way to hiking up the cable rout to the top of Half Dome (8,836'). We'll be hiking with just day packs as we backtrack to our camp mid day. Round trip up and down the Dome is 5 miles. We'll then break camp and continue onto the John Muir Trail another 3 miles for the day's camp along Sunrise Creek.
- Day 7: Our second to last day will take us uphill along the John Muir Trail through the well known Yosemite High Camp area called Sunrise on our way to what many guides call "one of the most beautiful spots in Yosemite," Cathedral Lakes(9288'). 8.5 miles.
- Day 8: After breakfast, we'll pack up and head out the remaining 4.5 miles to the trailhead at Tuolumne Meadows in Northern Yosemite. We'll be meeting our shuttle here mid morning for a scenic drive back through Yosemite, where we can sightsee in Yosemite Valley ( El Capitan, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, etc), on our way back to Fresno for the end of the trip. Expect a 5-6pm return to Fresno.
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