Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful destinations in North America. It offers perfect hiking conditions for Boy Scouts. This trip includes 5 days of backpacking, a rest day in Yosemite Valley and a sightseeing day in San Francisco.

The general itinerary is to fly to San Francisco, rent vans and drive to the national park. Spend the first night camping in the backpacker’s campground in Yosemite Valley, the heart of the park. The next morning board a special backpacker’s bus which takes you into the high country to Tuolumne Meadows. From there begin a five day backpacking trip, hiking about seven miles per day, except for the last day which is 13 miles. The trek traverses numerous streams and alpine lakes, around mountains and cliffs and past magnificent waterfalls. Each day there is ample time to swim, fish, scamper among the granite boulders and even have a snowball fight! Some of the sights along the way include Tuolumne Meadows, Lyell Canyon, Lake Fletcher, VogelSang Pass, Merced Lake, Little Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls.

The hike ends in Yosemite Valley. Check into simple tent cabins in Curry Village for two nights, enjoy your first hot showers in nearly a week, and have a dinner feast in a valley restaurant! The next day everyone is free to relax or explore sites in the valley on their own. After checking out Saturday morning drive back to San Francisco for a day of sightseeing. First walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Then drive into the city and take a ferry out to Alcatraz Island for a tour of the infamous former prison. Then enjoy a final dinner on the pier at Fisherman’s Wharf before driving back to the airport for a red-eye flight home Saturday night, arriving home Sunday morning.

  • Yosemite National Park
  • Location
  • When to Go
  • Eligibility
  • Cost
  • Route
  • Itinerary
  • Planning Steps
  • External Links
  • Photos
  • Recommended Maps and Books

Location

Yosemite National Park is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in central California, about 200 miles from San Francisco.

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When to Go

This route can be hiked anytime in the summer. Snow will linger in Vogelsang Pass well into July. Trails will be muddy and mosquitos will be heavy in June, but the waterfalls will be awesome. By August the trails will be bone dry, the bugs gone and many of the waterfalls reduced to a trickle. Crowds are heaviest in July.

Here is a link to temperatures in Yosemite Valley (elevation 4000 feet). Expect temperatures at Tuolomne Meadows (8000 feet) to be 15-20 degrees cooler.

Eligibility

This route only covers an average of 7 miles per day, except for the last day with the optional side-trip to Half Dome, which makes it a 13 mile day. Only the second day involves much elevation gain with a backpack and that is only 1500 feet. Scouts 13 and up with the right gear, training and in decent shape will have no problem.

The maximum crew size in Yosemite is 15 people (more than other National Parks).

Cost

Cost is about $600 per person, based on air travel from the east. This includes EVERYTHING for 8 days - parking, airfare, rental cars, gas, tolls, permits, fees, cabin rentals, restaurant meals, backcountry food, group T shirt.

The following attachment provides a detailed spreadsheet for users to estimate the cost of this trip.

Yosemite Cost Spreadsheet

Route

Start in Tuolumne Meadows. End in Yosemite Valley. Distance 41 miles.

Day / Start Location / End Location / Miles / Start / End / Gain / Loss
Sunday / Tuolomne Meadows / Lyell Canyon / 6 / 8600 / 8900 / 400
Monday / Lyell Canyon / Vogelsang / 6 / 8900 / 10200 / 1500
Tuesday / Vogelsang / Merced Lake / 8 / 10200 / 7200 / 500 / 2800
Wednesday / Merced Lake / Little Yosemite Valley / 8 / 7200 / 6000 / 1200
Thursday / Little Yosemite Valley / Half Dome / 4 / 6000 / 9000 / 3000
Half Dome / Curry Village / 9 / 9000 / 3900 / 5100

