Rough Itinerary

Wednesday- backpackers arrive in the Valley late afternoon; campers arrive in the late evening

Thursday -

• Halfdome -all the permits are already taken for the weekend, so if you want to do this hike, this will be the day to do it. 14-16.5 miles RT, 10-12 hours, 4,800 ft. elevation gain, very strenuous
• Mirror Lake - 2 mi RT, 1 hour, easy
• Vernal Falls - 3 mi RT, 3 hours, 1000 ft. elevation gain, strenuous
• Nevada Falls - if anyone wants to continue to Nevada Falls, they continue past Vernal Falls for another 4 mi, 1000 elevation gain, total 7 mi RT, 2000 elevation gain, strenuous
• Tunnel View - have to drive our own cars here - Bridalviel is on our way to the Valley
• Bridalveil Fall - 0.5 mi RT, 20 min, easy (have to drive our own cars here)
• El Capitain - (along the road)
• check out Half Dome at sunset?

Friday

• Lower Yosemite Falls - 1.1 mi RT, 20 min. easy
• Upper Yosemite Falls - 7.2 mi RD, 6-8 hrs, 2700 ft elevation gain, strenuous, stargazing in field

Saturday

• Four Mile Trail for anyone interested - 9.6 mi RT, 6-8m hrs, 3,200 ft. elevation gain, strenuous
• Do any hikes missed / not gotten to; drive to Glacier Point for view of the Valley; rafting; bicycle rental to ride the Valley Loop 13 mi flat; horseback riding; rock climbing; explore the main village; visitors center; gift shop; some will be leaving early to head home

Sunday

• Drive home

***This is a general guide for the group. Anyone can split off and do their own hikes/routes desired.

Day Hikes: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/valleyhikes.htm

Horseback Riding: http://www.yosemitepark.com/Activities_MuleHorsebackRides.aspx

Rafting: http://www.yosemitepark.com/Activities_RaftingWaterSports_Rafting.aspx

Bike Rentals: http://www.yosemitepark.com/Activities_Biking_BikeRentals.aspx

Rock Climbing: http://www.yosemitepark.com/Activities_RockClimbing.aspx

Shuttle Map: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/yg10-3.pdf

Park Phone Numbers: http://www.yosemitefun.com/Yosemite_National_Park_phone_numbers.htm

The trip is now closed...

The deadline to reserve your spot in our group was May 16th. As of today, we have officially closed the event and are no longer accepting additional people in our group.

If you would still like to come and did not make our group, we are willing to sell our extra Hodgdon Meadows campsites at cost, but you will need to contact us ASAP before we cancel them. Keep in mind that you would be in charge of gathering your own group, coordinating transportation, and planning your own meals.

Welcome to our Blog!

Yosemite is almost upon us! With just less than a couple of months away, there's still a lot to do to get ready. I hope you're all as excited as we are because this trip will be AMAZING!!!

We understand there has been some confusion as to how the whole camping situation is working out due to the separate camp sites. We want to be sure we are communicating as clearly as possible and not misleading anyone. The last thing we want to do is cause misunderstandings or hurt feelings. So we've created a blog to help answer any of your questions. We hope this helps! :)

FAQ's

When is the trip again?

Campers - June 16th-20th - The current plan is to meet at 5am Wed. morning and return home on Sunday. (Anyone interested in driving part of the way Tuesday evening and getting a hotel?).

How much to reserve my spot?

$100 deposit (the rest, $120, is due by June 1st)
Please make all checks payable to Becca Lunt and turn into her or Colleen.

I heard there is a backpacking group going up earlier, how do I get in on that?

Unfortunately, there are not backpacking spots left. We only have 10 permits and those spots were claimed very quickly. Sorry.


Is it true that not all of the campsites are together?

Yes. We have a total of 8 campsites, but five of those spots are in Hodgdon Meadows, about 40 minutes away from the other 3 campsites in the Valley. We realize this may be a frustration for some of you. We really wish we could have gotten all the sites together, it would have been so much easier! Unfortunately, there was no way we could have reserved this many spots all together. We do plan on hiking and eating all together as much as possible. Plus there are some advantages to Hodgdon. It is closer to other park attractions, such as Hetch Hetchy, Wapama Falls, Tuolumne Meadows, Elizabeth Lake, etc. So don't let the separation of the camps stop you from coming.

I'd like to camp in the Valley, is there still room?

We have only 3 campsites in the Valley, and they are already filled up. Sorry. These spots were given to the backpackers and to those who helped us reserve the campsites when Becca had asked for all of our help. However, even though our campsites are spilt up, we do plan to get together as much as possible. These campsites in the Valley will serve as a base camp for all of us during the day. We'll eat lunch here and dinner here.

Can I invite a friend?

Sure! In fact, we encourage to you invite your friends. However, we do have limited spots so it's first come first serve. Make sure they know they need to pay their deposit to reserve their spot.

What hikes are we hiking?

We will be coordinating some hikes up there for anyone who wants to join us, however, you are welcome to plan your own hikes if you rather. There's even some talk of a possible river trip and/or horseback riding if you're looking to mix it up a bit. As we get closer to the date, we'll have a tentative schedule of hikes. Some possible hikes in the Valley we may be planning... Yosemite Falls, Half Dome (need to get permits if you hike this on a weekend day), Nevada Falls, Vernal Falls, and Glacier Point. Other hikes outside the Valley... Wapama Falls (Hetch Hetchy), Sentinel Dome (Glacier Point Rd.), Merced Grove (along the Evergreen Rd.)...