Trip Prep

 

Timing Your Trip

Yosemite Valley
Ideal Timing / Busy Season - Early May through late September
Low Temps Above Freezing - Early April through late October
Off Season - Late October through late March

Tioga Pass (East Entrance) Camping
Ideal Timing / Busy Season - July & August
Low Temps Above Freezing - June through September
Closed - October through May, depending on conditions

 

Avoiding the Crowds

If you're visiting between late spring and early fall, you're going to see heavy crowds in the Yosemite Valley area.  Luckily, it's a lot easier to avoid them with a little planning and local knowledge.  Here are a few tips and resources below:

  • Plan Wisely Around Summer Months - If you're primarily visiting the popular features Yosemite Valley and don't want to stray too far away from the village, don't visit during the summer months.

  • Explore the High Sierras - If you're visiting between June and August, head to the high elevation areas of the park (8,000+ ft.). The High Sierra offers some of the most beautiful scenery In the park, and they're the first to get snow in the fall, so your window is exclusively limited to summer.

  • Go Hiking, Backpacking and Climbing - Sadly, most people experience Yosemite from their cars. The good news is that crowds are usually easy to avoid once you get away from the valley floor.

  • Use Dawn, Dusk and Stargazing Hours - You'll get the best lighting for photographs at dawn/dusk hours. For expert level star gazing, free astronomy club meetings are held at Glacier Point every Saturday night during the summer.

Resources

 

Wilderness Permits

Where & When Are Permits Required?

If you’re simply car camping and day hiking, you don’t need a permit (outside of a campsite reservation). If you plan on getting more adventurous this trip, you’ll need a permit if you’re planning on doing any of the following:

  • Half Dome summit access via the cables in any way, shape or form

  • Any overnight backpacking trip that starts inside the park’s boundaries


High-Demand Permits Require Diligence

The most difficult permits to acquire in Yosemite are:

  • Half Dome summit access via the cables

  • Any overnight backpacking trip along the John Muir Trail (Little Yosemite Valley trailheads, Happy Isles, Lyell Canyon, Cathedral Lakes, etc.)

For these high-demand permits, you'll need to have a perfectionist's level of diligence with your preparation.  That includes putting yourself in a position to snag them as soon as they become available six months before your trip.  If you're applying closer to the departure date, you'll want to have a plan that allows you to be flexible with your access point (i.e. jumping on the JMT at Cathedral Lakes rather than Happy Isles if only one type of permit is available).  More on this in the Walk-Ins section below.


Half Dome Hiking Permits

See our Half Dome Day Hike section for both permit application and trail info. The summit to Half Dome is the only trail in the park that requires a permit just for daytime access, checked prior to the cables section near the summit.  Permits are drawn once per year (usually in March) via an online lottery system.


Acquiring a Backpacking Permit via Advance Reservations

When Are Permits Needed - Between May 1st and October 31st, any overnight stay outside of a designated Yosemite campground requires a wilderness permit.  Every trail has a specific daily quota for campers.  Of each daily quota for a trailhead, 60 percent can be reserved ahead of time (the other 40% are saved for walk-ins only).  Outside of these dates, permits are still required but can be easily obtained and self-issued at any Permit Issuing Station in the park:.

When to Apply - Wilderness permit reservations become available 6 months (exactly 168 days) in advance.  The following link on the National Parks website tells you exactly when to apply given your anticipated start date.

The Approval Process - Permits are approved via daily lottery.  Each morning at 7:30am, a new round of permits become available for all adventures beginning 168 days from that day.  All applications submitted within the valid time window have an equal shot of being approved.

How to Submit an Application -  There is no online application process for Yosemite wilderness permits.  Applications can be submitted via fax or telephone only.  For popular trails, use a fax machine (as difficult as it is to find one), as lotteries are processed prior to phone reservations.

Odds of Being Approved - Depending on the popularity of your adventure, you may be facing tough odds in acquiring that permit.  Half Dome and Donohue Pass (aka southbound through hikes of the John Muir Trail) are extremely difficult to obtain.  However, permits for many of the most beautiful trails in the park can be obtained even a matter of weeks before your start date, even during peak season.  Before each adventure, research the trail's popularity during your target season to maximize your chances of approval.

