Hello! This is my first time posting here and I'm looking for some advice.

My husband, two friends, and I are backpacking for four days and three nights in Yosemite this summer. Due to various obligations our timeframe is very limited and we are only able to go in June. I decided to be ambitious and start at Sunrise Lakes to Clouds Rest, Half Dome, and finish in Yosemite Valley. Unfortunately, the latest permit for Sunrise Lakes that we could score in June was June 8th. I'm aware this is pretty early in the season, but I'm crossing my fingers that there will be minimal snow and the creek is at a reasonable level for us to cross. Here's my questions:

Anyone have experience crossing the creek this early in the season? I know it's all dependent on that year's snowfall, so what was the snowfall like for the year you went?

Also, I'm thinking about a Plan B just in case the creek is too high or if, in a very rare case, Tioga Road isn't even open by that point. I don't want to take advantage of the Yosemite permit system, but would I be a total jerk if I book another permit too? I was thinking about somewhere with less chance of snow and no creek crossing if the conditions aren't ideal from Sunrise Lakes. We could test our luck with day of permits, but with four of us I don't think we'll have a lot of success. I, of course, will be watching the conditions as we get closer to the date and would be willing to cancel one of our reservations without the expectation of a refund so that others can take the unused permits.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi Erin

You ask some good questions, but the first one can't be answered. It doesn't matter what happened last year or in 2007--it only matters what the weather will be like in May of 2016. It it's warm and sunny, you should be fine in June. But if we continue the el nino snows and rain, there's a good chance that your trail will have snow, and Tenaya Creek will be high. You won't know until later in May...and you may even get snow during your trip. Only time will tell.

I don't know if Yosemite let's you book multiple permits for the same dates. I do know that we're in their database, so every time we get a permit, they find us in the database. They might also notice that you already have a permit for those dates, if they check.

I would suggest two options:

If your original dates are too snowy for you, take a walk-up permit for somewhere that has less snow. Yeah, there is a danger that you won't get exactly what you want...but it would still allow you to go on a trip. Trails that might be easier than your route if the snow is deep would include Lake Vernon or Rancheria Falls out of Hetch-hetchy, Mono Meadows to Illilouette Canyon off the Glacier Point Road, or even the North Rim from Snow Creek down to Yosemite Falls...at least that one is on the North side of the Valley, so the snow melts quicker there.

Another option would be to try something in Emigrant Wilderness just north of Yosemite. Same cool granite, lower elevation and less snow. Maybe the trail up to Relief Reservoir? Or look at Sword and Lost Lakes as an option, or Clarks Fork trail, into the Carson Iceberg Wilderness.

I have crossed the creek (cannot remember exactly the name of it) that you have to cross if you start at Tenaya Lake trailhead, in June, just after they opened Tioga Pass. In fact, they opened the road, then closed it two days during a storm, and re-opened it. It was a crotch-deep freezing cold wade(I am short, so maybe thigh-deep on a regular person). We also had a bit of post-hole'ing after crossing. But once on the south slopes most snow was gone.

So you need to be prepared. You will need have sturdy crossing shoes - I usually just cross in my hiking shoes and then have camp shoes for night. I would not do a deep or swift crossing with crocks. But crocks work well for less difficult crossings. Trekking poles are a MUST! Do stream crossings early in the morning; flows are generally lower. Also, if you have to cross snow, often the snow will hold your weight in the morning, but generally, anything after noon and you will post-hole. We call the snow here "Sierra Cement". You generally do not need snowshoes if you do snow travel in the early morning hours.

If Tioga Pass is closed, how are you getting to Yosemite? Are you driving? The pass is rarely closed as late as early June. But sometimes the pass is open but they do not let parking along the pass until a week or so later. This is a possibility this year. You could loop your original trip from Yosemite Valley, with crossings on bridges. Basically go up the Merced and over to the JMT from Echo Valley to connect with your original plan. It is hard to get a permit for Little Yosemite Valley, but easier if you camp a mile beyond Little Yosemite. There are plenty of campsites between Little Yosemite Valley and Merced Lake.

First come permits are not that hard to get, but you need to plan so that you can stand in line at the appropriate time. You need to check because they change times each year, but they used to give out "no-shows" at 11AM. You really have to get in line about 7AM or earlier to get a same-day permit. I usually drive to the Tuolumne kiosk by 6AM, then sit in line, cooking my breakfast! Also, if coming from the west (Big Oak entrance) the Hetch-Hetchy permit station opens an hour earlier than Big Oak. But I gather you will not be coming from that direction.

Do your homework. The rangers are helpful but sometimes will re-direct you to a trail that is not that scenic. Have a short-list of what is acceptable to you, and do not let them talk you into a less than acceptable route.