need help with trip planning

[2009ThruHiker]

Hi,

My wife & I have never hiked out west (i've never been out west!) but have plans for a 9 day, including flying, trip to hike part of the john muir trail in 2008. Any suggestions on when to go (time of year) and also what part to hike? I figure we'll have 4 good days of hiking, 2 for flights, and 2 for back up, getting to and from the trail, etc.

thanks for the ideas to come!

[MOWGLI]

Hi,

My wife & I have never hiked out west (i've never been out west!) but have plans for a 9 day, including flying, trip to hike part of the john muir trail in 2008. Any suggestions on when to go (time of year) and also what part to hike? I figure we'll have 4 good days of hiking, 2 for flights, and 2 for back up, getting to and from the trail, etc.

thanks for the ideas to come!

Go to Yosemite and make a base camp in Tuolumne Meadows. You can day hike out of there in multiple directions.

[2009ThruHiker]

Go to Yosemite and make a base camp in Tuolumne Meadows. You can day hike out of there in multiple directions.

Thanks! any other logistics? Time of year, etc.

[MOWGLI]

Thanks! any other logistics? Time of year, etc.

August & September are gorgeous. Many folks hike the JMT in July. There should be more water, snow & bugs in July.

You could hike up to Cathedral Peak one day. Up Lyell Canyon towards Donahue Pass another day. Hike north on the PCT from Tuolumne Meadows a third day. And visit some Redwood groves on yet another day. The possibilities are almost limitless.

[LostInSpace]

Another option, perhaps more ambitious, is to hike parts of Kings Canyon. You can fly to Vegas, drive across Death Valley to Onion Valley Campground (just west of Independence, CA) on the day you land. Next day, hike over Kearsarge Pass to Charlotte Lake. From there you can hike north on the JMT over Glen Pass to Rae Lakes ... Woods Crossing ... or south to Vidette Meadows and to East Lake from the Bubbs Lake Trail.

I took this approach and did the Rae Lakes Loop clockwise from Kearsarge Pass over this past Labor Day week. Seven days camping (not counting the night at Onion Valley) and eight days hiking, but that included going to East Lake which added a day. Weather was perfect ... great temps and no bugs.

[LostInSpace]

That should be Bubbs Creek Trail.

[LostInSpace]

For what it's worth, a few photos from my hike are here.

[88BlueGT]

Awesome pictures. Whats the name of that song playing in the background?

[burger]

I'm pretty sure that you need a permit to hike the JMT. That may limit your date options.

[jersey joe]

Hi,

My wife & I have never hiked out west (i've never been out west!) but have plans for a 9 day, including flying, trip to hike part of the john muir trail in 2008. Any suggestions on when to go (time of year) and also what part to hike? I figure we'll have 4 good days of hiking, 2 for flights, and 2 for back up, getting to and from the trail, etc.

thanks for the ideas to come!

If you are still looking for ideas for a hike out west, I did a week out west a couple years ago just south of Yosemite in the Ansel Adams wilderness. Flew into SF and drove out to mammoth lakes area. I started a site on this hike which can be found here:
http://www.joealaya.com/sierra/

If this looks like an area that interests you, let me know, i can give you more info on my hike.

[envirodiver]

Lost in Space those are great pics, I really enjoyed them. How many total miles was the hike?

[jersey joe]

That area in the Sierra's is the most beautiful place I have ever been. I couldn't help but take great pictures. The hike I did wasn't a ton of miles. Probably only around 30 miles over 4 days. I went out there with a couple guys that didn't have a ton of backpacking experience so we just took it easy.