30-Mile Yosemite Hike: Buena Vista Loop

This is a 3-day, 30-mile backpack through lake and wildflower country in Yosemite's southwest region. We'll start at the Ostrander Trailhead (a few miles east of the Bridalveil Creek campground on Glacier Point Road) and hike a big loop encompassing Mono Meadow, Buena Vista Lake, Buena Vista Pass, Royal Arch Lake, Crescent Lake, and Turner Meadow. There will be some beautiful views of Half Dome and other well-known Yosemite landmarks, but this hike is mosltly about wildflowers and lakes.

Elevation gain and loss are fairly moderate for a Sierra hike, with a total of 5240 feet gain/5240 feet loss over 3 days. We'll have many options for camping along the trail, so daily mileage will depend on where we decide to stop each night. Be prepared for at least one 10+ mile day however.

Because we'll have a couple of relatively long hiking days and we'll be about 15 miles from the nearest road on day 2, I'd like to limit this trip to experienced backpackers. Sierra experience is not necessary, but please have recent experience with consecutive 10+ mile days. If I haven't hiked with you before, I will get in contact to verify experience when you sign up.

Bear canisters are required in Yosemite's backcountry. If you don't have a bear canister you can rent one at the permit station on Saturday morning for $5 plus a $95 refundable deposit.

Cost for the trip is $5 per person for permits. There is a fee of $20 per car to get into the park; anyone holding a park pass will be able to get a whole carload of backpackers in for free so we will try to get at least one passholder in each carpool if possible. The drive from the Silicon Valley area to the trailhead is a little over 4 hours. I'd like to get on the trail by noon, which would mean meeting up at the permit station by 11AM. I'll post details with permit station location/directions soon.

I will probably drive because I tend to get carsick otherwise. I have a small hatchback but can fit 2 more people with gear. I live in Mountain View, about half a mile from the MV Caltrain station. I probably won't be able to get out of work early on Friday evening, but if any of you are interested in camping overnight at Bridal Veil Creek or in Yosemite Valley the night before the trip you can look for reservations here: http://www.recreation.gov/recAreaDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&recAreaId=2991&agencyCode=70904. I suggest doing this as early as possible because the park books up fast in the summer.

This should be a fun one -- the SW part of the park does not get the big crowds and I've heard that some of the lakes we'll pass are real gems.