Crowley Lake, California

Before you head out for the trip, you’ll need to get a wilderness permit. You can get one online from the Yosemite website or pick one up at the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center or from the Wilderness Center in Yosemite Valley. Go to Yosemite and take Highway 120 up to Tuolumne Meadows. You ca...

Head to any Yosemite wilderness station for a map, bear canister, and permit for Nelson Lake. The trail itself starts in the Tuolumne Campground at Elizabeth Lake trailhead. Follow the trail 2.2 miles up to Elizabeth Lake and remember the lake itself is in a no-camping zone, so you must continue ...

Starting at the Tuolomne Meadows Visitor Center you will head south to jump on the John Muir Trail, move east for 2.8 miles on the JMT until the trail intersects with the Vogelsang High Sierra trailhead, you head south when you reach this trail. Once you hit the Vogelsang trail you are 5.5 miles ...

Donohue Pass lies on the border of Yosemite National Park and the Ansel Adams Wilderness. Both the John Muir Trail (JMT) and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) route through this pass at 11,056 ft. A challenging but beautiful hike that starts from Tuolumne Meadows and follows the JMT for 12.5 miles t...

Starting at the Cathedral Lakes Trailhead near the Tuolumne Meadows parking lot (if parking is full at the TH), this trail wanders through the classic High Sierra forest with large white granite boulders and pine trees. After approximately 4 miles of quiet solitude in the forest, you will reach ...

Yosemite is an iconic park, and if you are looking for isolation with spectacular views of the backcountry this trip is for you. The trail itself is approximately 33 miles and can be done in 3-4 days, but I recommend a 6 day hike to enjoy the scenery and to have the opportunity to soak in each lo...

Make the .75 miles detour off of the John Muir Trail to reach this spot and you won't regret it. Lower Cathedral Lake is typically less populated than nearby Upper Lake and has some of the mot beautiful scenery on the JMT. Sunrise and sunset with the reflection of Cathedral Peak on the glassy wat...

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...

Keep in mind that this is a point to point hike, so you will need to park a vehicle at Green Creek trailhead in Bridgeport as well as your start point at Virginia Lakes Resort.Starting at 9,886' at The Virginia Lakes Trailhead, you will begin by heading Northwest towards Virginia Pass. During yo...

Start out at the Tenaya Lake Trailhead, where you can head directly onto the trail for Clouds Rest or you can branch off after 2.7 miles to Sunrise Lakes. This allows you to break up the hike, spend a night relaxing and help you have an early start back on the trail. Once re-connected to the Clo...

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 ...

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 ...

After the mild, but not negligible, 1000 ft ascent into Pinchot Pass, you'll be ready to rinse off the grime and take a rest. There are a few options for lakeside camping along the trail like Twin Lakes and an unnamed lake on the west side of the trail just beyond.This is a cool area because the ...

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...

Getting There Starting in Yosemite Valley, head to the Snow Creek trailhead just past Muir Meadows. Start the hike early in the morning, since it gets pretty hot in the summer and the last part of the hike is in the sun. The Trail You'll hike more than 140 switchbacks to reach the top of Ba...