Half Dome from Snow Creek
I was holding out hope that the epic overnight trip covering a lot of miles and some cross-country travel I had planned for this weekend would work out, but this year’s late snow cover would make it more epic than I wanted. So, at the last minute I trolled my Yosemite friends for conditions and switched plans to an easy overnighter from a low-traffic trailhead south of May Lake to a high-traffic camp area above Snow Creek.
We started out around 8500 ft where there was still some patchy snow cover, almost 100% coverage on north facing aspects. We actually parked at a stupid spot – a paved loop about .25 miles away from the actual trailhead, but when we couldn’t find the trail rather than look at the map we just assumed it was under snow and cross-countried until we ran into the actual trail. Looking at the map later on we realized our mistake. Oops.
The trail starts off along a ridge with great views towards Cloud’s Rest, Cathedral Peak, and Matthes Crest. This is followed by a gradual descent to Snow Creek – I found the grade quite enjoyable except in a few short stretches where it was a bit steep. At Snow Creek we found a footbridge crossing a rushing creek, but I noted some calm fishing holes
A quarter mile later we found an incredible campsite overlooking Half Dome – the target of today’s hike. While the trail was quiet and solitary, the camp area wasn’t – this is a popular destination accessible from many trailheads. Nevertheless, it is a worthy destination despite the crowds, mostly due to the absolutely incredible view.
We spent the afternoon exploring and fishing – I had incredible luck fishing the creek with a #2 gold Panther martin, pulling out small brookies and rainbows on nearly every cast. None were really of a worthy size to keep for dinner, though my husband did cook up a couple.
Snow Creek Cabin
On the return hike, we took the side trip to find the Snow Creek Cabin labeled on topo maps. Supposedly used by Ansel Adams, it was restored in 2006 and is available for people to stay in (first come-first served) in the winter. I have included our wandering track here along with a picture of the cabin, but the picture is placed on the map at the nearby trail junction. I don’t want to give away the secret – if you want to find it half the fun is figuring it out for yourself. 🙂
If You Go
- Fishing in the creek was great – don’t forget your pole!
- Bear canisters are required. We didn’t see any bears near camp, but we did see a couple elsewhere on the hike. They are out there!
- There are lots of trails that go into this spot so there are plenty of options for permits if one trailhead is booked. This is also one reason the campsite is so busy.
Sounds like a nice winter trip from the Valley, I was thinking about this area in March and didn’t go for it. Maybe another March. It’s good to know about the cabin availability as a ‘get yourself out there first’ potential luxury, though if the spring weather’s pleasant enough the campsite area looks like it’d be spectacular enough to just stop there.
I agree! I fact, we were discussing coming back in the winter – incredible campsite, and definitely fewer people then.
Exploring and fishing in Yosemite – sounds like a kick ass weekend trip to me. Like the sunset pic a lot.
NPS has closed Snowcreek cabin for good due to heavy traffic. there has been no word on its re opening
This is no longer, or not, true. We used the cabin just fine last winter in early 2013. It is still opened in the winter for people to use, along with Glacier, Ostrander, and Tuolumne.