OK. This year I'm headed to the San Juans in Colorado for two weeks of hiking and backpacking and peak bagging. But it 2013 I'm finally going to see Yosemite. I haven't decided what month, but we're leaning toward September.

What I want are some good suggestions for day hikes. I'm not a marathon day-hiker, so if it's more than 15 miles I likely won't fit it in. I stop a lot of take photos so that slows me down--especially in a place like Yosemite.

clouds rest - 14 miles
glen aulin to waterwheel falls and back
4 mile trail from glacier point to valley
mt dana
off trail wandering opposite olmstead point
wawona big trees hike
lyell creek as far as you want to go
catherdral lake
mt conness

definitely hit glacier point at sunset a few nights if you like to take photos

Porcupine Creek trailhead on Hwy.120 to North Dome summit,east on Yosemite Valley north rim trail to Yosemite Falls overlook,down Falls trail to Valley ,sandwich & beer at Ahwahnee patio,YARTS back to traihead.Far less crowded and very scenic .

Opps ! It's west on Yosemite Valley north rim trail.

Half Dome, while a bit of a zoo at the foot of the cables, really is an awesome hike, and can be done in (a little) less than 15 mi. If you're not a rock climber it's a great way to experience a little bit of of the joy of climbing a big rock. I haven't hiked it since they instituted the new permit system, but I believe you've missed the annual lottery, though you may be able to get one of the 50 daily permits they issue during the hiking season. If you can't, then Cloud's Rest (previously mentioned) is a very worthy alternative.

In addition to day hikes, you might consider the Vogelsang loop, which is a very pretty 2-3 day loop in the Yosemite high country, including a segment on the (previously mentioned) Lyell Canyon. If you get a reservation at the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp (an alpine hut) you can get room and board there, and not have to bring more than what will fit in a day pack. There's a lottery for the High Sierra Camps which you've missed, but I gather that reservations are sometimes available due to cancellations.

> glen aulin to waterwheel falls and back
IMHO, that last mile to Waterwheel isn't worth the extra effort and I usually recommend stopping at Le Conte Falls.

In addition to the above recommendations, I'd suggest leaving the park by the eastside for a day and visiting Mono Lake and doing the short hike from Devils Postpile to Rainbow Falls out of Mammoth.

My Favorite Hikes / Places
Yosemite Valley:
- Half Dome: go up the Mist Trail and come down the JMT
- Glacier Point: Go up 4 Mile trail and come down the Panorama Trail/JMT
- Yosemite Falls / North Dome: Go up Yosemite Falls Trail and come down Snowcreek Trail
- Yosemite Valley Loop
- Taft Point, Fissures, Sentinal Dome, Glacier Point: Go on a rest day in the mid-day range and stay for the sunset at GP
- Must See(Photo Ops): Tunnel View, Vally View, Sentinal Bridge...endless others

Tuolumne Meadows:
- Vogelsang: Go up Rafferty Creek and come down Lyell Canyon (go to Vogelsang Lake & climb the Peak)
- Cathedral Lakes/Sunrise HSC: Up and down Cathedral Lakes Trail
- Glen Aulin/Waterfalls: Down and up Glenn Aulin trial (if you choose to go down further watch out for rattlesnakes in the lower canyon / I saw three and heard others in a single day)

Other neat areas:
- Ten Lakes from Yosemite Creek
- Yosemite Valley South Rim
- May Lake
- Buena Vista Lake Area, Chain Lakes, Ottoway Lakes and Red Peak (good backpacking trip)
- Crown Lake, Peeler Lake, Kerrick meadows, Benson lake (good backpacking trip)
- All the High Serria Camps are nice intermdiate destinations for BPing
- If BPing from Tuolumne Meadows to Yosemite Valley (or reverse) use the YARTS for trans to start trailhead
- Wawona Grove Giant Sequoias (why 41)
- If driving 395 is nice
- Tons of other places...