Resources


Acquiring a Backpacking Permit as a Walk-in

Availability of Walk-in Permits - Of any trail's daily quota, 40% of its wilderness permits are available on a first-come first-served basis.  They're issued at any Permit Issuing Station no earlier than 11 am the day before your trip begins, and top priority is given to the station closest to the desired trailhead.

When to Arrive at the Permit Issuing Station - For extremely popular hikes, you'll want to arrive at the Permit Issuing Station several hours before its 11am opening to ensure a spot.  It's a bit of a crap shoot to determine exactly how early you need to be there.  The number of available permits at any give time depends on the trail, season, number of cancellations, and your favor among the gods.  I've heard as early as 4am and as late as 9.  This forum covers the question really well.

NOTE: Permit stations generally open at 9am, but wilderness permits themselves don’t become available until 10am. Plan accordingly.

Resources

 

Shuttles & Public Transportation In the Park

All Public Transportation Options In & Around Yosemite

Luckily you’ll find a ton of options here. Check out the link below for a complete list of public transportation options in & around the park:

Top Shuttle Options for Backpackers

Priceless for thru-hikers, the shuttle options below are some of the most under appreciated resources in the entire park. Both shuttles run DAILY, but are operational on a seasonal basis; the YARTS Shuttle even connects with local neighboring towns.

The YARTS Shuttle Route Map - Courtesy via: Yarts.com

Option 1: Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows Hikers Bus

Runs daily from June to September and can be flagged at any trailhead on its route. Prices range from $3-23 depending on the length of the route.

See the link below for routes, fees and other info:

Option 2: Yosemite’s YARTS Shuttle

Most lines run daily and depend on season. Prices vary, but are usually between $20-30 at most depending on the route. Tickets can be purchased online in advance or as you’re walking on to the shuttle with cash in-hand.

For high country backpackers, pay close attention to the green line, which runs daily from June through September. It travels between the Yosemite Valley Visitor’s Center and Mammoth Lakes for just $23 each way.

See the link below for routes, fees and other info:

Setting Up Your Own Shuttle System

If you're doing a thru hike in a group, you may decide to set up a two-car shuttle system.  For a list of Yosemite trailheads and destinations for backpackers, see the link below:

 

Maps

 
 
 

Budgets

ITEMIZED ACTIVITIES

Wilderness Permits

Half Dome Cables Permit
$10 application fee, plus $10 per person when picking up the permit

John Muir Trail exit at Donohue Pass (backpacking thru hike)
$5 application fee plus $5 per person at the time application is submitted

Yosemite Wilderness Camping Permit
$5 application fee plus $5 per person at the time application is submitted

Climbing

Guided Trip

Yosemite Mountaineering School & Guide Service

  • 3/4 Day: One on one ($283 per person) / 2 people ($193) / 3 people ($163)

  • Full Day: One on one ($320 per person) / 2 people ($201) / 3 people ($171)

Baseline Essentials

Food
$30 per day

Gas
Calculation: (total miles round trip / vehicle MPG) * price of gas
Example trip from Los Angeles: (670 / 25) * $3.60 = $96.48

Park Fees
$30 flat (prices may change in 2018)

Firewood
$36 per day

Camping

Yosemite Designated Campgrounds
Campgrounds range between $12-26 per night, depending on the location.  See Yosemite Campground Info for details.

 

EXAMPLE BUDGET FOR A RECENT WEEKEND TRIP (3 PEOPLE)

Trip Parameters
Budget is based on 2.5 days of adventure including travel time.  The trip starts from Los Angeles (670 mi., including driving time in the park), using one car with three people.  Departure time starts Friday afternoon (Day 0) through Sunday night (Day 2). 

Baseline Expenses
Individual Expenses: Food - 2.5 days ($75) 
Group Expenses: Gas ($96.48) + Park Fee ($30) / 3 people = $42.16 per person
Total: $117.16 per person

Days 0-2:  2 Nights Car Camping plus Hiking
Group Expenses: Camping Fees ($52) + Firewood ($72) / 3 people = $41.33 per person

Trip Total
$158.49 per person

 
 

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