Start out at the Tenaya Lake Trailhead, where you can head directly onto the trail for Clouds Rest … After Little Yosemite Valley, you feel like you're on the JMT. John Muir Trail Day 2 – Little Yosemite Valley to Sunrise Lakes. The Ahwahnee offers a gift shop with a focus on local artisans, a decadent sweet shop, a comfortable bar and a heated outdoor swimming po... Overview If you would like to camp here, you must get a permit for Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley or Glacier Point to Little Yosemite Valley. At the top of the ridge was a sign that points north towards sunrise lakes, while the Clouds Rest trail continues south. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from April until October. Definitely recommend taking your time and making it into a bit of a trip. Tuolumne Meadows Campground is located in breathtaking Yosemite National Park in Central California's rugged Sierra Nevada Mount... Free ranger-led campfire programs and guided hikes are offered daily for Tuolumne Meadows Lodge guests. Sunrise Lakes is beautiful--especially the meadows in the morning. Highly recommend at least night in the backcountry. Instagram Always read through beta on Mountain Project and Super Topo and having the book on hand is always a good idea. Connect with the landscape before (or after) you take in the majesty of Cloud's Rest. 4.8 mile kickoff hike. Firefall Sunset. Seeing those granite slabs fall into the valley 5,000 ft below while looking down on half dome was just awe-striking. Heading up Half Dome is a 7.2 mile round trip from Little Yosemite Valley, with another 2,700 ft of elevation gain.. We reached the shoulder, and climb the series of steep switchbacks with big steps carved into the granite.  There are two options for this:1. All the maps and trail guides talk about Half Dome. Half Dome get's all the attention but the views at Cloud's Rest are PHENOMENAL. This is a land of 13,000-foot and 14,000-foot peaks, of lakes in the thousands, and of canyons and granite cliffs. Sunrise Lakes is a beautiful detour and in the solitude of the High Sierra, you can't go wrong. Make this an overnight with a scenic stay Sunrise Lakes. First view of Sunrise lake. This section is a little gnarly, as one mis-step and you’re in for a nasty tumble. Getting there: The trailhead is at the west end of Tenaya Lake; look for the lot with the "Sunrise" sign. There are plenty of campsites between Little Yosemite Valley and Merced Lake. You can actually submit for a permit to Half Dome and hit that on your way back to Yosemite Valley if you have time. Rob and I made flapjacks with bananas and peanut butter – yum! By marcushellberg on 2019-07-28 2020-08-01. Half Dome and the valley comprise the other view that stretches to the horizon. Find the date you wish to start on. Met a lot of people day hiking to Cloud's Rest. The campground has a bathroom and food storage boxes. 8.6 mile acclimation hike. Cloud's Rest is also a manageable day hike as a Half Dome alternative. Once re-connected to the Clouds Rest trail you begin a brief descent before you come across the only lake on the CR Trail. Please note: Little Yosemite Valley is a backpacker’s campground at mile 4.5 on the trail. Climb Hermaphrodite Flake to Boltway in Yosemite National Park. Day 4: Sunrise Lakes to Little Yosemite Valley Woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the lake. Start out at the Tenaya Lake Trailhead, where you can head directly onto the trail for Clouds Rest or you can branch off after 2.7 miles to Sunrise Lakes. Trips; Gear; About; JMT: Little Yosemite Valley to Upper Cathedral Lake. A recap and guide to the epic John Muir Trail. Distance: 14.5 miles (23.3 km) round trip Trailhead Elevation: 8,150 feet (2,450 meters) Elevation Gain: 1,775 feet (540 meters) Swimming at Lower Sunrise Lake! We packed quickly. Not a cloud in the sky and no chill in the air – we had a hot day ahead of us. Feedback, Google Street View panorama of the trailhead parking area. John Muir Trail Day 2 – Little Yosemite Valley to Sunrise Lakes. Bonus: you'll be the first ones on top of Clouds Rest the next morning, and you'll have it all you yourself. If the date you wish to start is listed, the trailhead is full for that day; if the date is missing, the trailhead is available for at least one person. Make it an overnight by camping north of Clouds Rest. You can camp at one of the Sunrise Lakes. Lots of people camp at Sunrise Lake so don't expect to be alone and also expect there might be some bear activity since its heavily used. For long-distance hikers, to pass through the Little Yosemite Valley/Half Dome area and camp beyond that, in the direction of either Merced Lake or Sunrise High Sierra Camp: Happy Isles to Sunrise/Merced Lake (pass through) It's also a land blessed with the mildest, sunniest climate of any major mountain range in the world. The mosquitoes began to attack as we cooked breakfast. Merced Lake to Sunrise Camp Trail is a 12.1 mile moderately trafficked point-to-point trail located near Yosemite Valley, California that features a waterfall and is rated as difficult. We're committed to building a better, more inclusive home for the modern outdoors. You need to check because they change times each year, but … Tenaya Lake itself is on the Tioga Pass Road near the eastern end of Yosemite National Park. What a day it was. It took roughly 3 days to acclimate on the John Muir Trail. From the junction with the Clouds Rest Trail, take a left onto the Sunrise Lakes Trail and hike east, following signs for Sunrise High Sierra Campsite.Cover mostly level ground though open woods and after about 1/2 mile you'll reach the Lower Sunrise Lake. 10.1 mile hike for hunger. 8.4 miles in 12:50 minutes.. Find the trailhead you wish to start from. We started at Little Yosemite Valley and retraced our steps for the first mile before heading away from Half Dome and towards Tuolumne Meadows. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your John Muir Trail Day 1 – Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley. This allows you to break up the hike, spend a night relaxing and help you have an early start back on the trail. Answer 1 of 10: We are visiting the first week of June. I found it even more memorable than the half dome cables. Is the ridge is just an option to go to cloud rest peak or I must cross it to continue to little Yosemite valley campground. I've camped at the Sunrise Lakes several times, and I usually have the surrounding area all to myself. When you want to enjoy lakes but don't want to share them with the hordes at Tenaya Lake, head for Sunrise Lakes. ... GoPro Time lapse Sunrise on Lake Pepin Lake City, Minnesota - … The Outbound works best with JavaScript enabled. Along this loop you pass by the beautiful Tenaya Lake, hike over Clouds Rest, take in several great views of Half Dome, and hike through Little Yosemite Valley and the Lost Valley. A fantastic backpacking trip from Tioga to the Valley, then take the YARTS bus back to your car. Go PRO to support our mission and get benefits like gear deals, no ads, and more! After a kneecap-busting, ball-of-the-foot-breaking descent of nearly 4,000 feet, the Merced looked like Shangri-La. Starting out from the Tenaya Lake tr... Start and end this loop from the Sunrise Lakes TH along the Tioga Road, and in between you'll travel over 26 miles through Yosemite's backcountry gaining and losing over 7,000 feet in elevation. From the summit you can see the evidence of the aptly named, Little Valley Fire. The second checkpoint has no sign pointing to Clouds Rest, but helpful hikers have created a rock CR that usually has an arrow pointing to the right. If you decide to continue on towards Little Yosemite Valley you are back in the land of opportunity and can try and get to the top of Half Dome, or spend some time at Merced Lake. It's a long day hike to Half Dome. You can hike south from Tenaya Lake to Sunrise Creek (not Sunrise Lakes) and camp there. 8.6 mile acclimation hike. We can skip from one Yosemite Trail Miles Sign to another leading down to Yosemite Valley on the Miles and Elevations page linked to above. 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