Big Sur, Pinnalces, Yosemite trip - Advice wanted!
Posted: May 06 2013 8:19 am
Hey everybody. When I went to Arizona on a business trip in fall I found this website and had some great input that resulted in some really good day hikes. I'm hoping to get some more for this trip. First the fitness info:
I am going with a 30 year old female. She runs and works out and hikes here in the flatlands of Florida probably 1-10 miles per week. I am a 33 year old male. I work out and trail run here about 4.5 miles per run. I have hiked South Mountain in Arizona and climbed Squaw Peak at night (Phoenix Arizona), hiked to Mystic Lake in the Beartooths and in the Beartooths just outside Red Lodge (Montana). As a kid I did some hiking and multinight camping in the Smokies, as well as a little mountain climbing and rappelling. I think we can handle about any day hike that doesn't require climbing gear or something. I plan on taking my camelbak, a couple of knives/tools, headlamps, maps of our planned hikes, compass, cell phone, and lighter and matches in case of emergency.
We know the areas we're going and for how long. And to some degree we think we know what we want to do. However we're open to change and in the case of Yosemite we have no plan. Here goes:
1.5 days Big Sur:
Tuesday June 18th we will get up in San Francisco and drive the PCH over the Bixby Bridge and do some sightseeing. She wants to see the McWay Falls/cove so we will also stop there and do that hike. Im sure we'll take some time there to appreciate that but I would imagine that it wouldnt be later than 2 or 3 in the afternoon when we're done. We will be staying in the area, so we will have the rest of that afternoon and the next day to do something in the Big Sur area before we head over to Pinnacles National Park. We are considering Cone Peak. Please give us any suggestions on that or something else for the Remainder of Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday.
1 day Pinnacles National Park:
Thursday the 20th we will get up early and drive to Pinnacle. We'll do Pinnacle hiking all day and then that night I'll drive to Merced to stay in a hotel. So it will be an early wake up, long day of hiking, and probably a late evening arrival in Merced. The Bear Gulch cave will be closed unfortunately. We would like to do Balconies cave and we would like to see Pinnacles. I admit I haven't researched the hike well yet and don't know where the Pinnalces are or if that is feasible. I can usually cover a lot of ground by foot and car and see a lot of stuff when I'm hiking. But I don't know how difficult or dangerous a hike the caves will be and I see that the roads in the park are winding and at times one lane. So please advise if seeing both of these areas would be possible.
1.5 days Yosemite:
Friday the 21st we will get up in Merced and we will have that day to see Yosemite, we can stay anywhere that night, and then the next day we will get up and have about 4-5 hours before we have to head back to San Francisco. We have no plans or even ideas of what to see. We want to see Sequoias. I know they have some big ones up in Calaveras National Park. I know Half Dome is beautiful. I once spent a couple of days in Yellowstone/Grand Tetons and we didn't hike at all we just drove and saw so much stuff, Grizzlies, wolves, bison, waterfalls, geysers, the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone". I wonder if it's the same situation here, it's such a big place we would be better suited to more driving than hiking. Maybe driving all day Friday, then Saturday getting up and riding to Calaveras to hike and see the Louis Agassiz Tree that morning before driving back? Please advise
Thanks everyone!
I am going with a 30 year old female. She runs and works out and hikes here in the flatlands of Florida probably 1-10 miles per week. I am a 33 year old male. I work out and trail run here about 4.5 miles per run. I have hiked South Mountain in Arizona and climbed Squaw Peak at night (Phoenix Arizona), hiked to Mystic Lake in the Beartooths and in the Beartooths just outside Red Lodge (Montana). As a kid I did some hiking and multinight camping in the Smokies, as well as a little mountain climbing and rappelling. I think we can handle about any day hike that doesn't require climbing gear or something. I plan on taking my camelbak, a couple of knives/tools, headlamps, maps of our planned hikes, compass, cell phone, and lighter and matches in case of emergency.
We know the areas we're going and for how long. And to some degree we think we know what we want to do. However we're open to change and in the case of Yosemite we have no plan. Here goes:
1.5 days Big Sur:
Tuesday June 18th we will get up in San Francisco and drive the PCH over the Bixby Bridge and do some sightseeing. She wants to see the McWay Falls/cove so we will also stop there and do that hike. Im sure we'll take some time there to appreciate that but I would imagine that it wouldnt be later than 2 or 3 in the afternoon when we're done. We will be staying in the area, so we will have the rest of that afternoon and the next day to do something in the Big Sur area before we head over to Pinnacles National Park. We are considering Cone Peak. Please give us any suggestions on that or something else for the Remainder of Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday.
1 day Pinnacles National Park:
Thursday the 20th we will get up early and drive to Pinnacle. We'll do Pinnacle hiking all day and then that night I'll drive to Merced to stay in a hotel. So it will be an early wake up, long day of hiking, and probably a late evening arrival in Merced. The Bear Gulch cave will be closed unfortunately. We would like to do Balconies cave and we would like to see Pinnacles. I admit I haven't researched the hike well yet and don't know where the Pinnalces are or if that is feasible. I can usually cover a lot of ground by foot and car and see a lot of stuff when I'm hiking. But I don't know how difficult or dangerous a hike the caves will be and I see that the roads in the park are winding and at times one lane. So please advise if seeing both of these areas would be possible.
1.5 days Yosemite:
Friday the 21st we will get up in Merced and we will have that day to see Yosemite, we can stay anywhere that night, and then the next day we will get up and have about 4-5 hours before we have to head back to San Francisco. We have no plans or even ideas of what to see. We want to see Sequoias. I know they have some big ones up in Calaveras National Park. I know Half Dome is beautiful. I once spent a couple of days in Yellowstone/Grand Tetons and we didn't hike at all we just drove and saw so much stuff, Grizzlies, wolves, bison, waterfalls, geysers, the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone". I wonder if it's the same situation here, it's such a big place we would be better suited to more driving than hiking. Maybe driving all day Friday, then Saturday getting up and riding to Calaveras to hike and see the Louis Agassiz Tree that morning before driving back? Please advise
Thanks everyone!
