1

I've usually hike there in Summer and Fall, so I am not sure if most of the trails are oficially closed by the Park Service in Winter, or if they are closed because the access roads such as Tioga Pass are closed and hence you cant get to them, or if you just cant find the trails in winter. Most of the longer hikes are in the high country, which you cant access due to the closed roads. The only marked winter trails are at Badger Pass, Crane Flat and Mariposa Grove and these arent very long trails, though when hiking in winter, especially in snow shoes' they seem alot longer.You could look into a hike towards Cloudsrest. It is usually accessed from the (closed in May) Tioga Pass road, but you can also get there from the Valley floor, using the trail towards half dome, and then turning off and following the trail up to Cloudsrest. However be warned this is a 6,000 foot elevation gain, and the ridge top hiking near the top is very precarious. plus you will probably lose any trail past the treeline under the snow You should be very proficent in route finding, snowshoes, etc to even consider it. I wouldnt normally suggest it, but you say you are experienced. Otherwise, you could try some of the lower elevation trails. Most are barely day hike, but you could make a 2 day out of Rancheria falls hike You could also just do several one day hikes, or go to Zion and Bryce

Look at the alternate route at the bottom. http://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/clouds-rest/clouds-rest.htm

http://www.yosemitehikes.com/hetch-hetchy/rancheria-falls/rancheria-falls.htm

2

What you are calling a trek is what Americans call "backpacking." Backpacking in Yosemite General information.

Backpacking in winter & spring.

That web page goes to to suggest possible hikes. They mention that a lot of winter hikes start at Badger Pass. One problem with that is that the road to Badger Pass is usually closed from late March to mid May.

3

Christian, you will be better off looking at the SW region, Zion, Bryce, Escalante in early May. We've had a big winter so far in the west. Mammoth, just south of Yosemite has a base of 9 feet of snow at mid mnt. and it's only Feb. Who knows but I don't think most of the good hikes will be ready until mid June if that early. Good luck.

4

Thanks for great info, that’s really helpful!

I think we’ll see what the conditions are when we arrive, but looking at this, I think we will do the dayhikes in Yosemite, and do the backpacking somewhere else.

Do you have any personal favourites you’d recommend in Zion, Bryce and there about?

5

Christian, I would do a separate post for backpacking in Zion-Bryce. There are others here that can give better hiking info. in that area than myself.

Don't forget about Escalante. I personally like the area down the hole in the wall road.

6

Dude a couple of things.

1- the valley is awesome and the falls will be incredible in May this year with all of the snow we have had.

2- The Mist trail is my favorite, once you reach the top at Nevada Falls you can hike along the Merced river, it's only about 6000-7000 ft and might be open, it's a great 2-3 days pack trip.

3- I'm guessing you know Tioga pass will be closed at that time, in other words is you can't drive trough the park to Hwy.395.

Have fun!

7

YOu might consider north of Yosemite Valley, in an area called "Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River". This area is considerably lower elevation and opens much earlier than the rest of the Yosemite high country, although May 1st might still be early.

If you're still considering posting a separate inquiry about backpacking in the southwest, I'll give specific recommendations in that thread when it pops up. Generally speaking, though - its a good idea.