3 day trip suggestions in Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion

In Yosemite, there are trips that get to above tree line lakes entering Tuolumne Meadows. You could go up Rafferty Creek to the Vogelsang area and spend time checking out the lakes, peaks, and passes in the vicinity like Fletcher, Vogelsang, and Bernice. Another option is to enter Lyell Canyon and head over Donohue Pass to the Marie, Davis, 1000 Island Lakes areas. You could also enter Agnew Meadows from the east side and check out the Minarets area. Though not actually part of Yosemite proper, the area is very scenic. Generally, getting a permit for Lyell, Raferty, or Agnew Meadow might be an issue as they are all very popular, so it is good to have several options if you can't get a permit for your 1st choice.

Ten Lakes is much easier to get a permit and makes a nice weekend hike. Most camping spots in the area are below treeline, but there are many knobs with good views of the area and down into Tuolumne Canyon. You can extend the trip length by heading to Tuolumne Peak and May Lake/Mt. Hoffman, etc., with a mix of forest trails and above treeline peaks and knobs.

Dana/Mono/Parker is an easy to get permit, but I don't recommend going over Koip Pass on the 1st or 2nd day due to altitude (12,250) unless you are confident in everyone's ability to handle it on day 1 or 2. But entering Lyell and looping back over Koip could work for 4-5 days, giving a few days for acclimation before tackling Koip.

Be aware that if you want to use a shuttle to get back to your car that the last day for the hiker's bus is 9/14 and that YARTs runs weekends only in Sept. The Yosemite Park Tuolumne Shuttles also shut down sometime in Sept, so call ahead if you are thinking of relying them.

It's a very dry year out here so be prepared to carry water on stretches between lakes and sizable creeks.

Zion has more backpacking options than Bryce. Zion also has some great day hikes to Angel's Landing and the hiking IN the river of a slot canyon in The Narrows.

It sound like you'll be on Highway 395 at same point, maybe twice, coming and going from Yosemite. There are some really cool sights along 395 that could break up the drive. Once you leave Yosemite to the east and reach 395, three points are quite close: The State Historical Park of Bodie is a 45-minute drive and shows the town as it was left 80 years when everyone packed up and left. On the NW shore of Mono Lake is Black Point and volcanic fissures that are 1-2 feet wide but 20-40 feet deep. Ask for directions at the Mono Lake Visitor's Center in Lee Vining or I could send you more details. It's a 40-minute scramble up a cinder cone that easy enough if it's not a hot day (do it early, ideally). Then there's the tufa (columns of salt deposits) on the South shore of Mono Lake.

Further south in Owen's valley, on the eastern side, is the Bristlecone-Pine Forest where the world's oldest trees are.

You'll pass right by Whitney Portal (you need a permit to go very far or to overnight on the trail, but you could hike the lower portion of the trail (nice if you might be back to summit Whitney another time or hike the John Muir Trail.

North Rim or South Rim at the Grand Canyon? North Rim will minimize driving*, be cooler and more forested, but the more dramatic views are from the South Rim.

*More of an issue for Europeans than Australians, but check your proposed mileages/times on Mapquest.com or some other app to make sure you allow enough time to get from here to there. Every once in while, I meet travelers with a poor sense of scale planning to move around the US as if it were France or Germany (land in LA, lunch in Phoenix, overnight in Texas sort of thing).

Sounds like a great trip Rod!

David T gave some awesome suggestions. Bodie State Historic Park is really a must-see if your family has any interest at all in the American "Old West", as being the largest ghost town west of the Mississippi. And his comments about distances are spot on…this is big country you're talking about. Allow time.

I'll second David A's suggestion of attacking the Thousand Island Lake area from the east side of the Sierra (through the town of Mammoth Lakes). The town itself sits at over 8,000' elevation, and spending a night or two in the hotel there when you arrive can go a long way towards getting used to the altitude. I often stay at the Mammoth Mountain Inn, which is actually at about 9,000'. Not to mention it's just a very cool town to begin with, with tons of great hotels and eateries.

A little tip about getting wilderness permits out of Agnew Meadows (which is between Mammoth Lakes and Devil's Postpile National Monument), I've found that the "High Trail" section of the PCT is WAY easier to get permits on last minute than the River Trail or Shadow Creek Trail. They all use the same trailhead, so don't be discouraged if the permits are all full for Shadow Creek or the River Trail. Just go the High Trail instead. The High Trail gets a big chunk of elevation gain out of the way right off the bat, when you're still fresh, and then it's an easy 9-10ish mile hike up to 1000 Island Lake. That makes a great Day 1, with excellent scenery, then you can just tool around for the next couple days working your way back. I'll be doing this exact route the second week of September.

I've never been to Bryce, but Zion is gorgeous.

You are not likely to avoid crowds at Zion.
If I had 3 days/nights:
1. Narrows dayhike up to Big Springs, and a side trip up Orderville to the turnaround at Veiled Falls. You may have company all the way, but it's an amazing hike.

2. Overnight in Kolob Canyons on the La Verkin Creek trail to one of the higher numbered campsites(past the Kolob Arch and Hop Valley trail junctions) with side trips to Kolob Arch and Beartrap Canyon-which is at mile 9.3, and ends in a waterfall. Probably few people past Kolob Arch.

3. Overnight to Deertrap Mountain from Weeping Rock with a side trip to Hidden Canyon. Lots of elevation gain, but all switchbacked and not too bad. Check out Echo Canyon's slot for a few minutes if it's not holding much water. Should leave the crowds behind at the turnoff to Observation Point.

OR:
Overnight of the West Rim Trail(need a shuttle). Wonderful views after the first few miles. If you get a campsite as far along as possible, and get up and hiking very early, there's a chance to have Angel's Landing to yourself. Expect the trail down to be very crowded with dayhikers heading up, though.

Might be a chore to combine some of those, but the West Rim then straight through to Deertrap and either La Verkin or the Narrows would be doable.

Hi all,

Thanks so much for all your great suggestions. Everyone of them is pure gold! We landed in LA morning, and I have just set up wifi access where we are staying. Please excuse me if I wait until tomorrow to reply properly, but I have had six hours sleep in the last 48, and three of those were on the plane in Economy. Time to go to bed.

I don't know if this will help or confuse you with options at this point, but check out Joe's guide to Zion.
He has a facebook page, and regularly posts up (awesome)pics from his various destinations, too.
http://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/