I'm planning a road trip kind of experience to the west coast of USA with gf and we're going to visit Redwood National Park, Yosemite and Sequoia National Park during that time. We'll be spending 1-3 days on each, the main target being Yosemite. We will visit the national parks in late april.
How cold/snowy is it going to be that time of the year in that area?
How well kept the trails are?
Is there some must have gear that we need?
Any nice places to bunk in?
Anything else absolutely noteworthy?
We are not TOTAL noobs at hiking or /out/ and come from northern Europe so a little snow won't be a problem. That said any good tips etc would be much appreciated.
high country in yosemite and sequoia will still be snowy. specifically in yosemite, glacier point and tuolumne will be unaccessible except on xc skis or snowshoes. half dome cables will be down, so if that was on your ticklist i'd remove it (barring you having the gear and experience to get up there without the stairs). the valley floor will probably be clear of snow. temps could be anywhere from 40-70, weather could be sunny or rainy. but just come prepared and it'll be great- you'll beat the mosquitos, heat, and majority of the tourists, and the falls will be going big.
>>707053
it's going to be that snowy? damn.
do you know if there are any other scenic trails other than the half dome and glacier around yosemite?
>>707180
even not being able to go up to the rim the whole valley's amazing. i'm there 10-20 times a year and it still blows my mind.
trails:
>http://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemite-valley/yosemite-valley-hikes.htm
webcams:
>http://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm
>>707357
and i took this pic literally the day after i took that pic
>>707357
>>707358
forgot to include both those were in mid-april.
for comparison, this pic is in tuolumne in late may in a VERY low snow year
I'm going at the end of March, was hoping to do a hike if possible.
Seems like you have more experience in that area. I've only been there a few times last year.
What's the weather looking like for the end of march and what gear do you recommend taking for a one day trip?
So by west coast you mean commiefornia? Lots in OR and WA your missing out on!
>>707931
>weather
who knows. sierra spring is particularly unpredictable. I usually look at three or four weather services a couple days in advance and average them out. accuweather.com has longterm forecasts that i like to pretend like they mean anything, but that's usually a fool's game
>hikes
check the link i posted above
>gear
same as any day hike with potential for variable weather-layers, food and water.
>>707053
>>707357
OP here.
Really appreciate the tips and opinions, so thank you very much! The webcams are a great addition. I had been googling different trails already, but it's hard to figure out what the conditions are gonna be later down the spring.
>>708039
Well we are going to start the road trip from Seattle and go down the coast so I think we're gonna get a nice sample piece of the west coast. But the whole of america is such a big place that you're gonna need several trips anyway to experience most of it.
Anyone care to recommend some obligatory sites to see down the road besides the ones already mentioned?
>>708524
not sure how religiously you're planning on following the coast south from seattle (and check seasonal closures), but if you can cut off route a couple hours:
>san juan islands n.m.
>crater lake n.p.
>lassen n.p.
