Rush Creek to Tuolumne Meadows

[Kenneth Kuan]

Hi everyone, I'm looking to do either a 4d3n or 3d2n trip around the Tuolumne Meadows region over the Independence Day weekend. Right now I'm thinking of parking at Tuolumne, taking the YARTS to Rush Creek trailhead and going on the JMT, north bound, back to Tuolumne. Right now my nights are probably:

1. Thousand Island
2. Somewhere along Lyell Canyon
3. Somewhere along Lyell Canyon

Some questions:

Would it be better to start from Mammoth Lake?

Would it be a nicer trip to follow Lyell Canyon all the way back to TM, or to turn left into Vogelsang, spend a night there, and come back out to TM? How nice is that 4.2 mile section of JMT?

I'm also trying to figure out the camping spots. I would like to spend the night at Thousand Island, making my first day kind of short but that's okay. Where would be good camping locations along this stretch of the JMT?

Regarding permits, do I have to be concerned about the new rules regarding Donahue Pass if I am entering Yosemite? And am I right that I only have to get permits from Inyo National Forest?

Thanks in advance!

[Paul Wagner]

A few thoughts:

It's a good trip. Rush Creek is a good climb, and unless you get an early start, TIL might be a stretch~ but you can always camp along the way. Remember that you can't camp at the East end of TIL, so that will add some time as well.

Just North of TIL is a series of small tarns that have great views, which would be another option.

Lyell NOBO is a long easy hike~about 15 miles from Donahue to Tuolumne Meadows. I would not plan to spend two nights there. Ansel Adams is more scenic, for my money.

This is a three day trip for me, with an early start onbthe first day: night 1 at TIL, night 2 in Lyell, and then out.

Of course, going up Rush creek you could go South to Clark Lakes, then to Garnet..,and add both distance and days.

[Jim H]

In my opinion Lyell Canyon isn't all that interesting compared to nearby areas. Of course that relative, since it's all beautiful. What about a loop starting at Agnew Meadows? Really easy to plan as many nights as you want between Ediza Lake and Donahue.

[Matthew / BPL]

@kkcy93 – did you end up doing this trip? How was it? Where do you camp?

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