Pct siera nevada or Grand canyon

imported
#1

Hello all. I wanted to ask a few questions about an hiking trip i am planing to do.

at the moment i am staing at the eastern part of the Us. I am going to fly in a few days to California. and i am still wondering about where would be the best place to hike. I have about 20 days for being in that area and i prefer to concentrate on one are instead of spending time on the roads. I am now thinking of either going to the Siera Nevada mountains and do a few days trail there or the grand canyon National park and the Zion park area.

Any one have any recommendations or what i should prefer? i looking for wilderness areas and ready for few days hiking and camping out side.

I’m really not sure what to decide?

any suggestions about special equipment? Permits on the way??

I can read Hebrew but canto write it.

Thanks in advance

Yoav

Yoav

#2

The Sierras are cooler - probably still snow covered. This was an extremely snowy year. (Usually it’s gone by early July.) The Grand Canyon/Zion/Bryce is very hot - 100 degrees or more. But it is very beautiful. You need permits to hike in the Sierras and you need permits to hike in the Grand Canyon. In the Sierras you will also need to rent a bear canister to store your food. You might consider going north to Glacier, Montana or the Tetons or Yellowstone instead. You would still need to get permits, but the snow is gone, for the moment. Any national park will require a permit to camp. Some wilderness areas do - especially in California or Washington. Have you considered Colorado?

Ginny

#3

Hi. Thanks for replying. Well i allready have the ticket to California. I really want to visit the Grand canyon and hike there but i keep reading how harsh it is out there specially in the summer. Im planing on hiking with a back pack having every thing on me. Can you recomend a trail in the Sierras for aboutr 20 days perhaps in sothern California?
Also about the hiking and camping in night permits, Can i get them the same day i get to the park? I heard for some places you have to fill an aplication a few months in advance but that there is also an option to get the same day till some hour and to be ablr to get it. Any thing about it?

Thanks very much

Yoav

Yoav

#4

You can stretch the JMT into twenty days with planned resupply and side trips. I’m biased toward the Upper Kern / Colby pass areas south of Forrester pass.

If you start in Lone Pine, you can get passes at the Ranger Station. You should be able to get a Whitney walk-in, but if not, go over Cottonwood or New Army Passes.

Booger

#5

Hi. Well htanks very much on the advice. I have a few more qustions if i may: Would it rain in the south part of it during this time of the year? Should i bring a tent? How cold doest it get? and how much water should i have on me? How often are that water on the trail?

Thanks very much

Yoav

Yoav

#6

There is plenty of water - too much maybe as the snow is still melting. Some of the streams are still waist deep, though by the time you get here, that may not be the case. Normal is knee deep. There is still snow up at the passes, but not much down below 10,000’. (There are 14 passes on the JMT, all above 9,000’). There are many many mosquitoes, so bring DEET. A tent will make sleeping better because of the bugs. As to rain, you may get afternoon thunderstorms, you may not. When I did the JMT I had rain almost every day, for an hour or two. Others have very different experiences. You definitley need something, even if it’s just a tarp, for rain protection. You will need a bear canister as the bears are very bad along the JMT. Cold isn’t likely to be a problem, except up at Mt. Whitney. It’s probably in the 80’s during the day right now. The stream crossings will be cold (snowmelt), but you warm up quickly hiking.

Ginny

#7

Well thanks very very much for the advice. It seemes like ill go for it. I read hat it is difficult to get a permit to start it from its shouthern part. How about that?

Yopav

#8

When I hiked the JMT I started in the north, for several reasons. Permits were easier to get. The elevation at the passes is lower (9000’ instead of 14000) so I could get used to the elevation more gradually. There were bail out and resupply points early in the trail, so I didn’t have to carry as much food to start - my last stretch was 10 days of food, which was heavy! If you head north, you have to start out carrying enough food to get you to Vermillion Valley Resort or Muir Trail Ranch where you can have a maildrop. Otherwise it’s a long walk out to a road where you can hitch to town.

If you just want to hike for a few days, as you started out saying, then go to Yosemite and see what permits you can get. You can do loop hikes. I think they still give out half the permits in advance and half on the spot, so if you get in line early you can pretty much go where you like. The country is quite open in many places, with many trails or off trail possibilities.

Ginny

#9

It is hot as hell here in Arizona right now - Zion is probably the same, not sure if that is a factor for you but just thought I should let you know. Some young guy just died of heat stroke at the bottom of the Grand Canyon trying to do a rim to river to rim hike 1 day hike. I’ve done that hike many times but only once in the summer and it wasn’t enjoyable at all - and this summer is one of the hottest in a while.

Having grown up in Arizona and having hiked in the Grand Canyon many times I can assure you it is a nice sight, but if I were to choose between it and the Sierra, Sierra wins hands down. I hiked the PCT through it in 03 solo - it was pretty much a religious experience. It made hiking through the Southern California and the Mojave desert in June and July seem worth it.

My advice with 20 days, DO THE JMT! You won’t regret it! You will probably need a bear canister - I didn’t use one and most PCT hikers I’ve heard of don’t use one through the JMT but do be on the safe side and to avoid hassle from rangers you should probably get one or rent one.

As far as permits go - I don’t know how hard it is to get JMT permits, but if you have trouble here is what I would do: get a PCT thru hiking permit and if any rangers stop you pretend that you are doing a large 500+ mile section of the PCT and simply started from around Whitney. Personally I never got asked for a permit in this section. But I have to agree with the last poster - most JMT hikers go South from Yosemite - if nothing else ending your hike on top of Whitney seems fitting. Also if you are hiking alone you will probably meet up with less people going north if that matters to you.

If you need more convincing see my PCT gallery with images from the Sierra:
www.pbase.com/aaron111/pct

Aaron

#10

Well thanks very very much for the info i think you convinced me… Now its jsut geting started.

All the best abd thanks again

Yoav

yoav