Visiting Yosemite from the Bay ?? (Merced, Bishop: campsites, living in, floor)

[Need2KnowWhy]

Ok, so here's another question about living in the Bay area. If I want to go to Yosemite, and lets say I even take an off weekend to avoid the crowds - forget Labor Day weekend, etc - how crowded is the park? Guess I should add I'd like to camp.

Do I have to make a reservation months in advance? I use to spend a lot of time in RMNP, Colorado. Just learned how to avoid the big crowds, but can that be down at Yosemite?

Also, about how long would the drive be on a Friday afternoon, leaving from the west coastal region of the Bay?

Thanks all.

[ImRandy]

In the summer? In the summer there is no "off weekend". The valley floor is about as full as a really popular indoor mall. There are people everywhere you look. There are traffic jams in the valley all day long and even getting into the park can take quite awhile. Once you get out of the valley and onto the trails the crowds disappear quickly.

The valley campsites with reservations fill up months in advance for the height of summer. The further away from the valley you go the better chance of getting a reservation. Personally, I would never want to stay in the valley during the summer. There are campsites that don't require reservations but these can be tricky to get. We camp every other year at Bridalveil Creek. This site doesn't require reservations and you can usually find a site easily during mid-week but if you show up on the weekend (Friday night for example) you probably won't find a spot.

In my younger days we would only go backpacking. Back country sites require a wilderness permit. We'd always apply 4-6 months in advance and occasionally we would not be able to get one. There are lots of great trips though and it wasn't a problem to create a trip similar to the one you were planning for if you were flexible.

It usually takes around 4 hours to get to Yosemite depending on traffic.

[zugor]

Use the search function here and you'll find a number of questions and posts about Yosemite with helpful into. Also Briceburg outside the park but on the Merced River

No such thing as an off weekend in the summer. YNP is an international destination and you'll hear a dozen different languages while in the valley in summer, every day of the week.

[humboldtrat]

Wait until after Labor Day. The crowds thin out and the trees turn color. The bad news is that falls are a trickle by then. Or go in the spring when the falls are flowing. I never go to Yosemite in the summer. The smell of diesel fumes from all the tour buses is overwhelming .

[Need2KnowWhy]

Yeah. I've seen that before. RMNP, CO. YellowStone, WY, Glacier National, MT. I guess that's just life during the Summer as family/tourists vacation and everything runs it's course during the Summer.

In CO, I pretty much stuck to the Fall/Winter/Spring...

[MtnSurfer]

Well, I spent a lot of time in RMNP while living in CO. The thing is Summer is the most crouded season everywhere. So in the summer in CO I preferred heading to the San Juans for wildflowers and great 4x4 roads where it was less crouded. Why go somehwere like a popular NP when crouds are highest? So consider visiting Yosemite Valley any season 'but' peak summer.

Now if you want to go somewhere less crouded this summer check out Kings Canyon or Yosemite's back side at Tuolumne Meadows. Most outdoor lovers find Summer the season for hiking/backpacking in the Sierra high country. Check out a few of these reports:

Saddlebag 20 Lake Basin

Thousand Island Lake

Mist Falls Kings Canyon

Then for Fall Colors check out Bishop for some great Aspen displays:

Bishop Fall (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ifernau/2983212766/in/set-72157607067517419/ - broken link)

Derek