Sierra welcomes all visitors

Passes are open, campgrounds await guests - and just in time for the holiday.

Published online on Wednesday, May. 20, 2009

The sun is shining, creeks are flowing and mosquitoes aren't biting - yet.

Summer in the Sierra Nevada has arrived in all its splendor, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Let the farmers and water managers wring their hands over another so-called "drought year." For the rest of us, the below-average snowpack is a boon in that it allows early access to areas that are normally still buried in snow.

So, really, there's no good reason (even laziness) to make a dent in the couch this holiday weekend while the air conditioner runs full blast.

Boaters and anglers will find mostly full lakes, except those at low elevations such as Eastman and Hensley that depend on rain runoff. Campers will find open campgrounds in all but a few areas. Hikers won't encounter heavy snow until 8,000 to 8,500 foot elevations on north-facing slopes and 7,000 to 7,500 feet on those that face south.

Here's what you can expect:

Yosemite

Tioga Pass Road opened for the season Wednesday, which is great news for anyone wishing to visit Tuolumne Meadows or cut over to the Eastern Sierra.

However, there are no services, meaning don't expect to camp in Tuolumne Meadows or find the store or visitors' center open. Still, that won't stop hikers from tracing the Tuolumne River down to Glen Aulin or exploring the Cathedral Lakes area. And expect to see plenty of rock climbers on classics like Fairview Dome.

The closest open campgrounds to Tioga Pass are located just across the park boundary in the Inyo National Forest. These will fill up quickly, however.

Expect campgrounds in Yosemite Valley to be jam-packed, as usual, and the Wawona Campground is closed due to road construction. Though Glacier Point Road is open, the Bridalveil Campground isn't.

Hikers will find the Half Dome cables up, and the Yosemite Falls and Snow Creek trails are clear of snow to the valley rim. The Panorama Trail is open from Glacier Point to Nevada Fall. However, the Four-Mile Trail remains closed.

Southern Yosemite

Those headed for the Bass Lake area will find all five campgrounds along the lake open and several more in outlying areas.

Beasore Road is open only until Poison Meadow, which is before Cold Springs Summit coming from The Pines Resort. There is less snow on Minarets Road, which is open to Bowler Campground. Along Central Camp Road, Whiskers and Gaggs campgrounds are scheduled to open Friday, and the same holds true for Soquel and Grey's Mountain off Sky Ranch Road.

Mammoth Pool remains closed to boating and fishing until June 15 for the annual deer migration. This also includes all tributaries to 300 feet above the reservoir.

Kaiser/Dinkey Creek

The major news here is that Kaiser Pass Road is open and the road to Courtright Reservoir will open Friday.

Visitors are already trickling into the Edison Lake area, said Jim Clement, owner of the Vermilion Valley Resort. His operation is open, as is Mono Hot Springs a few miles away.

"The road's clear, the weather's beautiful and the lake is coming up every day," Clement said. "It could be a perfect Memorial Day."

No campgrounds are open past Kaiser Pass, so folks will have to set up in a dispersed site.

However, unlike past years, California Land Management has opened several Huntington Lake campgrounds in time for the holiday weekend. They include Rancheria, College, Kinnikinnick, Catavee and Upper and Lower Deer Creek.

Swanson Meadow along Dinkey Creek Road is open, as are campgrounds at Dinkey Creek and Wishon Reservoir. At Courtright, Marmot Rock is open but Trapper Springs remains closed.

Sequoia & Kings Canyon

Visitors will have access to all areas of the parks, including Cedar Grove and Mineral King, whose access road opens at noon Friday.

Only two of the park's 14 campgrounds, Lodgepole and Dorst, are on a reservation system. The rest are first-come, first-served. Need a last-minute spot? Try Cedar Grove, whose 330-plus campsites seldom fill.

Park wilderness coordinator Gregg Fauth reports backpackers are already starting to make their way toward popular summer destinations like Paradise Valley, Bearpaw Meadow and Pear Lakes. Expect to encounter snow if you venture that far.

In the nearby Giant Sequoia National Monument, most roads and campgrounds around Hume Lake are open.

As always this time of year, stream crossings where there are no bridges can be potentially hazardous. Be sure to cross in the early morning when flows are at their lowest levels.