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thinking about doing lyell peak / lyell canyon -
i need a permit correct? can i do this over the phone? not sure if i'll be there during business hours.
also i hear this trail can be crowded? does that mean yosemite valley crowded? boy scout troop crowded? or just 'you'll see 20 people' crowded?
if it is indeed crowded are there other trails similar that you'd recommend? don't need to be the tallest/biggest/furthest just need solitude and beauty.

thanks for any input, this will be my first multi-day hike in the sierra since i moved to sf from utah, looking forward to it!

1000Pks wrote:Last I heard Yosemite doesn't have any quotas. Check on that to be sure.

?? There is a quota for every trailhead for overnight visits in the park.

It's a fairly long approach but quite beautiful and for the first 10 miles or so, pancake flat. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. There are a few nice little swimming spots along the way.

You can get permits by phone, but I bet the reservable quota is full, even weekdays. True a ranger will check for a permit, and this is one of the 5-8 most popular trailheads, but I've yet to see one there.

Last time I went I couldn't get a permit, our packs were too big to pass as daypacks, so I got one for a nearby trailhead and exiting Lyell Canyon, so I was at least covered on the way out.

Everything everyone else stated is true- except for the no quota comment. My goodness! Is your Yosemite permit info from 1951?

http://www.yosemite.org/DSN/wwwyosemiteassociationorg/Content/Webcam/rptFullTrailheadDates.htm

as per this site it looks like there are no reservations aside from first-come(see page 2) I don't want to risk not being able to do so.

Other trails:

Budd Lake, PCT, JMT, Tioga Peak, Mt. Dana, Koip Peak, Mt. Lewis, though some of these are scrambles.

Hoffman has expansive views. Sometimes crowds on top, though. There'll be no one on Tuolumne Peak, most likely.

@1000peaks thanks for the info - looks like tuolumne peak and hoffman, as well as dana and lewis can all be done easily in a day - where would be a good base camp to set up to do these?
I know it's in/near yosemite and this is a holiday weekend; are there good primitive/dispersed camp spots on the tioga pass side of HWY 120 without going all the way down lee vining canyon? (i couldn't find any last fall).

again thanks for your help!

At the bend in the road at 9000 feet. Hardly giving away a secret. It will be packed!!!

satellite?

jareds wrote:I know it's in/near yosemite and this is a holiday weekend; are there good primitive/dispersed camp spots on the tioga pass side of HWY 120 without going all the way down lee vining canyon? (i couldn't find any last fall).

You can find tons of places to camp illegally inside the park, fairly safely. Any place you park for the day, which is hundreds of turnouts, you are free to leave your car for the night. You aren't allowed to sleep in your car and of course you are supposed to have a permit to sleep anywhere outside. All you have to do is toss your bag and pad in a pack, march a few hundred feet into the woods, and you're good. Don't bring any food or smellables with you and both the bears and rangers will leave you alone. The rangers are checking cars, trails, and areas near cars. They are not scouting the deep woods. Just go there after dark and get up early in the morning before sunrise.

1000Pks wrote: They go to lengths to catch illegal campers, they have eyes and a lot of experience doing such.

Jereds, if you have no reservations or good plans, please stay home or find something else to do. Unless you like $1000 fines and maybe some jail time.

No, they don't go to lengths, that's the main point. They check the cars at the turnouts, cruise the parking lots and campgrounds and keep people from speeding and killing bears and themselves.

Good Lord, you're just sleeping in the woods or on a slab of rock and you're gone in the morning. You don't need a tent. What they *really* don't want is people making campsites and fire rings and leaving shit around. Leave No Trace - it's not hard.

Go after Labor Day and the crowds will thin considerably.

yeah you're right i'll stay home and go another time. thanks for the advice!

Just dayhiked Lyell and Maclure two weekends ago, and the glacier was in pretty atrocious shape: suncups deep enough to hide a body; lots of running water; hopping from ridge to ridge over the cups was a sloppy, slick mess.

I'd recommend hitting Maclure first and heading up the ridge from the saddle, thereby avoiding the glacier entirely. That way you can leave the crampons/axe at home as well.

Pics are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/moosepics6 ... 665411205/

Have a great time! It was indeed a spectacular area that I plan to visit again.

-L

MooseTracks wrote:Just dayhiked Lyell and Maclure two weekends ago)

whoa that's like 28 miles right? def planning on doing a much slower pace than that. if we ARE able to get a permit it'll be a 2 or 3 day thing, nice and slow. otherwise we'll break it up and do a few different hikes.

thanks for sharing the pics, looks rad!

1000Pks wrote:There's going to be millions on the road, and I know some good peaks to do with efficient itineraries, if anyone was interested.

@1000pks def interested; new to the sierra, don't know many areas yet so i'm just going off of word of mouth and help i get from SP members. feel free to PM me info, it would be well received. thanks!

$1000 fines and maybe some jail time

For sleeping on the ground?

mrchad9 wrote:satellite?