36
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Why would you climb hard bigwall projects in Yosemite in winter?
I just finished Caldwell's book Push. The big walls in Yosemite are essentially vertical deserts. Even in winter they're in the full sun much of the day. It would drop below freezing at night, but ...
- 2,902
22
votes
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Is the Park Service continuing its case to re-rename Yosemite Park's historic landmarks?
The name change is going ahead, at least for now
The Ahwahnee Hotel and other Yosemite National Park landmarks soon will be renamed amid a legal dispute between the government and the facilities' ...
- 68.8k
19
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Why is (almost) no one climbing hard routes on Half Dome?
Reading the comments and discussing with other users helped me get a much better idea of the possible causes why we hear of so many hard (sometimes free) ascents on El Capitan and almost none on Half ...
- 907
18
votes
If the Dawn Wall had been climbed before, why was the 2015 attempt so difficult?
Liam's answer is spot-on, but I would like to add some details.
"Dawn wall" is actually not the name of a route, but of a portion of the south-east face of El Capitan, which you can see in the figure ...
- 907
13
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Yosemite Fire Rings - What to Expect?
May Lake is lovely. Hoffman is a great peak to bag while you're there.
As I recall, the camping at May Lake is quite well developed and you should find bear boxes and legal metal fire rings there.
...
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10
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Yosemite in late March a good idea?
Check out the website http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildcond.htm
As of March 3, 2016, the website said this about General Conditions under the heading Wilderness Conditions
Be prepared ...
- 22.2k
10
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What is this metal plate at the top of Mount Hoffman?
That is half of an old summit registry box. That one is missing the top and might not be the exact style but the full ones look like this.
Source
You can see more pictures of them here and a history ...
- 68.8k
7
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How hard is the East Buttress route on El Capitan
First, the difficulty of a V1 is not consistent everywhere, especially for climbers with limited experience. A V1 crack is a very different animal from a V1 slab. Yosemite climbs and boulder problems, ...
- 10.5k
7
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Yosemite Fire Rings - What to Expect?
You know one when you see one when it comes to "established fire-rings", but Generally:
Complies with the objective rules.
Has been used for multiple seasons, with evidence of a deep bed of soot ...
- 1,323
6
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Hiking half dome - What are the most efficient logistics for getting a campsite in little Yosemite?
When I wanted to hike Half Dome, it was too late to apply to the lottery you mentioned. Therefore, upon arriving in California in September, I tried to get a last minute "daily" permit through the ...
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6
votes
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Scat Identification on Upper Yosemite Falls Trail
Based on Olin Lathrop's suggestion, I searched around for coyote scat and found this resource:
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf/Identification
It points out that dog scat ...
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6
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Yosemite Fire Rings - What to Expect?
They will be a ring of rocks around an area with ashes that has clearly been used for fires before. You can see examples of illegal ones here. Legal ones would look the same, just be already existing ...
- 68.8k
6
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Yosemite Fire Rings - What to Expect?
Actually, I don't remember many fire rings at May Lake, but we always camped well above the Lake. It is the site of a High Sierra Camp, and there is thus an incentive to keep it "clean". Camping ...
- 22.2k
5
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Do I need protective measures against wild animals in Yosemite National Park?
You are not allowed bear spray in Yosemite. It is also illegal to discharge a firearm for any reason, but you are allowed to transport your gun through the park (assuming you legally own it).
...
- 2,477
5
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Why would you climb hard bigwall projects in Yosemite in winter?
I was there in early January. While the valley was below freezing, upon the first 50 feet climb in elevation after sunrise, the air temperature was very agreeable (50+ °F/10+ °C) with lots of ...
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5
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Planning where to stop and camp in advance
Based on decades of camping in the Yosemite backcountry, I can promise you that there is never a real problem finding an acceptable place to camp when backpacking. Of course, you can't be ultra-picky ...
- 22.2k
5
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Camping in Yosemite in March
March in Yosemite is considered winter, so you need to be prepared for cold temperatures and for snow. A sunny but cold day in the snow can be gorgeous and fun, but you have to also be prepared, so if ...
- 2,902
5
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Are these prints in snow of a bobcat or cougar?
Based on your estimation of size, they're definitely cougar. Bobcat tracks should be half (or less) that size.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has a nice track comparison page 9with ...
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4
votes
Planning where to stop and camp in advance
It's going to depend on you, the terrain and how long it takes to set up camp. If you can set up in the dark and don't need a lot of perfectly flat terrain then you can definitely
keep walking until ...
- 68.8k
4
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Details on closure of Rte 120 into Yosemite? (Not normal snow closure.)
A dormant spring started up again due to the winter's snow and rain underneath the road and loosened up the underlying soil to the point that the road slid downhill.
An underground seasonal spring ...
- 68.8k
3
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First timer-family going to Yosemite - do we need permits to camp and hike?
@WeatherVane has already posted the permit link in a comment. Get your permits ASAP since you are at the 24 week window about now. They go fast - looks like Happy Isles TH is full through the current ...
- 2,002
3
votes
Tioga Pass (Yosemite) Day Use Opening Timeline
If you look at the historical data the latest in the year that's its opened is July 1st, and in 2017 which was a very similar year for amount of snow it opened June 29th. That year the road was left ...
- 68.8k
3
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Camping in Yosemite in March
I have never been to yosemite so I cannot answer about this part based on experience. There is however a question about backpacking in april which suggests that there will be still a lot of snow in ...
- 6,105
2
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Why is (almost) no one climbing hard routes on Half Dome?
Well, this article in National Geographic provides a clue - a number of key areas on the face have become unstable, and a large rockfall has destroyed a section of the Normal Northwest Face.
Doesn't ...
- 11.6k
2
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Details on closure of Rte 120 into Yosemite? (Not normal snow closure.)
Update: Route 120 into Yosemite Valley opened on May 1, 2017. The road crews were still putting finishing touches on the area of the collapse a week later, with short delays.
Delays at the el ...
2
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Tioga Pass (Yosemite) Day Use Opening Timeline
The NPS announced that the road will open unrestricted on July 1st (conditions permitting).
- 2,477
2
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How hard is the East Buttress route on El Capitan
Climbing technique wise, I am certain you are fine or need minor brushing up , most folks who get to a certain level of climbing and can boulder honest V5 would have enough in their tool belt and ...
- 1,323
2
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First timer-family going to Yosemite - do we need permits to camp and hike?
You can backpack from the valley (up the Mist Trail, or the John Muir Trail) to a Half Dome (HD) "base camp" area called Little Yosemite Valley (LYV), where you would bivouac in a site overnight then ...
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2
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Camping in Yosemite in March
If you are just planning to visit the valley and are not an experienced cold weather camper, I would recommend looking at staying at Curry Village (temporarily renamed Half Dome Village) instead. They ...
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