If you're planning a trip to Yosemite this summer, skip the valley altogether. It's been a very light snow year in California, and with the unusually hot spring weather, the snow in the mountains is gone, the creeks are drying up and the waterfalls are dwindling. Why fight the hordes to see waterfalls that are not much more than a trickle when you can drive up Tioga Road and experience the peak of the summer beauty?

With the flowers blooming so early this year, you'll need to hike above 9000 feet in early July and 10,000 feet in late July to enjoy them. Not a problem, since many of the best day hikes and backpacking trips traverse this elevation. And the best part of all, you can drive the spectacular Tioga Road which ranges from 6200 feet at Crane Flat on the west side to Tioga Pass at 9945 on the east side, and pick your spot from where to begin your hike into the back country.

Day hikes are an easy way to see lots of different scenery with minimal effort. Overnight trips require a wilderness permit from the Yosemite Wilderness Center. If you're not the type who likes to haul their gear on dusty uphill trails, then camp at White Wolf or Tuolomne Meadows campgrounds and day hike to your heart's content. If those campgrounds are full, you can usually find a spot just east of Tioga Pass at Tioga Lake or Ellery Lake. Those spots are a bit breezy, but the scenery more than compensates for it.

As always, bring iodine pills or a water filter to purify your drinking water. These back country lakes may look pristine but it's no fun having your trip ruined by some protozoan or bacterial creature.

Recommended Day Hikes

Cathedral Lakes

Cathedral Lake

A moderate hike of approximately 7 miles round trip.
The trail begins in Tuolomne Meadows, near the gas station. You have two pretty lakes to choose from nestled under John Muir's favorite mountain; Cathedral Peak. Start before 9 a.m. so you don't bake in the sun, pack a lunch and something refreshing to drink that you can plunge into the cool lake. It's a beautiful place to spend the day soaking up the scenery. The mildly adventurous can walk up the granite slabs to the ridge separating Lower and Upper Cathedral Lakes, then travel cross country down to the other lake. Lots of grassy areas and slabs of granite to choose from for your tanning pleasure. Take an extra hour and hike up to Cathedral Pass for a spectacular view of the granite domes and the snow capped mountains bordering the south side of the park.

Elizabeth Lake

Elizabeth Lake

An easy hike of 2.6 miles one way brings you to a grassy meadow and this elegant lake situated under Unicorn Peak. There are great places to hang out along the shoreline, except for the north east edge which tends to remain a bit marshy. The trailhead is located at the rear of the group camping area in the Tuolomne Meadows Campground. Go late in the day and enjoy a much quieter scene. Almost everyone leaves by 4 pm, and it's less than an hour to hike back downhill to the trailhead.

Mono Pass
This lightly used trail will quickly and easily take you to some of the most breathless scenery in all of Yosemite. And I mean breathless, most people should sleep a night or two in the high country to acclimate before tackling this little jaunt.

The trail starts 2 miles west of Tioga Pass at 9600 feet and climbs gradually to 10,600 in 4 miles. There are two short steep uphills, otherwise it's easy going the whole way. You start out in the woods, and about 2 miles later you're on the edge of the treeline with a babbling brook to your right. As you emerge from the trees, at first you'll see Mammoth Mountain to your right (not the same Mammoth Mountain used for skiing, that's a couple of hours drive to the south). A bit further along, directly in front of you will be Koip Peak. Detours along the way include the spur to Spillway Lake, a gorgeous small lake located about 2 hours in from the road, or a trip to the ridge of Gibbs Peak for a view of Mono Lake.

May Lake

May Lake

Located in between White Wolf and Tenaya Lake, this heavily used lake can still be enjoyed if you know where to go. Start early and maybe you'll have time to hike to the top of Mt. Hoffman which borders the west side of the lake. If you can find parking at the trailhead, it's only 1.6 miles of steady uphill hiking. If not, you may have to park out near Tioga Road, and that makes it 3.6 miles one way. No matter, you can find nice spots to relax along the north side of May Lake. Sorry, no swimming here, it's part of the water supply for the park. So if you want to swim, skip May Lake and go to Tenaya Lake.

