Hi all. I have a question that I am sure I could find the answer to but I seem to be striking out on the net.

Starting at Happy Isles for our thru hike, our plan is to skip Half Dome and instead take the Clouds Rest junction and head up to CR. My question is this. Do we do the 12-14 mile up and back and continue on the JMT from the junction? Or can we continue on the CR trail and eventually meet back with the JMT farther up trail?

If you can, is one route shorter or longer? Does anyone have a recommendation on how to proceed with side tripping to Clouds Rest?

Thanks for all tips and suggestion!

Kris

On my map it is only 3.2 miles from the junction of JMT up to the top of Clouds Rest.

Top of Half Dome is even shorter at only 2 miles from the JMT junction, but then of course you have to deal with the crowds, lines and craziness at the cables.

So doing Clouds Rest instead of Half Dome adds a couple of miles to your route but its no biggie. Just hike up, enjoy the view, hike back down and continue on the JMT.

Kris, You can do the Clouds Rest trail detour and meet back up with the JMT at Sunrise. It adds about 3 miles to the total of your JMT hike. As long as your not a JMT 'purist' the CR route is much more scenic then the JMT portion you will be missing out on. I don't have my maps in front of me now, so I might be off a bit on the additional mileage, but not by much.

Kris,

Here's the link to the YNP Wilderness TH map. Not for navigation but you can see the 2 trails linking CR back to the JMT:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=292137

Thanks guys! I am far from a purist. I am all about the most enjoyment in my limited time away from home and work.

Edited by Tuskadero on 06/23/2011 20:45:35 MDT.

I did the CR detour on my JMT hike last summer and definitely would recommend it. The views from the top our outstanding. However, it does make for two high elevation-gain days in a row at the start of the trip, where you are least acclimated and out of shape. But it is worth it and the camping at Sunrise Lakes is very nice!

"But it is worth it and the camping at Sunrise Lakes is very nice!"

The first of the Sunrise Lakes (the most southwest) is the spot where most beginners stop, because they've just come up the big hill from Tenaya Lake, and they can't go any further. So, that is the spot where the food is protected the worst, so that is where the bears hit first. Back in the days before bear canisters, there used to be eight or ten shredded bear bag cords dangling from the various _wrong_ tree branches.

That detour is just a few miles out of the way, but there is some additional elevation gain. However, the section of the JMT that you are bypassing has few redeeming qualities, other than being slightly shorter.

--B.G.--