Camp4 in August

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Peter Haan

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
Jul 23, 2016 - 10:46am PT
There has been a lot of pressure on The Valley the last four decades. Sometimes 50,000 or more visitors arrive in a single popular day; 632,000 came during last year, and they average 21,212 per day for August. Even for dirt camping, the lawful planned capacity of the camp is usually far exceeded, especially since it has been reduced in size since the big flood decades ago.. All this distorts what should otherwise be a pleasant experience and promotes anger and disappointment.

So people have been camping “out of bounds” even back in the Fifties. From the mid Seventies, it became compulsory, basically, with the alarming crowds. Especially if you want privacy.

Since you will not have a car, you will have to store your stuff in the bear boxes located in camp or trust someone already in a campsite to haul your belongings far up in the trees beyond the forest animals. When you come down in the early morning with your stuff, clearly having slept out of bounds, there may be rangers checking you out near the marked boundaries and they may issue a ticket for illegal camping even without having located you in your non-compliant spot. And worse, theft in camp is common. It is a kind of People’s Park. So there are all sorts of people around with idle hands making your visit even less secure.

The Warbler offers perfect advice as usual; just understand there are complicating issues to any sleeping plan nowadays. The rangers have been at this for fifty years and are proficient at it. So there are important details and schemes required.

You will have enough time to visit the Valley. Your visit will be awkward unless you are able to join forces with friendly people at a paid site and assume compliance. So long as there are not too many (six?). The rules are posted at the kiosk and online.

The bears are all over this area, especially at night but sometimes in the day too; they have been at it for more than half a century like the rangers. They have dens located all over, especially below nearby Ribbon Falls, which is very handy for them. They used to be fed garbage by the Rangers as a daily tourist event (see old Youtube videos) and now they still expect food from humans all the time and do acquire it very often. People commonly have food in their cars, even though the rangers go around in the early evening ticketing cars that clearly have edibles. The damage bears can do to a vehicle is really awesome by the way. But generally these brown bears are harmless and somewhat used to people. It’s about damage not danger. They are not Grizzlies who are larger, usually much more unpredictable and have killed and eaten people for centuries up in the Upper Plains (Montana, Wyoming, Idaho etc).

Yosemite is one of our spectacular, most popular national parks and law enforcement has become over the years a larger and larger issue. Instead of greeting you with open arms like a park should, it is more like an urban environment with modern inconveniences and risk every which way you look and a harassed authority trying to make it through the busy times.
the Fet

climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
Jul 23, 2016 - 12:31pm PT
Bandit camping is not a good idea for a first time visitor. Worrying if you are going to get busted is not conducive to a good night's sleep.

For a first time visitor do the very short hikes to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil falls. They are crowded but very quick, and it's awesome to get misted at the base of a huge waterfall, I guess if the falls are still going when you get there.

Also do the short hike to the base of El Cap. Awesome to be staring straight up at a 3000 foot wall. This used to be a quiet hike with only climbers, but now there LOTS of tourists going up there too.

For a long hike go up as far as you can past vernal falls and nevada falls, as mentioned if you get a permit to summit half dome even better. The other big well known hikes (top of Yosemite Falls, 4 mile trail to Glacier Point) don't have much water or are in direct sun too much.
johntp

Trad climber
socal
Jul 23, 2016 - 06:25pm PT
so I end up in a drunken stumble searching around in the dark until I find some crappy cubby hole in the boulder field

How many of us have done that. Funny memories which somehow I survived.

Agree that going rouge is not necessarily a good idea for a first timer. You should be able to find someone that will share their campsite.

edit: just be careful about getting your gear stolen.
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
Jul 23, 2016 - 06:52pm PT
Rereading your OP, you have less than a week to spend in the Valley with your business meeting being first on the list.

The limit for a stay in a campground is seven days in each year (gee, thanks, Smokey the Ranger).

If you can't get in the walk-in registration line early enough to get a space, you may have to resort to a "bandit camp" as we call it.

The trick seems to be to get to the head of the line first or as close as you can come. This has been a system used in the California State Parks for many decades, as some are way more popular than others.

As a family of campers, we had to resort to "squatting" for a night at Carpinteria Beach SP (Santa Barbara) in the fifties. And that CG is huge.

Are you renting a car to come to the Valley? It's far easier managing things from a car, rather than taking a bus in and relying on your feet.

Climbers often have more to carry travelling than the normal camper.

So, putting aside your fear of sleeping out alone, if you have a car, you have the option of driving out of the Park to El Portal and finding a place to pull over safely and sleep in the car. It works for Alex. Make it work for you. Wake up early, drive to the parking lot and get in line. Think of it as an alpine start.

Good luck and safe journey.
bvb

Social climber
flagstaff arizona
Jul 23, 2016 - 07:44pm PT
Just stay at the Awhannee. It's spendy, but cush.
johntp

Trad climber
socal
Jul 24, 2016 - 08:45am PT
Just stay at the Awhannee. It's spendy, but cush.

Stayed there a few times; definitely spendy, but my guess is it is booked thru the summer. Majestic.

edit: also, it appears she will be carless and being dropped off by a friend. complicates things a bit. maybe something can be found in camp curry/half dome village?
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