I'm starting from Happy Isles.I would appreciate some advice from you JMT people on the best choice for the first night camp. I'm filling out my permit form and they request the first nights camp area. I would like to hike around 8 miles the first day, so I was thinking Sunrise creek. What other options can you'll think of?

Thanks!!

There aren't a lot of water source options in that section. If go past Sunrise creek, you have a ways to go before you get to any other water. And between the top of the falls and Sunrise Creek, there's not much either. So basically you go either 8 miles or about 12 or more the first day.

Ok Thanks Paul

For permit purposes there are two different trail heads:
Happy Isles - Little Yosemite Valley if LYV is where you are spending your first night
Happy Isles - Sunrise / Merced Lake (passthrough) if you are going beyond LYV

By asking you where you are spending the first night they can tell by your answer if you are applying for the correct permit. As long as you hike to the JMT / Cloud Rest trail junction or beyond you are fine and nobody will hold you to a specific spot.

In 2008 I got a same-day walk up permit and all they had was for LYV. (I could have had any option for the next day but this was a cancellation). I left HI at 9:00. Got to LYV, had a swim, had a nap, and was getting quite bored by 3:00. Asked the ranger if I could head up the trail and she said fine. If you're applying I suggest put both LYV and Sunrise as options to increase your odds of getting one or the other.

The good camp spots:
Just past Cloud's Rest junction by Sunrise Creek are a couple nice spots. Then you head uphill and don't see much level ground for a mile or so- then it levels out as you approach the junction for Vogelsang and another crossing of Sunrise. Decent sites there in the forest. Uphill again for a while and then more sites along the creek before the last uphill to Sunrise.

Jim : can you hike the trail with your eyes closed :-)

"Then you head uphill and don't see much level ground for a mile or so- then it levels out as you approach the junction for Vogelsang and another crossing of Sunrise. Decent sites there in the forest. Uphill again for a while and then more sites along the creek before the last uphill to Sunrise."


This spot is about 9 miles up from the valley at about 8400. Sunrise creek follows the trail to the north and will generally have water in early and possibly mid season. (This was on my first Yosemite BP trip well before my conversion to UL.)

I forget the distance but we camped here

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=%2B37°+46'+52.55%22,+-119°+26'+42.12%22+(37.781264,+-119.445033)&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=50.157795,76.025391&vpsrc=6&ie=UTF8&ll=37.780857,-119.444089&spn=0.024659,0.037122&t=p&z=15&iwloc=A


And had this view of the sunset over yosemite

Edited by JasonG on 03/07/2012 00:00:08 MST.