Backpacking Yosemite: The High Sierra Camp Loop

[@robertkeller5930]

I used to run from Toulumne Meadows to Vogelsang, usually through snow and seeing stars as I was almost passing out. Lived in a tent cabin behind the park service cabin at the entrance to Toulumne Meadows campground, 1981 and 1982. We had a problem bear with cubs that we treed behind the visitor center, where we also had tent cabins for NPS Maintenance. We built a huge fire around the tree and partied past midnight. In the morning the sow and cubs were gone and they never bothered us again. Had a large male bear causing problems at Hetch Hetchy and it was live trapped out. It returned and at the NPS Maintenance camp between Strawberry and Hetch Hetchy, that bear only tore up the tent cabin of the animal trapper, not touching the other tent cabins.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Wow! Great stories Robert! Thanks for sharing them. That must have been quite the run up to Vogelsang and back, very cool!

[@marriedmountaineers]

Wonderful video. Enjoyed watching it. Thanks for sharing your adventures!

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks Married Mountaineers! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@teddyhcuts]

i absolutely love the stats in the corner! no one else does this! so informative! i was in yosemite this week in 2023 as well. went up to young lakes. it was lovely after hilary. that was all so crazy

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks! I put those stats in as I always wonder about that when I watch others videos. Glad you found it useful! Yea, glad we delayed a few days to let the storm pass by. We heard from some folks that it was pretty miserable when the storm passed through.

[@leecorleone]

this video is the most gorgeous footage from a resolution perspective i have ever seen on any of these hiking videos. amazing work.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thank you so much Michael! Really appreciate that!

[@adlhikes3159]

Yosemite. What a gem. Best side trip for me (so far) was during my PCT thru hike when I went from Tuolumne Meadows over Clouds Rest via Cathedral Lakes trail. Camped at stream. Next morning summited Half Dome before continuing to the valley floor. After some internet & ice cream, took the shuttle back up to Tuolumne Meadows to continue on the PCT NB. Permit was an easy walk up at the Wilderness shack at Tuolumne Meadows. 😎

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

That sounds like a perfect side trip!

[@berthasilverie600]

Work up there. Pack mules with supplies and food. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing sharing

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks!

[@bronco_billy]

You really captured the spirit of that territory; the trail, the light, the clouds, the mountains and the trees! Great work!

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks @bronco_billy!

[@danpayan9468]

How beautiful is that I hiked that back in 1977 one of the best memories of my life🌲🏞️

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Very cool. Were the High Sierra Camps active then?

[@danpayan9468]

Yes back then it was hippies but they were cool 😎

[@danpayan9468]

It was the spring before the plane crash loaded with bailes of weed

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Lol!

[@danpayan9468]

​@RickandAndreaGetOutside it was so long ago. I don't remember we were in a group of 14 two high school teachers 12 students most memorable hike I've been on

[@briansimpkins985]

This was a great video.. this is absolutely a must next spring or summer.. i didn’t know the sierra camp loop was such an incredible hike but it is Yosemite and the sierras :) I have hiked to clouds rest and camped on top years ago and that climb to the junction from tenaya lake/sunrise trail is a pretty good workout lol …amazing scenery informational without too much talking and just a great glimpse of a great 5 days, thank you never seen a video of this loop so it’s def on the list for next summer when I spend a few weeks to a month in Yosemite next year .. all the best to u 2

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks! We hope to backpack in Yosemite next summer also, eyeing the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne.

[@briansimpkins985]

@@RickandAndreaGetOutside that would be a great one as well

[@trishlarrysnyder1008]

Hey guys.. that High Sierra Camp Loop, looks amazing. I would love to do that trip. the views are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks Trish and Larry! You guys would love it, you will see some of this when you do the JMT.

[@trishlarrysnyder1008]

@@RickandAndreaGetOutside we did notice some of the terrain from your video of the J M T.

[@user-cw1nq1bv2l]

Thank you from oceanside !!

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks Karen!

[@LoLife.Outdoors]

Great video. Definitely putting this trail loop on my list for the near future.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks! This is definitely a great Yosemite high country loop!

[@spy818]

Another good KZbin from you. Just found out you, watched many other KZbin, really like your way of hiking, backpacking.... and the videos are great.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thank you!

[@ehrankhan8581]

I've been researching this loop and I must say this video has been the best resource I've found so far. If you have any other resources you used to plan this trip would you mind sharing? Also, I had a couple of other questions for you. It seems like the restrooms were open at the camps even though the camps themselves were closed. Was that the case? I can't imagine there was any running water at the camps though, correct? How were the bugs? I only noticed a small part of the video where you had bug nets on. Can I take that to mean they weren't too dense in late August?

