{"id":10632,"date":"2024-01-15T03:00:18","date_gmt":"2024-01-15T10:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/?p=10632"},"modified":"2024-01-15T05:13:09","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T12:13:09","slug":"ask-me-where-to-backpack-first-time-in-yosemite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/ask-me-where-to-backpack-first-time-in-yosemite\/","title":{"rendered":"Where to Backpack First Time in Yosemite"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Michael Lanza<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready for your first backpacking trip in one of America\u2019s greatest national parks for backpackers? Having backpacked several times all over Yosemite, my advice for a first-time backpacker who wants to hit highlights like Yosemite Valley, the Mist Trail, and Half Dome is nearly identical to the itinerary I followed on my first trip more than three decades ago\u2014but modified because I know better now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

This magnificent, beginner-friendly, four- to five-day, 37-mile loop from Yosemite Valley <\/a>through the core of the park includes following the Mist Trail past 317-foot Vernal Fall and 594-foot Nevada Fall, ascending the cable route up Half Dome, reaching the equally spectacular (but much<\/em> less busy) summit of Clouds Rest, walking a very pretty section of the world-famous John Muir Trail, and overlooking the jagged Cathedral Range from a campsite on the edge of alpine meadows at Sunrise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/strong>Hi, I\u2019m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside.\u00a0Click here<\/a> to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside<\/a> to get full access to all of my blog\u2019s stories. Click here<\/a> for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Click here<\/a> to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Jeff Wilhelm backpacking over Clouds Rest in Yosemite National Park. Click the photo for my e-guide “The Best First Backpacking Trip in Yosemite.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley is probably the most popular trailhead in the park, and the park issues backcountry permits based on a daily quota of people starting from each trailhead, so it\u2019s hard to get a permit to start at Happy Isles. But if you get it, hike up the Mist Trail to Little Yosemite Valley (also hugely popular) to camp your first night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get an early start that first day so you can get ahead of the Mist Trail crowds and hike Half Dome (lead photo at top of story is from the top of Half Dome) without your gear that first afternoon; by then, most hikers are coming down, you\u2019ll share the summit with fewer people (but make sure no afternoon thunderstorms are threatening). Or even better, hike Half Dome really early on day two, ahead of just about everyone\u2014I\u2019ve done that, it\u2019s when you\u2019ll share Half Dome with the fewest people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here now<\/a> for my detailed, expert e-guide \u201cThe Best First Backpacking Trip in Yosemite.\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Half<\/a>
The view from the John Muir Trail of Half Dome, Liberty Cap, and Nevada Fall in Yosemite National Park.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Day two, head north on the John Muir Trail to camp at Sunrise. Day three, from Sunrise, hike over Clouds Rest, one of the best summits in the park, and descend to camp again in Little Yosemite Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last day, hike down the John Muir Trail<\/a> back to Happy Isles, passing a classic view of Nevada Fall, Liberty Cap, and the backside of Half Dome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My downloadable e-guide \u201cThe Best First Backpacking Trip in Yosemite<\/a>\u201d describes that route it in far greater detail, including suggested daily itineraries for hiking it in four or five days, plus alternate itineraries for backpacking trips in that spectacular core of Yosemite, between Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows. It shares my insights on getting a coveted permit in Yosemite and my experience of multiple trips in this area of the park over the past three decades, including the 10 years I spent as Northwest Editor of Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve helped many readers plan an unforgettable backpacking trip in Yosemite.
Want my help with yours? Click here now<\/a>.<\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Jeff Wilhelm backpacking Indian Ridge, overlooking Half Dome in Yosemite. Click photo to read about “Yosemite’s Best-Kept Secret Backpacking Trip.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to Get a Yosemite Wilderness Permit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Yosemite, wilderness permit reservations are issued based on trailhead quotas, with special rules for backpacking the John Muir Trail. Sixty percent of permit reservations are available by lottery at recreation.gov<\/a> beginning at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time on the Sunday up to 24 weeks (168 days) in advance of the date you want to start hiking, with the lottery for each specific window of dates<\/a> closing at 11:59 p.m. the next Saturday. You will be notified of whether you get a permit reservation within two business days after the lottery closes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remaining 40 percent of permits are made available at recreation.gov<\/a> at 7 a.m. Pacific Time up to seven days in advance of a trip start date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out \u201cThe 8 Best Backpacking Trips in Yosemite<\/a>.\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Dying to backpack in Yosemite? See my e-guides<\/a> to three amazing multi-day hikes there.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Hiking<\/a>
Hiking the John Muir Trail below Cathedral Peak, Yosemite.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The non-refundable permit fee is $10 for each lottery entered or a walk-up permit plus $5 per person if you get a permit. Permits are valid for continuous wilderness travel from the park into adjacent wilderness areas; similarly, wilderness permits issued by other agencies for beginning a trip in an adjacent wilderness area and continuous wilderness travel into Yosemite are honored by Yosemite National Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See \u201cHow to Get a Yosemite or High Sierra Wilderness Permit<\/a>\u201d and my \u201c10 Tips For Getting a Hard-to-Get National Park Backcountry Permit<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can’t get a permit to start at Happy Isles, you can do almost the same route starting at Glacier Point, following the Panorama Trail to Nevada Fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See all of my stories about backpacking in Yosemite<\/a>, including  \u201cYosemite’s Best-Kept Secret Backpacking Trip<\/a>,\u201d \u201cBest of Yosemite: Backpacking South of Tuolumne Meadows<\/a>,\u201d and \u201cBest of Yosemite: Backpacking Remote Northern Yosemite<\/a>,\u201d about gorgeous multi-day hikes in the park\u2019s most remote areas\u2014trips to consider when you\u2019re ready for a bigger adventure in Yosemite. (Most stories about trips at The Big Outside require a paid subscription <\/a>to read in full.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My e-guides to those two hikes south of Tuolumne<\/a> and north of Tuolumne <\/a>tell you everything you need to know to plan and successfully pull off either trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You live for the outdoors. The Big Outside helps you get out there.
\nJoin now<\/a> to read ALL stories and get a free e-guide and member gear discounts<\/a>!<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Michael Lanza Ready for your first backpacking trip in one of America\u2019s greatest national parks for backpackers? Having backpacked several times all over Yosemite, my advice for a first-time backpacker who wants to hit highlights like Yosemite Valley, the Mist Trail, and Half Dome is nearly identical to the itinerary I followed on my first trip more than three … <\/p>\n

Read on<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[18,20,4395,21,3894],"tags":[2721,4567,2408,115,1312,2695,1786,1436,1897,1313,1893,461,4452,2012,92,1896,1894,119,121,1898,1895,1899,1500,120,97,728],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tbo-media.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/06231358\/Yos11-042-Mark-summit-of-Half-Dome-Yosemite-N.P.-CA-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Michael Lanza","author_link":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/author\/michaelalanza\/"},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tbo-media.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/06231358\/Yos11-042-Mark-summit-of-Half-Dome-Yosemite-N.P.-CA-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paNGJs-2Lu","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10632"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10632"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61670,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10632\/revisions\/61670"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}