My friends and I are looking at doing the Yosemite portion of the PCT and we can’t seem to find the distance of this part of the trail. We will continue to look, but if anyone knows, please drop me a line or something. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Nate
Nate
Nate, check some of the Trail Journals on this site. There’s a ton of useful info there, including mileage posted by quite a few folks. You can also Google PCT and find descriptions, maps, distances, etc. Lots of good info there. I don’t have my PCT book handy (purchased 25 years ago!), but it, too, had specific distances and gain / loss stats included. Maybe I’ll see you in Lyell Canyon next summer!
4wheelbob
according to the falcon guide for yosemite, the total distance of the PCT in the park is 79.4 miles from donohue pass to dorothy lake pass. there is no trailhead at either end. the only road crossing w/in the park is at tuolumne meadows.
coming from the south i would get on at reds meadow which is about 20 miles south of donohue pass. that way you can take in thousand island and garnet lakes and banner and ritter peaks. other trail heads to consider would be at silver lake about 13 miles south or agnew meadows about 17 miles south. i would come in at reds meadow also because you could leave your car in mammoth lakes, where you can also pick your permit up from, and take the bus to reds.
there are several trailhead options on highway 108, one of them being sonora pass, where the PCT crosses about 18 miles north of dorothy lake pass. there are some other trailhead of 108 that connect with the PCT, but since you want to hike the PCT i would just end at sonora pass. you should have no problem hitching back to mammoth lakes from here.
the nat’l geographic trails illustrated yosemite map has the PCT north to sonora pass. as far as maps south of donohue pass, i have the tom harrison JMT map set.
have fun.
jerm
You’ll probably need to cover a bit more ground than just Yosemite due to trailheads. But, also, the section just north of Yosemite is, in my opinion, one of the greatest. Maybe even better than the southern Sierra. You can easily get to Mammoth Lakes as there is a CREST bus system running up and down 395 (fly into Reno or Ridgecrest). Take shuttle bus (like $7) into Reds Meadow and hike into Yosemite from there (adding 30ish miles). By doing this, you also pick up the Thousand Island Lake/Mount Ritter/Banner Peak area which is just to die for. After Yosemite, continue on the PCT through the Kennedy Meadow (no, not the one in the south) area and on to Sonora Pass. You can hitch back down to 395 and pick up a CREST bus. Or, if time does not allow, hitch from Tuolumne down to Lee Vining (easy, easy hitch) and pick up the CREST from there.
Suge
Does anybody have an idea for a good round trip hike in the yosemite area upwards of 75 miles?
Nate
Oh yes Nate baby, you have come to the right place
Start at Happy Trails, check out the Johm Muir tribute so you are in the right frame of mind,
go up the mist trail to Little Yosemite Valley. Yes, it is crowded but all these people are enjoying nature and they probaly vote and write their congressman about mantaining trails, so be friendly…camp around here and summit Half Dome in the morning…
drop back down and go up Cathedral peak, now you are looking at some of the finest views in Yosemite…camp here or swing east and camp in Lyel canyon
Go through Toullami meadows, check out Soda Springs, head north on the PCT. Continue until you go through
4.Matterhorn Canyon, camp up the valley, (no one goes there and the fish leap unto your bait)…Work your way west to Hetch Hetch but definitely come back down Yosemite Falls Trail or the climbers chute for El Capitan.
Good Luck, tell me when you are going, I will go with, Can I bring my fiddle? I am always up for a Yosemite trip.
Evil Goat