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Hi @ehrankhan8581, I did find information about the loop in the Wilderness Press publication "Your Complete Hiking Guide: Yosemite National Park" by Wenk & Schaffer very helpful in planning this trip (see trip 43). The restrooms were open at Glen Aulin and May Lake however they were closed at Sunrise, Merced and Vogelsang. No running water, we filled up from creeks or lakes, always careful to filter. Bugs were not too bad, but there was a fair bit of mosquito activity at May Lake and Merced Lake. Minimal bug activity at Glen Aulin and Vogelsang. If you have the time, suggest you stop at Sunrise Campground, great spot. That 18-mile day from May to Merced was long and tiring. IM me through Instagram, @rsarpolus, we can exchange emails, I can forward GPS tracks, map, permit information etc. Glad you found our video helpful!

[@richbrindley8944]

Andrea & Rick, Greetings from Fla. I wanted to Thank You for all the extra work putting this video together ❤️. It was beautiful. OMG The Views!!!

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks Rich! Yes, the views are amazing!

[@chili1593]

Great video. Been going to Yosemite all my life and took my daughter hiking to May Lake a couple of years ago.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks! May lake is awesome.

[@SandraMessier-qb1ug]

Spectacular scenery & adventure! Great fun to see your path overlap some of my Tioga Pass day hikes. I just discovered you - thank you Marmalade.😉 Merci for sharing your journey.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks!

[@HuckOutdoors]

That looks like a great loop. I need to put it on my list.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Hi Jason - yea, I think this one is right up your alley.

[@donniereiter3646]

Your guys video is amazing of Yosemite high country

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thank you!

[@esthershankula6760]

Hi Andrea & Rick, Wow, what an amazing trip. Such spectacular beauty. Thank you so much for sharing with us. Oh how I would love to do this backpacking trip. The mountains are calling my name (I love Yosemite!). I'm trying to recover from some knee issues. I'm hoping to backpack the CHRT in Joshua Tree this Thanksgiving break with several girlfriends. This will be a test. I would love to get more information from you on how you planned this trip. You'll probably be hearing from me again😊. Thank you again! I also live in San Diego County. Maybe we'll run into each other one day on the hiking trails.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks, indeed it was an amazing trip! Please feel free to reach out to us if you have questions about planning a trip on the High Sierra Loop. Have fun on the CHRT and hopefully we will run into you someday!

[@TheWanderingWulfs]

Great video! We love hiking channels like this. We're hoping to get to Yosemite ourselves in the next few years! ❤ Beautiful place!

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thank you! We feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to hike in Yosemite. A magical place. Andrea and I hope to backpack in Yosemite again next year.

[@TheWanderingWulfs]

@RickandAndreaGetOutside We live way up in South Dakota, so it would be about a 21-hour drive for us. Lol. We'll get there someday! 😊

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

@@TheWanderingWulfs oh yea, long trip for you guys!

[@GRANDMAONTHEGO]

New Subscriber here! Thank you for sharing this amazing video. As one who loves to hike & travel, I love watching videos like this ❤

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks Grandma on the Go!

[@GRANDMAONTHEGO]

@@RickandAndreaGetOutside you’re welcome 🥰

[@ruudenriannevanderstar6483]

What a gorgeous trip did you guys make! An inspiration for us to do next summer. I have 2 questions… maybe you can answer them. First: the permit. Was it difficult to get one for this area? Second what is the brand of your tent? It looks very lightweight…

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

@@ruudenriannevanderstar6483 Hi! Our tent is the Zpacks Triplex and it is indeed very light, about 2 pounds. Permit was not too difficult to get, it is a lottery system, we applied months in advance and were able to get the date we wanted. Thanks for watching!

[@ricardog.martinez2685]

What a remarkable trip and scenery that you captured! I was wondering if you could tell me what type of hiking shoes you use and bear canister? Your shoes appear to be lightweight , almost like sneakers. Many thanks for sharing.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Hi Ricardo. I wear trail runners. Lone Peak Altras. Very comfortable, popular with PCT thruhikers. Our bear canister is the Bearicade from Wild Ideas. Carbon fiber and aluminum, light weight but on the pricey side. Glad you liked the video!

[@skysurfer5cva]

Awesome hike and awesome video. I have day hiked to Glen Aulin five times. My favorite lunch stop is at the base of the cascade that is about 500 feet downstream of the High Sierra Camp. Did you check it out?

