Sic. A paradox of hiking is that you often need a car precisely to get as far away from cars as possible.
Mexico is a pretty bad place for long-distance hiking, so I decided to explore the neighboring hiker’s paradise for my traditional birthday hike. But, it’s notoriously hard to travel around the US without a car (at least until we win The War on Cars).
In the end, I managed to pull off a plan of 4 weeks and 600 km of premium hiking using only public transportation, a direct flight from MEX, and a single hotel night. I’m detailing here these tricky logistics.
- Part 1, Tahoe Rim Trail
- Part 2, Yosemite Double Loop
Part 1, Tahoe Rim Trail
Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America, is reachable by train from the Bay Area. The Tahoe Rim Trail goes around the lake in 300 km, ranging from 1700 to 3100 m.
It seems simple and safe with many backup routes, as I will find snow that early in the season (though probably not in dangerous amounts this year). A permit is only required for Desolation Wilderness, but it’s easy to get.
- Day 1: MEX to OAK by plane, sleep in a hotel near OAK for an easier border crossing
- Day 2: Emeryville to Truckee with Amtrak’s California Zephyr, sleep in Granite Flat Campground
- Day 3: Rest
- Day 4–9: Truckee to South Lake Tahoe through Mount Rose Wilderness, sleep in City of Lake Tahoe Campground
- Day 10: Rest and resupply
- Day 11–17: South Lake Tahoe to Truckee, through Desolation Wilderness
- Day 18: Rest and resupply
Part 2, Yosemite Double Loop
Yosemite has a reputation for having some of the best hiking in the US, with legendary hikes like the John Muir Trail and Half Dome. So, let’s do some of that too!
Getting permits for backcountry camping in Yosemite is notoriously hard, but I got lucky at the lottery and secured a permit for my ideal route, including Half Dome.
My plan is to follow 2 guides by Michael Lanza for 270 km: 1 week South of Tioga Road and 1 week North of Tioga Road.
- Day 19: Truckee to Yosemite by Amtrak and YARTS, the YARTS ticket grants 1 night in the cheap backpackers campground
- Day 20: Either free solo el Capitán or only take pictures, the backcountry permit grants another night in the backpackers campground
- Day 21–26: Sunrise Lakes Trailhead to Vogelsang, through Half Dome and Red Peak Pass
- Day 27: Vogelsang to Glen Aulin with resupply in Tuolumne Meadows
- Day 28–34: Glen Aulin to Yosemite Valley, through Burro Pass, Benson Lake, and May Lake
- Day 35: Rest
- Day 36: Yosemite to Merced by bus, Merced to Emeryville by Amtrak, OAK to MEX by plane