Trail finding can be difficult, carry a map and choose intermediate destinations when appropriate 9most trails are no problem though)

A few short easy hikes with marvelous views in the Yosemite high country: Gaylor Lakes and Gaylor Peak at Tioga Pass, (couple hours) Conness Lakes area is also very beautiful and Conness or North Peak great hikes out of Saddlebag Lake area just north of Tioga Pass (day peaks), Olmstead Point, also Mt. Hoffman (10,850') is very popular moderate day hike with 360 views from center of the park.
Probably the best view you can get of the whole damn high country is good old Mt. Dana (13,057') up by Tioga Pass, about 6 miles round trip and 3000' gain, class 2, a view not to be missed.

Again if you are in the Valley the 2 best hikes are: 4 mile trail to Glacier Point and or the Yosemite Falls Trail.
Awesome hikes!

My favorite hike of all time is hiking up the Four Mile Trail and coming down the Panorama Trail. The trip to Hidden Falls in Tenaya Canyon is easy and has spectacular views, along with a bonus view of Snow Creek Falls from the top of Hidden Falls. In the High Country, the hikes to the Gaylor/Granite Lakes and Mono Pass offer the most bang for the buck, in my opinion. I would also second the trip to Glen Aulin but add Lembert Dome to the list.

Clouds Rest from Tenaya Lake is a spectacular hike but also very demanding, as the 14 miles have a lot of elevation gains and losses. Mt. Dana is much shorter but also much steeper in terms of elevation gain. A really great, fun hike with beautiful scenery is Mt. Hoffmann (10,850') via May Lake. The trail is excellent for most of the way, then you get a nice scramble to the summit , and the views are stunning. This would be an excellent starter hike in Yosemite if you need to acclimate to the altitude. Also, May Lake has a very good campground (you would need to backpack a mile or so to reach it). I've attached some pictures to my profile page if you're interested (look for May Lake-Mt. Hoffmann images). As for Mt. Dana, see the trip report by SP member Ambret. We tried Mt. Dana a few years ago. He made it to the top; I ran out of gas about 275' below the summit.

i agree and think clouds rest and mt dana are nice day hikes.
mt dana does have an elevation gain of 3000 feet though.it goes from 10000 to 13000 in a few miles.

hey dude also keep in mind that there are ocational thunderstorms from june-september and the waterfalls are dry by like augest.but if its just the climbing your interested in then septembers great cause theres no snow on the trails.

Osterizer wrote:My Favorite Hikes / Places
Yosemite Valley:
- Half Dome: go up the Mist Trail and come down the JMT

Lots of great suggestions there! Everyone says I need to do Half Dome, and it's uppermost in my mind, but it'll depend on the lottery system of course.

no problem have a nice time !:D

BobSmith wrote:OK. This year I'm headed to the San Juans in Colorado for two weeks of hiking and backpacking and peak bagging. But it 2013 I'm finally going to see Yosemite. I haven't decided what month, but we're leaning toward September.

What I want are some good suggestions for day hikes. I'm not a marathon day-hiker, so if it's more than 15 miles I likely won't fit it in. I stop a lot of take photos so that slows me down--especially in a place like Yosemite.

Hey Bob, as you said in your comment "lots of great suggestions" but I found the last two suggestions by Noondueler a definite must. They are located inside the valley itself, were as a lot of suggestions, though inside the park, are a bit remote or in the Yosemite high country. The Half Dome trail is beautiful, but the last few miles of it are boring until you get to the shoulder where you can look down into the valley. And, if you are not sure you will be able to get to the top, just do the first half.

Here's something different if you have about an hour in the valley. Hike up a faint climbers path to the base of El Capitan. Looking straight up the wall will give you a different perspective. The trail takes off from across the road from El Cap Meadow. When you get to the base of The Nose, you can go left or right. If you go left, you will see lots of climbers on the first few hundred feet of the wall. If you right you will get a fantastic view of the valley floor and the Cathedral Rocks.

Here's my suggestion for an easy high country hike. This hike is just outside of the park but you just can't beat the views.
http://www.summitpost.org/saddlebag-lak ... ail/645638
Have fun