Tenaya Lake

Tenaya Lake and Domes

This jewel at 8500 feet belongs in a National Park. Surrounded by granite domes and the dominant Tenaya Peak, this crystal clear and usually chilly lake will be the perfect place to go swimming this summer. The little coves along the west shore are already starting to warm up. In August and September the water will be extremely pleasant to bathe in. You can lay on the east shore until 8 at night and watch the sunset. Bring lots of film and sunscreen, you'll need both. You can park along Tioga Road next to Tenaya Lake, look for a shady spot under the trees near the west end of the lake.

Recommended Backpacking Trips
This is a good year to head up high into the mountains where the lakes are crystalline and the people few and far between. You'll see lots of folks at the popular trailheads, but I'll guide you to the quieter spots. Make sure you bring or rent a bear canister in which to store your food, it'll save a lot of hassles.

Mono Pass and Parker Pass
For a truly alpine experience, you can journey about 4 hours from Tioga Road to the usually uninhabited Parker Pass area. See the Mono Pass day hike description above and follow your map to Parker Pass. Make your base camp there and you can assault Koip Peak. Or keep going and make a 4 to 6 day loop of it by returning to Tuolomne Meadows via Donahue Pass and Lyell Canyon. Only fit, experienced and well acclimated back packers should attempt this one, but the effort is truly worth it. Bring lots of film, the photo possibilities are endless and you won't want to miss the mountains changing colors during the sunset. The range of light as the scenery goes from gray to yellow to orange and purple is truly spectacular.

Glen Aulin
An easy trip of about 7 miles one way brings you to this semi-crowded high Sierra camp. Keep going about one mile past Glen Aulin down the Tuolomne River and you'll find some little used campsites right near the river. So what if you have to ascend a few hundred vertical feet more on the day you leave? At least you'll leave the noise and debris behind you. And you'll go to sleep to the sound of the rushing river, not the sound of somebody chopping wood or screaming at their neighbor to stop yakking on their cell phone.

Lyell Canyon to Ireland Lake
You may not make the whole 11 miles in to Ireland Lake the first day, but no problem. The first 8 miles of the walk are flat as you travel along the Lyell Fork of the Tuolomne River.

You can camp anywhere in Lyell Canyon after you pass the junction to Evelyn Lake (about 6 miles in from the start of the trail). The minimum hike in keeps Lyell Canyon from becoming a mecca for the homeless in summer. To make the trip easier, camp overnight near the river on your first day, then hike to Ireland Lake on your second day. Surrounded by granite and lightly used, it's truly a remote getaway.

Don't want to haul your gear all the way up to Ireland Lake? Make a base camp in Lyell Canyon and then day hike to Evelyn Lake, then Townsley Lake and if you've got the energy, onto Vogelsang Lake and then back to base. It's all down hill on the way back, and with just some lunch and water it's a much easier trip than dragging all your gear up to Ireland Lake.

Make sure you follow all the park rules like camping no closer than 100 feet to sources of water, carrying out all your trash and using a bear canister to protect your food and the bears. Leave nothing more than footprints, take only pictures and memories, and enjoy your time in Yosemite away from the maddening crowds clustered in the valley.

To see pictures of the scenery on these hikes and other great photos of Yosemite, visit: www.yosemitepictures.com.

Park Links, Tips & Info
All overnight backpacking trips require a wilderness permit. To get a wilderness permit you can call +1 (209) 372 0740,

or visit Yosemite's official web site: www.nps.gov/yose/wilderness/,

or write to:

Yosemite National Park
Wilderness Center
P.O. Box 545
Yosemite, CA 95389
USA

Make sure you include the following info:

Your name, address and telephone number
Start Date
Entry Trailhead
Ending Date
Exit Trailhead
Number of People in Party

and include a check in the amount of US$5 per person for the reservation fee. This fee is non-refundable. If paying by check, make your payment to "Yosemite Association".

An extensive bus service is available during the summer months, so it's easy to plan a one-way trip instead of being forced to hike a loop or go in and out on the same trail.

If you'd like more info, or suggestions on great places to hike in Yosemite, please send me an e-mail at: tkoinc@home.com, and I'll give you all the info I can.

So, get on the Stairmaster and start getting in top shape for your summer adventure in the Sierras.

To see more pictures of Yosemite and to find more information on the park, visit Don's web site at YosemitePictures.com.

Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our North America Insiders page.