Hiking Yosemite National Park: A Guide to 62 of the Park's Greatest Hiking Adventures

by Suzanne Swedo

Overview

Lace up your boots and sample sixty-one of the finest trails Yosemite National Park has to offer. Fully updated and revised, and including color maps and photos throughout, Hiking Yosemite National Park features everything from short strolls and day hikes to multiday backcountry treks, every one of which will treat you to some of the world’s most stunning scenery and allow you to get the most out of this remarkably diverse natural wonderland.

Features:
Hikes suited to every ability
Directions to the trailheads
Trail Finder for best hikes for lakes, waterfalls, views, wildlife, and wildflowers
Difficulty ratings and average hike times
Trip-planning information, including permits, local lodging and campgrounds, and best hiking seasons for every featured hike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493045990
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	06/01/2020
Series:	Regional Hiking Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	37 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Suzanne Swedo, director of W.I.L.D., teaches wilderness survival and natural sciences at universities, museums, and organizations such as Yosemite Association and the Sierra Club. She has backpacked the mountains of every continent and led groups into the wilderness for over thirty years. Her books include Wilderness Survival, Hiking California's Golden Trout Wilderness, Best Easy Day Hikes Yosemite National Park, and Adventure Travel Tips (Falcon).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

How to Use This Guide 2

Life in Yosemite 3

Geology 4

History 6

Leave No Trace 7

Wilderness Permits 9

Bears 10

A Few Words of Caution 12

Trail Finder 15

Map Legend 19

The Hikes

The Valley Floor 20

1 East Valley Floor 21

2 West Valley Floor 25

3 Glacier Point via the Four Mile Trail 29

4 Happy Isles to the Top of Nevada Fall 33

5 Mirror Lake-Tenaya Canyon Loop 38

6 Yosemite Falls 42

7 Half Dome 46

The South Rim of Yosemite Valley 52

8 Taft Point and The Fissures 53

9 Sentinel Dome 56

10 McGurk Meadow 59

11 The Pohono Trail 62

12 The Panorama Trail-Glacier Point to Nevada Fall 67

The North Rim of Yosemite Valley 72

13 Tioga Road to the Top of Yosemite Falls and Eagle Peak 73

14 Porcupine Creek to North Dome 77

15 The North Rim 81

16 Tuolumne Grove 87

17 Merced Grove 90

Honorable Mention: El Capitan from Tamarack Flat 93

The High Sierra Camps 94

18 Merced Lake High Sierra Camp 95

19 Vogelsang High Sierra Camp 100

20 May Lake High Sierra Camp 105

21 Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp 108

22 Sunrise High Sierra Camp 113

23 The High Sierra Camp Loop 117

The Southern Park 124

24 Washburn Trail 125

25 Mariposa Grove of Big Trees 128

26 Chilnualna Fall 134

27 Buena Vista Crest 138

28 Wawona Meadow 142

29 Ostrander Lake 145

30 Ottoway Lakes 148

31 The Clark Range and Red Peak Pass 153

32 Merced River High Trail 160

33 Chain Lakes 166

Honorable Mention: Alder Creek Fall 171

South of Tuolumne Meadows 172

34 Ten ay a Lake 173

35 Clouds Rest 176

36 Cathedral Lakes 180

37 Elizabeth Lake 184

38 Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne River 187

39 Mono Pass 192

Honorable Mention: Polly Dome Lakes 196

North of Tuolumne Meadows 197

40 Waterwheel Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne 198

41 Lukens Lake 204

42 Ten Lakes 207

43 Soda Springs and Parsons Lodge 212

44 Dog Lake 215

45 Lembert Dome 218

46 Young Lakes 222

47 Gaylor Lakes 226

Honorable Mention: White Wolf to Harden Lake 229

Hetch Hetchy 230

48 Wapama Falls 232

49 Rancheria Falls 236

50 Laurel Lake 240

51 Lake Vernon and Tiltill Valley 244

52 Jack Main Canyon and Tilden Lake 248

Honorable Mention: Smith Meadow and Smith Peak 253

The North Boundary Country 254

53 Saddlebag Lake and 20 Lakes Basin 256

54 Lundy Canyon 260

55 Green Creek 264

56 Virginia Lakes Basin 268

57 Matterhorn Canyon and the Sawtooth Range 272

58 Benson Pass-Northeast Yosemite Grand Tour 277

59 McCabe Lakes 283

60 Piute Mountain-Peeler Lake Loop 287

Two Famous Trails 292

61 The John Muir Trail 293

62 The Pacific Crest Trail 299

Appendix A Further Reading 305

Appendix B Hiker's Checklist 306

Hike Index 308

About the Author 310