Yosemite Backpacking Trip Report

Ok so here’s the thing… I KNOW I’m a little late on this one!! Summer has been summering and we’ve been all over the place (both in the US and internationally) so I wanted to first thank you for your patience!! I really wanted to put together something that is packed with info so you can plan and replicate our Yosemite backpacking trip without any stress or even just draw inspiration from it for your own route if you’d prefer!

and if you have no clue what I’m talking about, back in June we went on an EPIC 3 day/2 night backpacking trip through Yosemite National Park. It truly might be my favorite backpacking loop we’ve ever done in the US and below I have detailed everything you need to know in order to do it yourself!

So let’s get into it!

A note on underconsumption: This newsletter has a few recommendations and links for new gear, however you absolutely do not need fancy or expensive gear to get outside. A borrowed tent, a thrifted pack, your regular sneakers, and some instant noodles can still get you a pretty incredible sunset and a quiet morning in the woods. So if you’ve already got what you need, use it! This guide is just here to give you an idea of what we’re currently loving and to guide you IF you’re looking to purchase or upgrade your gear!

***Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click one of them, we may receive a small commission (for which we are very grateful for) at NO extra cost to you 🙏 

All the Goods in This Email

• Trail Overview

• Permits

• Parking & Trailhead Info

• 3 Day, 2 Night Route

  • Logistics

  • Gear Highlight

Trail Overview

Location: Yosemite National Park
All trails link: Snow Creek, May Lake and Clouds Rest Loop on AllTrails
Trail Head: Snow Creek
Distance: 36 miles round trip (give or take extra mileage for side ventures)
Elevation Gain: ~ 9,500 ft
Max elevation: 10,000 ft
Difficulty: Hard
Our Route: Snow creek → Tenaya Lake → Clouds Rest → Happy Isle
Estimated Duration: 3-4 days
Trail Type: loop
Best Season:  Spring / Fall
Permits Required: Yes
Dogs Allowed: No

Permits

Acquiring permits for the more popular trails in Yosemite can be super competitive. The park rolls out the reservation in two waves with 60% of wilderness permit reservations come available by lottery 24 weeks in advance, while the remaining 40% of reservations become available on Recreation.gov seven days in advance of your preferred start date. 

This system works well because it gives both planners and last-minute adventurers (like us) a fair shot!

Now the good thing about this particular route is that it starts up Snow Creek aka the steepest climb out of the valley, which makes the permit very undesirable for most people.  I booked our permits just 4 days before departing for the trip and there were plenty still available!!

Permit name: “mirror lake to snow creek”

You WILL have to pick up your permit in person at one of the park’s wilderness centers so be prepared to arrive a little early in order to do that! The closest wilderness center is located right by the post office in Yosemite Village.

Parking & Trailhead Info

The best place to park for this loop is in the Happy Isle Parking lot just passed Curry Village and the turn for the campgrounds.  You don’t need a parking pass or anything, just make sure you get ANYTHING that smells out of your car as the bears have a tendency to break windows for a snack!

3 Day, 2 Night Route

(skip May lake, hike through Olmstead point instead)

We only had 2 nights to spare for this backpacking trip, so this is the route we ended up taking!  It is a lot of mileage and elevation gain each day and therefore would not be suited for beginners.  & IF YOU REPLICATE THIS, PLZ KNOW YOU WILL NEED TO DO HEAVY WATER CARRIES TO GET TO CAMP as there isn’t access to water near the camp spots we stayed at.

Day 1: Mirror lake —> Mt. Watkins (last reliable water source at Snow Creek)
Day 2: Mt. Watkins —> Clouds Rest (last reliable water source is the unnamed lake at mile 18.6 on all trails)
Day 3: Clouds Rest —> Happy Isle Parking (first reliable water source is at Little Yosemite Valley Campground)

Daily Breakdown

Day 1: Mirror Lake —> Mt. Watkins

mileage: 9.4 mi
elevation gain: 4500 ft elevation gain
elevation loss: 300 ft elevation decent
water sources: Mirror Lake, Snow Creek
camp spot: just below the top of Mt. Watkins

The switchbacks on day 1 are the hardest part of this entire hike in my opinion. After parking your car at Happy Isle, you’ll start your hike by passing Mirror Lake until you hang a left off of the Valley Loop trail to start the steepest trail out of the Valley aka Snow Creek trail! This is a VERY exposed hike that gains around 2,500 ft of elevation in 2 miles! There is no shade, no water, and no mercy LOL. Snow Creek is a great spot for a break and to fill up water, pee, have lunch, etc. We were so spent from the climb up to the creek that we spent an hour just resting and putting our feet in the water!

Snow Creek is also where we did our big water carry to camp. We each hauled 4L with us to get through the night and the next morning. Once we left the creek we kept hiking for another 1.5 miles until we reached a split in the trail (mi 6.4 on the alltrails map). We then went RIGHT to stay on Snow Creek Trail (the alltrails green line goes left here) and set up camp right past the NEXT split in the trail (the one that takes you to the top of Mt. Watkins).

Day 2: Mt. Watkins —> Clouds Rest

mileage: 14 mi
elevation gain: 3800 ft
elevation loss: 2250 ft
water sources: May Lake (we skipped this completely), Tenaya Lake, unnamed lake at mi 18.6 on alltrails
camp spot: around 0.3 mi from the top of Clouds Rest (BEFORE Clouds Rest) off the trail on the right tucked into some boulders

We started this day by leaving all of our gear at camp and hiking the short one (ish) mile up to the top of Watkins. The views are SPECTACULAR and well worth it without the heavy bag! The rest of the day is pretty mellow- just long and sustained elevation gain wise. We took break at Olmsted point and then had lunch and a swim on Tenaya Lake! After that we stopped at the unnamed lake for our final rest/water fill before making the final push towards the top of Clouds Rest! We both carried 3L in order to account for the evening and next mornings water intake and we felt like that was plenty for us.

The campsites are a little bit off the main trail BEFORE the top of Clouds Rest on hiker’s right. There are only a few of them, but if you manage to snag one it is a VERY special site! We set up camp and then went to the top of Clouds Rest to enjoy the sunset before going to bed!

Day 3: Clouds Rest —> Happy Isle Parking

mileage: 8.5
elevation gain: 500
elevation loss: 5500
water sources: Little Yosemite Campground & then the Merced River all the way to the trailhead

Camping so close to the top of Clouds Rest means we got to wake up early and watch the sunrise over the entire Valley!!! It was truly one of the most magical sunrises I’ve ever experienced! After leaving camp it’s a long 8 mile slog to get back to the car.