Yosemite National Park Scout High Adventure at EveryTrail

Itinerary

Day / Activity
Saturday / Drive to airport
Fly to San Francisco
Rent vans
Eat lunch at nearest fast food restaurant
Drive 4 hours to Yosemite
If arrive before 5:00 PM, pick up permits and bear cans from Backcountry office
Drive to backpacker campground and drop off gear - park in Curry Village
Buy fuel cannisters from camping store in Curry Village
Leave day packs with clean clothes in vans but place toilet kits in Curry Village lockers
Sunday / Hike to Curry Village and pick up bus tickets at 7:45 AM
Board backpacker bus to Tuolumne Meadows at 8:00 AM
If needed, pick up permit and bear cans from Tuolomne Meadows backcountry office
Hike through Lyell Canyon
Stop for lunch and swimming at about 3 miles
First night beside Lyell fork of Tuolumne River and junction of trail to Lake Ireland
Monday / Hike up Tuolumne Pass - have lunch
Swim at Eveyln Lake
Camp at Vogelsang backcountry site (off to right of Fletcher Lake)
Tuesday / Hike up Vogelsang Pass at 10,700 ft
Hike down steep Lewis Creek
Camp at Merced Lake
Swim and slide in creek feeding lake - walk under waterfalls!
Wednesday / Hike along Merced River
Camp near Little Yosemite Valley (share campfire)
Thursday / Leave gear at campsite
Day hike to Half Dome summit
Return to campsite
Hike past impressive Nevada and Vernal Falls
End hike at Curry Village
Check into tent cabins
Dinner feast
Friday / Free day to sightsee in Yosemite Valley (swim in Curry Village pool, take free shuttle bus around valley, rent bikes, rent raft on lazy Merced River, see Visitor Center, buy souveniers)
Eat restaurant meals
Saturday / Pack up cars
Drive to San Francisco - park at south end of Golden Gate bridge
Walk across Golden Gate Bridge (hope for clear skies!)
Drive to Fisherman's Wharf and park in garage
Take late afternoon tour of Alcatraz
Dinner at Fisherman's Wharf
Drive to airport
Take red-eye overnight flight home
Sunday / Drive home from airport

Planning Steps

  • Reserve tent cabins in Curry Village in Yosemite online 6-9 months ahead
  • Reserve backcountry sites 24 weeks ahead at 209/372-0740 or online
  • Reserve rental cars from San Francisco Airport 3 months ahead
  • The National Park Service requires that bear cans be used to store food. They are available for rental in the park. Buy one bear can for your troop to use to confirm that the food you buy will fit into the can and also that Scouts allocate sufficient room in their packs for the can
  • Reserve tickets for tour of Alcatraz Island 6 weeks ahead
  • Reservations to stay in the backpacker's campsite in Yosemite Valley are not required. Self register and pay $5 per person
  • Purchase tickets for the Backpacker Bus to Tuolumne Meadows by calling (209) 372-4FUN (4386)

External Links

The National Park Service website for Yosemite:

American Backcountry makes ideal group T shirts using moisture-wicking fabric. They have great logos of Yosemite and will customize the design for your troop and hometown. About $18 per shirt.

Photos

Photo / Description
/ Yogi the Bear paying a visit to the Backpackers campground in Yosemite Valley. Eventually the rangers came and shot him with plastic bullets to scare him away.
/ About 4 miles into the hike along the Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne River is a near-perfect swimming hole.
/ The first of many slip-n-slides along the trip. After setting up camp, grab your closed-cell foam pad and head a half mile back along the trail just hiked. Hop on and chill out!
/ On the second night, you will camp close to Fletcher Lake. The Scouts were challenged to wade out into the lake and scale the boulder. If everyone made it, they would be treated to a Ghiradelli chocolate shake in San Francisco. It was an amazing incentive!
/ Crossing a patch of snow while hiking up to Vogelsang Pass in the middle of July, 2002. Great time for a snow ball fight!
/ The view from Vogelsang Pass (elevation 10,700 feet and the highest point of the trek) is outstanding. Looking into the Cathedral range. The most grueling part of the trip is the steep 3000 feet descent from here to Merced Lake.
/ This small waterfall is from the stream feeding Merced Lake. After setting up camp on the third night, try taking a shower here and withstand the force of the water.
/ An enormous downed Ponderosa Pine in the Merced Lake camping area.
/ Ascending the famous cables to the summit of Half Dome. Get there early to beat the crowds arriving as day hikers and to get a donated pair of gloves for the ascent. Caution - this portion of the trek is NOT for the those with a fear of heights!
/ The 9000 summit of Half Dome is a sight to behold. Can you find the American flag planted by climbers along the cliff?
/ On the last day you pass Nevada Falls which is 600 feet high and Vernal Falls (shown here) which only 317 feet !
/ Golden Gate Bridge. With luck you will have a clear day (but don't count on it!)
/ The ferry ride and tour of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay makes a great sightseeing destination.

Recommended Maps and Books

This National Geographic topographic map shows all of the trails in the park. Waterproof.

The best overall guide to hiking trails is the Falcon Guide entitled "Hiking Yosemite National Park" by Suzanne Swedo.

It is far easier to get lost in the confusing roads and establishments in Yosemite Valley than in the backcountry! Download this map from the National Park:

or buy this handy map of the valley

This inexpensive paper back book is full of beautiful photographs. Have it on hand for your rally meeting and to learn more about the flora, fauna, geology and history of the park.