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Posted by Bill S on November 29, 2007 at 8:34:52 pm EST
In reply to Tuolumne hikes with kids posted by pfinjt on November 29, 2007 at 1:52:20 pm EST

Tom said

Quote:

Yosemite gets really crowded in Summer; if you are staying overnight, be sure to book in advance.

What he left out is that Tuolumne campground, like all Yosemite campgrounds, gets fully reserved within 24 hours of the reservations opening up (about 6 months in advance for most of the campgrounds). You can also try for the USFS campsites east of the Tioga Pass entrance on the Tioga Road that comes up from Lee Vining. There are a large number of these right on the Tioga road, starting from about 1 mile up from the turnoff in Lee Vining, plus one at Saddlebag Lake and a walk-in at Sawmill on the Saddlebag road (turns off just below the Tioga Resort).

Kids usually like the Waterwheel Falls hike (Barb was first taken there when she was about 3 and her brother about 5, though it is a bit of a hike for that age, while I was about 8 and my sister about 5 on our first visit there). There are lots of things to see along the way if they want to turn back part way. The Muir Trail section up Lyell Canyon (that is, heading south from The Meadows) is really nice, and kid-friendly in that there is a really nice stream right from the start (go as far as they will tolerate, considering they have to return). At Saddlebag Lake (outside the park, you can take a boat across the lake, then walk around some of the dozen or so lakes on nice trails. Kids seem to enjoy the boat ride, though maybe too eager to ride the boat back, so you might find them asking for "wanna ride the boat" before you have gone 100 yards. You can start up the Mt Dana trail for, say, 1/2 mile, and enjoy the little tarns. You often see deer in this area. At the east end of The Meadows, you can take a short walk from the road (lots of wide spots to park) and walk over to the low angle slabs. Kids love to scramble on these, and you can pick one low enough angle to feel comfortable with letting them loose for a couple minutes. And if you are really lucky, you can catch a talk by a Real Climber who will explain about rock climbing and let the kids handle some Real Climbing Gear (if you haven't guessed, I am one of the Real Climbers who give the talks - I do one or two each summer, along with others - these are usually on Saturdays and Sundays at Lembert Dome, just across the river from the Tuolumne campground.

The really great thing about the Meadows is that you can set off on almost any trail (there are several signed Nature Trails, too), go as far as you, er, I mean, the kids want, and take lots of time. It's all gorgeous, and a lot less crowded than The Valley (still crowded, though).

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