[pct-l] Tuolumne to Yosemite Valley

[Herb Stroh]

Lucky Man--

I believe that most people day-hiking TM to the Valley hit it early and use the shuttle to come back the same day. You do not need a permit to day hike to the Valley. To stay at Camp 4 technically requires a valid permit to hike out from the Valley the next day, and the PCTA permit will not qualify for that. Going from TM to the Valley is more down than up, and is the preferred direction of travel for the day hike. 

It is possible to bum some space from a Pines car camper, but you still have a permit issue to deal with. Yosemite has plenty of rangers checking permits so you will want to be in compliance with the rules. If you are stopped with overnight gear heading down to the Valley they will ask for a valid permit, and saying 'I will find someone to stay with in Pines' will not work.

Another alternative is to try and get a walk-up permit when you get to TM and hike down to Little Yosemite Valley. The next morning is an easy hop into the Valley to catch the shuttle. 

The backpackers' camp area at TM has not had any problems with theft of gear to my knowledge. Of course, secure your food properly. It will likely be pretty noisy at night.

Expect plenty of foot traffic on the trail and the Valley. Later in the day, especially between the Valley and the Half Dome turnoff, feels more like Disneyland then a national park (another good reason to go early). But it is some very fine country. You will likely want to come down the Mist Trail rather than the JMT. It has steep granite steps to descend that are usually slippery from the mist, but affords much better views. If there is any wind, anticipate getting pretty wet.


Herb


-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Noe [mailto:writenow40 at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Monday, June 01, 2015 7:58 AM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: [pct-l] Tuolumne to Yosemite Valley

I had planned to hike the JMT this summer but am not one of the few who got a permit from NPS. So I decided instead to do an even better hike, the PCT from Donner Pass to Walker Pass. I joined and got a permit from the PCTA. I'd still like to complete the other sections of the JMT on this hike and wonder about the logistics of a day hike from Tuolumne Meadows to Happy Isles in late July. It sounds as if I'm allowed to camp the night before at the backpacker section of the Tuolumne campground. Yogi's book says a permit is needed to hike down to the valley even as a day hike, but  NPS says "Permits are not required for day hikes (except if hiking to Half Dome)." I have done longer day hikes than Tuolumne to the valley and could take the shuttle the next morning from the valley back to Tuolumne, but the problem seems to be where to camp in the valley. NPS says the walk-in campground, Camp 4, "fills early most mornings from spring through fall," and of course the Pines campgrounds are very like to be full. How have other hikers handled this - maybe asked car campers in the Pines campgrounds for a spot to pitch a tent? Or have people completed the hike early enough to take the shuttle back to Tuolumne the same day (5 p.m. for $9 YARTS bus, 3:30 p.m. for last free shuttle). Is there a safe, reliable place in Tuolumne to stash gear I won't need for the hike to the valley? 
Also, if I understand correctly my PCT permit allows me to summit Mount Whitney as long as I don't exit at Whitney Portal; is this right?  
Lucky Man