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thank you! I'm not sure we went to the spot you are referring to. I guess your not talking about the spot we checked out at 9:03 in the video. We did not hike past the bridge over the Tuolumne River to checkout the next cascade. We are planning to hike the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne from White Wolf to Glen Aulin this summer so we will check out all the other falls in the canyon then.

[@skysurfer5cva]

@@RickandAndreaGetOutside Not the same spot. When you cross the Tuolumne River from the south side to the north side below White Cascade to head to the Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp, there is a trail that branches left that continues downstream (west) along the Tuolumne River all the way to Hetch Hetchy. Hiking about 500 feet downstream of the trail junction brings you the base of a really nice cascade (estimated distance is as the crow flies, I don't know the trail distance). The cascade is probably about 50 feet tall, more than 100 feet wide at the base. and slopes down at about a 30-degree angle. Next time you hike to Glen Aulin, I suggest you take a peek.

[@bethsilva5003]

Hi Rick and Andrea Your videos are great! Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. What is the process to obtain the permit to do this loop? Hugs from Brazil

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Hi Beth in Brazil! Thank you! For this hike we obtained a permit from the Recreation.gov website for the Glen Aulin Trailhead (be sure to select the Glen Aulin permit NOT the Glen Aulin Pass-thru). This permit is given via a lottery, but we were able to get our permit on the first try.

[@WOWMW]

This is awesome man! I'm 13 years old and going on a 10 day backpacking trip to Yosemite soon with a camp, I hope that I will be doing this stuff for the rest of my life, by the way, any tips on backpacking? It would help alot

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks! For backpacking I suggest that you get the lightest gear you can afford. We've been slowly upgrading our gear over the years, swapping out older, heavier gear for lighter gear. Also, we've just taken less stuff than we used too. Every time we come back from a backpacking trip, we review what we did and didn't use, usually we brought too much stuff and can lighten the load next time. Good luck!

[@skpjoecoursegold366]

subscribed, now on my bucker list, thanks.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Awesome, thank you! Definitely a bucket list hike.

[@FitGrandpa]

Are there any good trails out of Yosemite that are 10-15 miles with minimal elevation gains? I want to take my wife who has never been backpacking, and not well conditioned for a tough hike. Thank you for the video! We really enjoyed it!

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Hi! Glad you enjoyed our video. As you saw, there isn't a lot of flat trails in Yosemite. That said, the hike out of Tuolumne Meadows down Lyell Canyon is not too steep, rising slowly until it gets to the base of Donohue Pass. The hike to Sunrise camp on the JMT from Tuolumne isn't too bad either.

[@carloszenteno]

Great video, thanks. What time of the year did you guys were there?

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks! We hiked in late August.

[@JoseHernandez-jh7ht]

I like you two...I'm 71 looking to get back into backpacking I've looking at mystery ranch, kelty (which I had) osprey, etc what gear are you using looks beefy for the job

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks Jose! I use an Osprey Exos 58L backpack. We have a Z-packs Triplex tent, super light and we sleep on Exped air mattresses. We have a Jet Boil for cooking. We both have REI down sleeping bags. Everything works well. Let us know if you have any additional questions.

[@juergenwoehl]

Oh we just missed you. We did the JMT from Aug 2nd to Aug 20th

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Oh very nice! Did you go Nobo of Sobo?

[@juergenwoehl]

SoBo, started at Happy Isles and ended at Mt Whitney, took the detour over Pajute/Bishop and Bishop Pass

[@GLDNTRT]

Rae Lakes and High Sierra have to be the best two loops in CA.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

For sure, we've been through the Rae Lakes area while doing the JMT, beautiful. We had a permit to hike the Rae Lake Loop this summer from the west side but with the road closed our permit was canceled. Hopefully next year.

[@GLDNTRT]

@@RickandAndreaGetOutside if you do make it it’s worth taking an extra day to visit East Lake and Reflection Lake on the south side of the loop.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

@@GLDNTRT will do!

[@juergenwoehl]

Hi Rick and Andrea, you make the best hiking videos! Thank you for sharing…what month did you go?

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks Juergen! We went in August, 22 - 26.

[@fideonet]

Beautiful video, we will try to visit this year, quick question: the Glen Aulin permit was sufficient for the whole loop?

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks! Yes, Glen Aulin permit was sufficient for the loop. Be sure to get the Glen Aulin Permit (You will be required to stay at Glen Aulin the first night.) NOT the Glen Aulin Pass Thru Permit, that one won't let you head to May Lake. Enjoy!

