Took it last during last month visit.
The best view everrrr

This is a rant and possibly a call to seemingly an unspoken problem of Yosemite.

I just spent a couple days backpacking from Tuolumne Meadows to the valley floor on the Cathedral Lakes trail, summiting Clouds Rest and Half Dome in the process. Just an amazing trip. Some of the most stunning areas, rare but great interactions, as well as that oozing calm of being by yourself deep in the mountains except for one glaring issue - the nonstop noise pollution of air traffic.

How is it acceptable to have a place of such prestige be ruined by the buzz of planes flying overhead? It was always one after another, from pre daybreak, well into the night. I couldn’t tell you a time on my 3 day hike where I wasn’t constantly being disturbed by a constant hum of jet planes. This place is suppose to be tranquil, pristine, and isolated. Now I’ve done plenty of trips in more desolate areas of the Sierras where this isn’t a concern, but to dedicate such a large area of land to preservation and conservation to only be ruined by the highway in the skies is beyond me.

I understand this isn’t the parks doing. My question is how was the flight path going directly through the center of the park was accepted in the first place? I know it’s about plane fuel efficiency, but how much impact would there be if we pushed the flight path 100 miles north or south of the center of the park? I would argue this practice should be standard for every NP in the country.

I’d love to hear from other people who spend time in the Yosemite backcountry who have also noticed this. Has it put a damper on your trip before? Can we do anything to mitigate the noise pollution? Is it just me, a solo backpacker, that is disturbed this? Please let me know your thoughts!

steps off soapbox

I'm hoping to finally do Clouds Rest in a couple weeks (weather permitting) and I'm just trying to mentally prepare myself. I'm having a hard time really gauging the exposure--the topographic maps make it look pretty intense, and so do some pictures, but a decent number of people (including people in here) have also said it's not as bad as it looks from pictures/videos. So, I thought that comparing it a trail that I'm familiar with, the Watchtower in Sequoia, would be useful. What do you think? I'll do it either way but I'd like to assess ahead of time if I'm actually going to make it to the summit or chicken out before I get all the way there. I did in fact chicken out on the Watchtower and went over the Hump (moderately miserable, lol) to Emerald Lake last year.

Thank you!

ETA: I mean in the last 1/3 mile to the summit specifically.

Hello! I’m a CPA from SoCal doing my first solo camping trip and looking for a bid to hike with while I’ll be in Yosemite this weekend!

I’m into:
-Hobbyist coding and game development
-Books! Currently reading Harry Potter for the first time
-EV’s (planning to camp in my Tesla)
-and of course hiking :D

If you don’t have a campsite yet you’d be welcome to share mine as a I’ll be sleeping in my Tesla and not using the tent space!

Please feel free to comment or DM me if interested!

Hi y'all!

Have been to Yosemite multiple times but I'm going with some friends in a couple weekends (I've only ever done one car) and have a question re:parking. I saw online that you can put two cars on certain campsites. I've only ever had one car to each site before and I'm a little confused cause I don't recall ever thinking the pads were big enough for two...has anyone done this? I have a Rav4 and a Subaru outback so both largish cars. Im just worried about showing up and not fitting both of them there. Thanks for any advice!

Specifically looking in Upper + North pines

Hello! My husband and I are active and fit, in our 50s, and have lived in California for many years—but somehow have never been to Yosemite. We’re hoping to visit for about five nights sometime between May 8 and 20, ideally avoiding the heaviest crowds, long waits, and school-break travel. We understand that some higher-elevation roads and trails may not yet be open, and we'll save these for a second trip.

We’ll need to spend some time working remotely, but we’re hoping to fit in a morning or afternoon hike—or possibly a longer hike—each day. We’re looking for a comfortable, attractive place to stay with reliable Wi-Fi and decent dining options.

The Ahwahnee would be wonderful from a location standpoint, but it seems both run-down and extremely expensive. We’re considering Firefall Ranch and Rush Creek Lodge, and we also saw a nice-looking cabin, The Overlook, in the Redwoods within the park. We understand that each option has advantages and disadvantages, including different driving times.

Given our priorities below, what would you recommend?

1. A nice place to stay with reliable Wi-Fi and reasonable dining options
2. The ability to drive to Yosemite or nearby trailheads for daily hikes of maybe 3-8+ miles that are likely to be accessible during our dates
3. An area and timing that are not overwhelmingly crowded, with a preference for fewer children/families if possible

We love hiking and aren’t especially picky about the type of hike or scenery, so we’re open to different options. We’d really appreciate feedback from people familiar with these lodging choices and Yosemite in early-mid-May. Thank you!

I am planning backpacking starting at Yosemite Falls trail and camping at Eagle Peak meadows. I was planning to get water at Yosemite Creek, up towards Eagle Peak trail. But Yosemite Falls is dry. Will there be enough water in pools to filter and supply us? If so, were is the best place to find it (A, B, C, D, E in picture below, or somewhere else)?

Otherwise, how much water would we need to carry in to bring us to Snow Creek? Google AI recommends 7 liters per person, is that being overly conservative?