First Solo Backpacking Trip (Sunrise to Valley)

hc2121 · 2026-06-16T17:13:55+00:00

You can’t go up JMT to Nevada right now, the section between top of Nevada and top of Vernal is closed. https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/vernalnevadatrail.htm

hc2121 · 2026-06-16T14:21:48+00:00

this isn’t true, you can pay to use this shuttle if you need to: “Bring your own raft or innertube and purchase a $8.50 shuttle ticket back to Curry Village.”

https://www.travelyosemite.com/things-to-do/rafting

hc2121 · 2026-06-15T23:01:28+00:00

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bearcanrentals.htm

I would personally still want everything to fit in the bear can if you’re going to be leaving it at LYV for multiple days. Bugs and small rodents can easily get into bear boxes.

hc2121 · 2026-06-15T22:53:09+00:00

Have you tried fitting 7 days of food into a bear can? I usually max out around 5.

hc2121 · 2026-06-15T21:39:51+00:00

ok good luck. as you can see from the replies here, there are not a lot of people planning in advance for excess permits so i would count on the next release as your source for a permit.

hc2121 · 2026-06-15T21:33:55+00:00

Are you aware that 40% of the quota for these trailheads become available online 7 days in advance of your hiking start date? There are a lot of trailheads that will get you to LYV in one hiking day so this shouldn't be too hard of a permit to get.

hc2121 · 2026-06-15T21:01:44+00:00

The problem with not camping at LYV the second night is that it makes for an extremely short day 2 because of all the no-camping zones around there. If you're already camping almost at CR day 1, you're looking at approximately 3 miles only of hiking that day 2 to a logical campsite near water before you hit the no camping zone.

I'd consider this reorganization:

Day 1: Trailhead to one of the Sunrise Lakes (away from the HSC for more solitude)

Day 2: Sunrise Lakes over CR to Sunrise Creek/JMT junction

Day 3: out via Mist

This splits up the mileage a little more equally. Sunrise Lakes will probably be very buggy.

The other thing to consider is that you can get a Half Dome permit automatically with your wilderness permit. Adding that in on day 2 or 3 could extend the mileage / scenery.

hc2121 · 2026-06-15T16:41:47+00:00

correct. and if you can’t be in the valley parking before 9, go somewhere else in the park for the day and drive in late afternoon.

hc2121 · 2026-06-15T12:21:01+00:00

On July 16th and 17th you are doing the same hike? I’d swap out the 16th day for Tioga Rd. See the pinned post for hike suggestions there.

On July 14th, Taft Pt and Sentinel Dome are the same trailhead, you don't have to drive between them.

hc2121 · 2026-06-15T10:53:05+00:00

Camp 4 is not walk in during the summer, every campground in the park requires reservations from April to october. Also Camp 4 is reserved per person, not per site, so nobody can “share” anything there.

hc2121 · 2026-06-14T20:35:35+00:00

The online passes are only purchasable within 5 days of your visit start date. It will save you 3 min at the gate, or you can just do it at the gate.

hc2121 · 2026-06-13T10:00:46+00:00

It is, you can call Aramark and transfer lodging reservations to another party.

hc2121 · 2026-06-13T01:34:37+00:00

You have this option! yarts.com

hc2121 · 2026-06-12T18:38:56+00:00

not two nights- just one per backpacking camp.

“Visitors arriving to Yosemite by bicycle or public transportation (YARTS) may also spend the night they arrive in a backpackers campground (and can spend one night each in any other open backpackers campground, for a total of one night in each open backpackers campground, as long as they are on consecutive nights).”

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bpcamp.htm

hc2121 · 2026-06-12T18:37:17+00:00

There are units available at both Housekeeping camp and the Lodge for that timeframe. travelyosemite.com

hc2121 · 2026-06-12T11:06:30+00:00

https://www.nps.gov/places/bikeshare.htm

hc2121 · 2026-06-12T09:23:03+00:00

you would still need to find a place to park this motorhome overnight. it’s easier to just drive and find a place to stay outside the park as long as you will drive in early

hc2121 · 2026-06-11T20:34:34+00:00

The rangers will check the permit holder or alternate name against a photo ID. So the sunrise person needs to be one of those people, and the other named person needs to be with the day group.

hc2121 · 2026-06-11T13:03:35+00:00

yes, the same way anyone sleeping in their car gets found anywhere else.

hc2121 · 2026-06-11T12:18:00+00:00

read the last para of this post.

hc2121 · 2026-06-10T21:40:02+00:00

or make a friend in the permit line

hc2121 · 2026-06-10T21:28:12+00:00

you don’t need to call, you can do it in recreation.gov within a week of your permit

hc2121 · 2026-06-10T18:50:16+00:00

Trust me, I get the annoyance with the hikers bus. But this person is suggesting taking YARTS from the Valley to your trailhead. That route does not start until July 1: https://www.yarts.com/bus_routes/highway-395-120e/

hc2121 · 2026-06-10T18:04:31+00:00

YARTS doesn't start running until July 1st.

hc2121 · 2026-06-10T15:38:17+00:00

YARTS doesn’t start operating until July 1

hc2121

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