Our adventure begins at the Ten Lakes Trailhead in Yosemite National Park
Our trip begins at the Ten Lakes Trailhead, 7,500’ in elevation. Please allow plenty of time to drive to the Ten Lakes Trailhead parking area, park your vehicle and make your way to the trailhead. Your guides will welcome you with an orientation including a gear check and tips for correctly packing and fitting a backpack, as well as a tasty dinner. Once we distribute the group gear and food we will hit the trail to our first campsite, just over one mile into the backcountry. A tent set up demo & briefing about our fun day of hiking tomorrow finishes the first wonderful day in the Yosemite backcountry! Dinner included.
Backpacking: 1.2 miles; Elevation gain 400ft.
Backpack among the jagged peaks, domes and lakes of the high country
We enjoy breakfast in camp before packing up backpacking to Ten Lakes Pass (about 9,660’) and down to our next remote campsite close to Lower Grant Lake (9,258') that will be our home for the next two nights. We will stop for lunch and photo opportunities and work on skills development along the way. Once at our campsite, choose to relax at camp or opt for a swim in the alpine waters. Following dinner, look forward to an inspirational evening campfire program as we watch for shooting stars overhead. All meals and snacks provided.
Backpacking: 4.5 miles; elevation gain of approximately 2,000'.
Continue exploring the backcountry and building skills
Another glorious day in the mountains awaits us as we don our packs and hit the trail. After breakfast, we’ll leave our camp and take only daypacks as we embark on a 4 to 5 mile exploration of the Ten Lakes Basin. We’ll adventure from lake to lake with many optional swims, hikes and scenic rest breaks. We’ll enjoy lunch at one of the many spectacular alpine lakes in the basin before we make our way back to camp. Dinner is followed by a relaxing, reflective campfire program on our last night beneath the bright Sierra stars. All meals and snacks provided.
Hiking: 3.5 to 6 miles; elevation gain: 1,000’ to 1,200’
Enjoy a final view of Yosemite's granite icons before hiking out
After a hearty breakfast, we pack up our gear and retrace our steps to Ten Lakes Pass and down the Ten Lakes Trail to our cars waiting at the trailhead. We plan to arrive between 4 and 5pm, but there is no guarantee as trail conditions and other factors can impact travel times. Those flying out of Fresno should plan flights after 9:30pm; those flying out of Oakland should plan flights after 10:30pm. Breakfast, snacks and lunch included.
Backpacking: 6.5; elevation loss: 2,100'.
