Yosemite alternative in case of shutdown?

[Roy Kranz]

Some friends and I are scheduled to fly into Fresno on October 12th for a week long backpacking trip to Yosemite. The plan includes starting at Happy Isles, going to Half Dome, Cloud's Rest, and ultimately Mt. Conness via Young Lakes and then backtracking to the starting point. However, with the government shutdown looming, I need some suggestions for an alternate trip in case all the federal land out there is closed. Any suggestions? Are there any really nice and at least moderately challenging backpacking trips within a 5 hour drive of Fresno that are not on federal land or on federal land that should still be accessable? Thanks!

[Ken Helwig]

Emigrant Wilderness which borders Yosemite on the north side has some great hiking. Maybe not as famous as Yosemite but pretty awesome. Also I would look into Hoover Wilderness which borders both Yosemite and Emigrant to the north. Both are beautiful places with miles of trails to hike

[Charles P]

SEKI.

I don't think its as if federal lands suddenly become inaccessible, they just won't be patrolled or permitted. You could hike out of any TH you could get to. Yosemite is an open question for me though (I'm supposed to head there in a few days for a long weekend trip). Will they close the gates and lock down 120/ TIoga Pass? If so, unless you want to ride a bike to the TH from the park entrance, access to TH's would be difficult. Emigrant/ Hoover, Ansel Adams/ SEKI would still present loads of options though.

[Mary D]

Better call today; nobody will answer the phone tomorrow!

Back in the 1980's, this happened every year (although usually just for a few days) and Mt. Rainier NP did not close the gates–you could get in free. However, in 1995 they did close the gates. The only thing I've heard positively so far is that Mt. St. Helens National Monument (run by the Forest Service) will close their gates.

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