Bushwalk Australia

Hi everyone,
I'll be near Yosemite Nat Pk at the end of May.
Was going to climb Half Dome, unfortunately unsuccessful in the lottery draw.
So now, my plane ticket is booked, hotel is booked, but no walk

Can you suggest a day walk (long day walk is fine, but no overnights) in or around Yosemite?
And do I have to worry about bears in whatever walk you are going to suggest?
Cheers, Paul

Clouds Rest !!

Stunning walk and about 24km return trip with 500m elevation gain. The walk itself is not so amazing, but the view at the end is incredible !

https://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-roa ... s-rest.htm

Bears are not a problem for day hikes, you will be lucky if you see one. bears are really only a potential issue on overnight trips or if you leave food in your car at night.

Since you've only got a day I'd do a hike from Yosemite Valley, just because that way you get to see what all the gobsmacking photos are about. Before you arrive though, make sure you check out whether the weekend is a holiday one before you visit though. Yosemite is busy at the best of times, but if it's a holiday weekend you can get hours long traffic tailbacks through the valley, so you have to get there really early. Also if it's hot you'll have to carry a lot of water which might limit your trails. Having said that you can't really go wrong with any trail you choose. Glacier Point/ Sentinel Dome, Yosemite Point, Eagle Peak (this is a big day) are all awesome options. One thing to note is I've always found with hikes in the U.S. have very conservative trail timings if you are fit. By way of example Upper Yosemite Falls has a recommended hike time of 6-10 hours, and I managed it in four pretty comfortably.

1. Clouds Rest - It's about 32km, 1800m gain/loss for a round trip from the Valley floor. It's arguably a better walk and better summit than Half Dome, it just doesn't have those cables or the name recognition.

2. Four Mile Trail to Panorama trail to Mist Trail - 22km, 1000m gain/loss from Valley. The Four Mile Trail (~8km) leads to Glacier Point (where you could buy food if you wanted). Just a round trip on the Four Mile Trail is worth doing. Otherwise continue down the Panorama trail to the Mist Trail. Super great views of Half Dome and three major waterfalls.

3. (Upper) Yosemite Fall trail to Snow Creek trail - ? I don't remember the distance, but it's pretty long, something like Clouds Rest. Really good though, great views. A couple of small side trips are possible, one to the summit of North Dome and another to visit a rare (for granite) natural arch. A shorter alternative is to turn around at Yosemite Point, which is just a little ways up above the top of Yosemite Falls. That's on par with doing the Four Mile Trail as a return walk. Similarly, you could just go up Snow Creek and back.

4. El Capitan - You go up the Yosemite Fall trail and then take a left. You can come back the same way or continue around and return on the decaying Old Big Oak Flat Road. Kind of an adventure. Probably not what you'll do.

Water is generally not an issue, especially in late May. Just take some pills to treat or a small filter if you're concerned. The last reliable water below Clouds Rest is at the trail junction where you leave the John Muir Trail so you'd want to fill up there. And El Cap is dry so if you go that way you'd need to fill up at the top of the Falls. But the rest of hike (1) and pretty much all of hikes (2) and (3) have plenty of water.

You can also skip the overcrowded semi-urban scene in Yosemite Valley and do a walk out of Tuolumne. There are many to choose from. There will be some snow to contend with in late May but it probably won't be too bad this year. Clouds Rest is a much easier walk from that side, both shorter and a lot less elevation.

Thanks to all who replied.
I managed to obtain a last-minute permit to climb Half Dome.
Here is the link to the photographs and trip report:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2018/05/half-dome-yosemite-nat-pk-ca-usa.html

It is definitely one of the memorable day-hikes one can do !

A photograph of Half Dome and its world-renowned cables:

Brilliant!

Awesome

That's so great. Definitely one of my favourite hikes;
I did it in two days. Starting in Tuoloumne Meadows, down through Sunrise Valley to camp the top of Clouds Rest and then Half Dome early the next morning and following the Mist Trail down into the Valley.

https://i.imgur.com/QwSTZp6.jpg