Faxing my Yosemite Wilderness Permit – Help me pick my first nights camping spot

If you are headed from Tuolumne Meadows toward Donohue Pass, then simply state that your first camp will be at "Lyell Base Camp."

That is all the way south on Lyell Canyon, but before you have to climb too steeply to get over the pass, and it is the standard spot to camp if you are veering off to climb Mount Lyell.

–B.G.–

Look here first:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/fulltrailheads.pdf

Be sure you page through to find the trailheads you are interested in. If you find the date or dates you are interested in for the trailhead on this list it is filled up, and there is no point in sending in a fax for that trailhead and that date. You can try to get one at the last moment in person, but no guarantee.

Since you did not mention dates (the most important thing by far), I am assuming this is a bit new for you. Yosemite starts taking reservation many months in advance – to be precise 128 days in advance. The most popular trailheads fill up nearly on the first day it is legal to apply (128 day before!), and on the worst of them, like Happy Isles and Lyell valley they even need to do a lottery the FIRST day it is legal.

For example if you sent your fax tonight you could apply for trailhead opening up for reservations on September 20. You will see that for Lyell Valley ALL the days in July, August and up to September 10 are full NOW.

Anyway, check to make sure the trailheads you are applying for are not at the very least already taken. The quotas are only for the starting points. The exit point are not that important. But yes the starting trailhead/fist night camp area DOES have to be exact.

If you use a map and the list of already closed trailheads to eliminate option you should be able to pick one that will work for you, you just may not be able to camp the first night in Lyell valley in August. The are sneaky but legal ways around full trailheads.

If you want more specific suggestion you really need to tell us where you want to go, and one what date. Maybe some people can suggest alternate trailheads and routes to get you there. For example if you want to go over Donohue pass then you could start from any available trailhead south of hy120 and route over into the lyell valley. Rafferty toward Vogelsang, and then over Toulumne pass to Lyell is one that come to mind, but just check at that one is also booked solid.

Mono starts look like you best (maybe only) bet – somehow below the radar. But check for your date, as even a few dates are full for starting there. I would take Lyell off the list since there is no point unless you are planning to go late in the season.

BTW id you really did mean to go in late September you don't even need reservations at all.

I did not mention my date, I took it as a forgone conclusion that everyone would apply for their permits as soon as they could haha(though it could be that I'm just very excited…).

Anywho, yes, our trip to Yosemite is starting on the valley floor at Housekeeping Camp on September 18th for a few days, and then a few days in the backcountry starting on September 21st. Since 24 weeks previous to the start date of the backcountry portion fell on April 6th, a Sunday, I was able to fax in Friday night @8pm eastern. fax got sent at 8:01.

Though it would appear that maybe the situation didn't require that amount of zeal, haha. Oh well, better first in line than late to the party.

Make sure that the black bears get the memo so that they will be waiting for you to do their food delivery.

–B.G.–

Ah Ok. As for that late date (my favorite time actually, for that and other reasons) you should have zero trouble getting exactly what you want. In fact you could have just done a walk up as you will have to go the the ranger station anyway.

On the other hand the organized campgrounds, like Toulumne meadows close right about that time – something to keep in mind for logistics. Once I did a solo loop out of TM for about a week. When I left the TM campground was reasonably bustling, but when I got back it was closed and empty. If felt a little creepy, like one of those movies where the guy wakes up and finds everyone else in the world has vanished.

"like one of those movies where the guy wakes up and finds everyone else in the world has vanished."

That is the actor Earl Holliman in the Twilight Zone episode, "Where Is Everybody?" from 1959.

–B.G.–