Thanks for sharing your experience, Eric, and good to hear from you again. I’d say that checks out with my past experience in many popular parks—I expect to see more people in July and August than in September, despite the reality that September is often much nicer, especially in Yosemite and the High Sierra in terms of more moderate temperatures (summer afternoons are hot in the High Sierra) and many fewer mosquitoes and people.

I agree about the Ten Lakes Basin and I strongly recommend you backpack the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River, it will really blow you away. See my story about hiking through there on a bigger loop through northern Yosemite, the park’s biggest block of wilderness.

Keep in touch!

But the Ten Lakes portion was completely new to me. Wow! It felt like I had that entire basin to myself. And with incredible vistas of parts of northern Yosemite that I’ve never seen. Exploring the Tuolumne river might be next on the list.

Thanks for these reports. They always nudge me to get out there

Hi Kristen,

The detailed tips and information at the bottom of this story include itinerary details like the starting and finishing trailheads for this route and that portion of the story (the entire story, actually) is available to readers with a paid subscription to The Big Outside. You’ll find that in all of my stories about trips like that one.

Thanks for asking.

Hi James,

Thanks for writing. Yes, it’s the time of year to get a Yosemite backpacking permit for a trip this summer. The request you’ve made is exactly the service I provide through my Custom Trip Planning.

If you prefer planning yourself, check out my e-guide “The Best First Backpacking Trip in Yosemite” and my story “The 10 Best Backpacking Trips in Yosemite.”

Good luck to you.

Hi Steve,

Thanks. Yes, this trip could be a little overwhelming for many beginner backpackers but if you’re reasonably fit, you could certainly do this trip with competent trip planners and leaders. I don’t know any guide services operating in Yosemite to recommend but you’ll find at least several on the Internet when you search on “guided treks in Yosemite.” If I can give you one piece of advice, ask any guide all the questions you can think of asking and make sure you’re signing up for the kind of trip that you’ll enjoy.

Good luck.

Thanks, Ellen. No, sorry, I don’t have a downloadable map of the route but you can see it on any trail map by reading the itinerary in this story. Good luck and have a great hike.

(Note to other readers: My planning tips and details about this trip are an exclusive benefit of subscribers to The Big Outside, who get full access to all of my blog’s stories.)

Thank you for sharing. I read your itinerary and am planning on doing this hike in August. I can’t wait. Do you have a downloadable trail map to follow via AllTrials or another service? Thanks again!

Thanks very much, James, and I would only strongly encourage you to make your visit to Yosemite happen. Good luck.

Your trip reports evoke an indescribable feeling of wanting to visit Yosemite and all its wonders. Australia has its great walks, but nothing compared to the ones in the US. It won’t happen this year, but I’ll be out there one day – backpacking with your e-guides in hand.

Best,
James

Thanks, Paul. We started at the May Lake to Snow Creek Trailhead but this trip is possible from a variety of trailheads on Tioga Road. With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can see our day-to-day itinerary in the trip-planning section at the bottom of this story. See my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can help you plan your trip.

Good luck with it!

Enjoy all of your blogs. They have been a tremendous help.

Thanks for the comment, Mark. I’m sure you must have gotten to know Yosemite very well.

That’s an awesome traverse of the North Rim, Eric. Happy trails to you as well. And thanks for subscribing to The Big Outside!

Thanks for sharing that story, Brian. Watching the sunset and night sky from North Dome or Indian Ridge is wonderful.