Ansel Adams Wilderness, California

Because this is not a loop, you will need to figure out a shuttle situation.  There are two options for this: 1. Drive your car to the Tenaya Lake Trail Head, and leave it parked there.  Once you reach the Valley you will be car-less, but then the next day you can take one of the free shuttles u...

The most direct route begins at Murphy Creek trailhead, on the north side of Tioga Road near Tenaya Lake. Walk north on Murphy Creek trail for 2.5 miles with minimal elevation gain. Polly Dome Lakes are a great side trip via the social trail on the right side of the trail before the first junctio...

Tenaya Lake is located alongside Tioga Road in the park's Tuolumne Meadows region. There is a family-friendly trail that surrounds the lake. Though some spots along the trail on the western shore may require fording the waters, the 2.5-mile trip is an easy hike for all to enjoy. Many others pre...

Just off the side of the highway, look for the pullout for Olmsted Point on your Map. There is a parking area with about 25 parking spots and the lookout point with the tree is right next to there. Come in the summertime and during a new moon to get the best views of the Milky Way. Never crowded,...

If you are visiting Mono Lake, the Panum Crater Trail is not to be missed! From 395, take highway 120 east for about 2.5 miles. Look for a small wooden sign for Panum Crater and turn left onto a dirt road. If you reach the turn-off to the South Tufa Area, you have gone too far! After about a mile...

Mono Lake Vista Point is a quick pull off on the right side of Highway 395 as you’re headed south toward Mono City. The pull off is fairly big and is a great spot to pull over quickly to take in a view of Mono Lake and the greater area.

May Lake is a stunning, serene subalpine lake that rests at the base of Mt. Hoffmann. The May Lake turnoff is located four miles past Tenaya Lake. From the turnoff, it's 1.8 miles to the trailhead parking lot. During summer time, I will recommend getting to the parking area early to get a spot ...

This is a solid, day long trip. It is a great hike with a bit of a scramble on the way up to the summit massif and then again at the nearly 11,000-foot peak of Mount Hoffmann. You will have what John Muir described as his favorite view of Yosemite. You can look down onto Half Dome and across the ...

The May Lake trailhead is at the end of a 2-mile unpaved road leading north from Tioga Road. The trailhead has pit toilets and bear lockers. (Please be sure to store any food, garbage, scented items, and empty coolers in these lockers while hiking!) After hiking an easy 1.3 miles, you'll arrive ...

DirectionsAlthough North Peak lies right on the border of Yosemite, the hike starts just outside the park at the Saddle Bag Lake trail-head. There are also some campsites here if you wish to spend the night, but I think they are usually in high demand and hard to come by. To get to Saddlebag Lak...

This trail is overall very easy to hike, but the 9.1mi distance at a 10,000ft altitude is what makes it a bit of a doozy for people who aren't frequent hikers.  That said, if you are a relatively in-shape individual, you should have no problem with this trail.  Remember to take frequent water bre...

Mono Lake is was formed at least 760,000 years ago, making it one of North America's oldest lake. Explore the coastline of this unique lake filled with unusual rock formations called tufas. Photograph the tufa towers with the majestic mountains in the background. The towers can make for some very...

This past spring, I got the urge to photograph the Milky Way over the other-worldly landscape of Mono Lake, a large, desert saline lake at the edge of the eastern Sierras in California. One of the the lake's defining features is it’s incredible tufa rock formations, a variety of limestone. The e...

The Panorama Trail is an outstanding hike that takes you from the Yosemite Valley floor up to Glacier Point. Or you can hike it downhill going from Glacier Point to Yosemite Valley. You can camp and make it an overnight trip or do it as a day trip by leaving a car at one end and taking a park sh...

First things first. You will need to get a wilderness pass by entering the lottery for Half Dome access. If you don't get a pass via lottery just go to the Yosemite Valley visitor center, tell the clerk you are backpacking to Little Yosemite Valley and that you would like to hike up Half Dome. Th...

The unmaintained trail is initially hard to find if you’re not familiar with its location. Here are the instructions: From Happy Isle, start on the JMT trail heading towards Vernal Falls. Shortly after passing a sign indicating the start of the John Muir Trail, you'll come to another sign o...