[@fideonet]

@@RickandAndreaGetOutside Thank you very much, I really appreciate your response! 🥰

[@waynec96]

we just did the hike to LYV and might to this loop next summer, assuming need to enter the lottery for next year right? if so what entry and exit points to you guys enter? where did you actually pick up your permit after winning the lottery and did you stay a backpackers camp before starting the loop hike? Sorry for all these questions but just trying to plan ahead. thanks and keep the videos coming, they are really fun to watch

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Hi Wayne - yes, we got a lottery permit - entry and exit was the Glen Aulin TH (22A on the Yosemite Map of Trailheads). Do not select the Glen Aulin Pass Thru TH). We did not stay at the backpacker's campground as we spent the night in one of the valley lodges before we started hiking. We drove in through the south entrance to the park, so we stopped at the Wawona Wilderness Permit Station to pickup our permit. Thanks for watching our videos!

[@waynec96]

@@RickandAndreaGetOutside thanks for the prompt reply and actually we picked up our permit at Wawona too, will continue to do my research and if other questions comes, hope it won't be too bothersome to you guys.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

No worries @waynec96 - feel free to reach out.

[@robbrandtBSA]

Were the vault toilets open at all the HSCs?

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

They were only open at Glen Aulin and May Lake. Closed at the others.

[@jyc313]

Beautiful video! Random question, I was planning a similar route for early Fall, and on the reservation site it states if you have the Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon permit you cannot camp at the Glen Aulin campground. Which permit did u both obtain? thanks!

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Thanks @jyc313! The permit you need is the Glen Aulin trailhead (listed as 22A on the Yosemite NP Trailhead Map). That is separate from the Glen Aulin > Coldwater Cyn pass thru permit (22B). Hope this helps!

[@jyc313]

@@RickandAndreaGetOutside ah amazing! Thanks for the quick reply :). I wasn’t sure myself since I couldn’t tell if I’m allowed to go beyond Glen Aulin with the Glen Aulin permit vs the Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon one. Cheers!

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

@@jyc313 yes. You have to spend the first night at Glen Aulin but after that you can continue.

[@samuelmitchell3531]

great video .. what tent are yal using

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Hi Samuel, thanks! We are using a Z-Packs Triplex, really like it, very lightweight but roomy.

[@samuelmitchell3531]

@@RickandAndreaGetOutside may I ask what are you using to make the tent elevated? I just looked it up and z packs video its on the ground. I like the idea of elevating it to keep the cold off. also thanks for replying🤠

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

@@samuelmitchell3531 its actually not really off the ground. It looks like it is when there isn't any stuff in it. Once our sleeping bags and pads are in the tent the tent floor is on the ground. Thanks for the question.

[@dcalcano]

What date was your trip. Trying to figure out the expected weather for a future trip.

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Hi David - our hike was in late August.

[@dcalcano]

@@RickandAndreaGetOutside Any thought regarding a possible date end of may for these loop?

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

@dcalcano late May is probably not a good option. Depending on how snowy the winter was, Tioga road may not be open. Sometimes it does not open till late June, early July. Early in the season you may encounter snow on the trail and difficult water crossings. Suggest you plan on a late June/early July trip at the earliest just to be safe.

[@jtpromolab]

Wonderfully done! Was this hiked in September?

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Hi Jeremy, thanks! We did the hike in late August, the 22nd through the 26th.

[@karenashford284]

Hi, hope I can do this someday! Can you mention what time of year you were out there? thanks much...

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Hi Karen, we did this hike August 22 - 26 last year. Definitely a great backpacking trip!

[@karenashford284]

@@RickandAndreaGetOutside

[@karenashford284]

@@RickandAndreaGetOutside Thanks SO much for your quick replay. This year the only permit I could get was to Sabrina and Hungry Packer on Sept.10th. Hope so much to make it to Blue Heavens Lakes as I am now 75. So counting down on my backpacking trips. I very much enjoyed your mentioning of the mileage and altitude as you hiked along. Have a wonderful summer and fall. Karen

[@aoifeosullivan1992]

Hi can I ask what time of year did you visit yosemite and temperature rating sleeping bag would you reccomend ?

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

Hi Aoife - we went in late August of last year. We have 15 deg bags, we were plenty warm at night.

[@aoifeosullivan1992]

@RickandAndreaGetOutside thank you for that! Sorry is that farenheit or Celsius?

[@RickandAndreaGetOutside]

@aoifeosullivan1992 Fahrenheit