abmj-jr

Um. Which falls? Illilouette? Or are you thinking of making the long loop around to Vernal and Nevada Falls on the often skipped part of the John Muir Trail and out via Happy Isles? That one can be a bit tough due to the altitude loss. Tough on knees and feet.

Either way, there are no restrictions or permits for most day hike trails in the Park. Overnight backpacks are a different story but day hiking, other than Half Dome, should be fine.

SanDiego1K

My husband thinks it is this. A friend told my husband this takes about 6 hours and isn't a bad hike. Said friend is bringing book that describes the hike.

That's great to learn. Thank you.

dhuey

You don't even need a permit for the Half Dome hike. That's only for the very last portion: the cables up the dome itself. Many people who do the hike don't even want to go up those cables.

abmj-jr

At 6 hours, yes that is the one. The hiking isn't bad as you do very little uphill. Just be sure you have good, sturdy footwear with double socks to protect against the increased friction of constant downhill walking and be aware of the stress on knees. I don't know what conditions will be like when you get here but be sure to carry water. There will be little or none on the trail and we have been in a heat wave of late. Earlier this week, they hit 90 in Yosemite Valley.

There are some nice viewpoints along that route so be sure somebody has their camera easily reachable.

SanDiego1K

Very helpful. Thank you. He is an inexperienced hiker, albeit very fit, and has been doing the necessary conditioning to do this hike in October. He's hoping for cool days then.

dhuey

It's unlikely to be hot up there in October. It might be chilly, especially at night.

darthbimmer

I suggest planning on this hike taking 8 hours, not 6. Even if everyone in the group is in good shape you'll still want to make a lot of stops to appreciate the three beautiful waterfalls and countless scenes of high country beauty.

Having hiked this route 3 times, I can attest to the fact that the physical challenge it entails is not cardio or muscle problems related to ascent. There's only about 600' of gain on the route. It's the knee jarring, toe jamming, and foot chafing as you descend nearly a vertical mile on granite steps that'll get you. These are harder to condition for than cardio.

jdmlove

hijacking this thread.. planing to go to Yosemite from San Francisco in the beginning of March.. i have 2 questions:

1- am not into hiking, i just love to walk around and see the waterfalls and beautiful views, should i stay inside the Yosemite Valley or Village ?? am only staying for 2 days.

2- will i need tire chains for the snow to reach the Yosemite village from SF if i will go in the beginning of March?

ClimbingCook

You'll need tire chains unless you have all wheel drive and winter/all-season tires.

TWA884

Here is a useful link from the National Park Service:
That's actually incorrect.

Read the webpage that I linked above. Any time chain controls are in effect, all vehicles must have chains in possession, including four-wheel drive and rental vehicles. Vehicles are not exempt from chain requirements, even if they have all-season tires.

darthbimmer

It's worth staying in the valley or one of the nearby towns to the west on route 140.

TWA884 answered your question in terms of policy. If what you meant was, "Is there likely to be snow on these roads in early March?" understand that the answer varies from year to year depending on patterns of precipitation and temperatures. The valley is at 4,000' elevation, where the weather can go either way in March. With a strong El Niņo weather pattern forecast for this winter, I'd definitely prepare for the chance of encountering snow there this coming March.

abmj-jr

Highway 140 is the lowest of the 3 major entrance routes on the west side of the park. The chances of actually needing to install tire chains are less on it than on the other routes. Depending on weather, you may very well not need to use chains in March. That doesn't, however, change policy and state law. If, as is likely, the route is posted "Chains Required," then you must have them in the vehicle even if they are not needed to proceed. My general practice is to keep my chains in the car to be in compliance with the legal requirements and that works most of the time. I never need to actually put them on. But, I turn around and go someplace else if I reach a point where they must be installed on the car. I am just getting too old for that nonsense.

The above is complicated by the fact that many rental car agencies do not allow chains to be installed on their cars. You would need to work that out with the agency.

The best course may very well be to wait until arriving before deciding on your course. The Caltrans and Yosemite National Park websites and phone information lines will tell you what might be required in this area. If the Park and its approaches are snowed in, you might want to just change plans on the fly and spend some extra time in SF or on the coast rather than try to deal with chain requirements. Hotel reservations can always be cancelled. If roads are clear, then by all means make a visit. This summer, many international (and local) visitors arrived to find the national parks were severely impacted by wildfires and smoke. Changes of plan became the norm. Just plan on being flexible and you'll be fine. Yosemite is great but we have lots of alternatives in the event that you have to change plans.

dhuey

Here are the categories of chain requirements:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/chains.htm

In my experience, we hardly ever see R-3 (chains required on all vehicles). Maybe others have seen examples of that, but whenever I've followed the requirements during a storm, we go from R-2 to road closed.

So yes, you're required to have chains at certain times, but if you have 4WD/AWD and snow tires, I think it's rather unlikely you'll be required to put the chains on when the roads are actually open.

jdmlove

thank you all for useful information.. i already went to the park website. i really wanted to stay inside the park. i thought of staying in SF from 25 to 29 Feb
then going to Yosemite from 1 to 3 march
then from 3 go to highway one and continue my trip

i really dont feel like going with the hassle of chains etc..

seems like i will keep Yosemite for another trip.. if i ever will go to the US again

RichardInSF

Even then, I believe California law still requires that you carry chains just in case they do turn out to be necessary. A road's status can change without notice.