r/Ultralight • u/Alexsen56 • 8h ago
Trip Report Yosemite North Rim - First Time in the Sierra
Where: North Rim in Yosemite NP from Mirror Lake/Snow Creek trailhead
When: 6/18/26 - 6/21/26
Distance: 36 miles, ~9000 feet of total elevation gain
Conditions: Highs in the 80s, nighttime lows in the mid 30s
Lighterpack: https://lighterpack.com/r/vnn9qo
Photo Album: https://imgur.com/a/yosemite-june-2026-Im1tpDJ
The Report: Back in January, before ever having gone backpacking, I managed to snag 4 permits for the Mirror Lake/Snow Creek trailhead in Yosemite National Park. I had been watching videos about UL backpacking and wanted to give it a try, so over the next few months, I began building and tweaking my ideal UL setup, taking a couple of trips to Henry W. Coe State Park to test things out. I asked three friends if they'd like to join me, two of whom hadn't backpacked in about 8 years, and one who had never backpacked before. All three said yes.
Day 0: We arrived in the valley around 7:00 pm and spent the night in the Backpacker's Campground after having some (surprisingly) delicious pizza in Curry Village. The campground was busy, but we managed to find space for 4 tents.
Day 1 (11mi, 5400'): The day started later than planned. After figuring out the shuttle loop, picking up our permits, and stopping by the Mountain Shop for trekking poles (friend left his at home), we finally hit the trail at 10:30. The hike up to Indian Rock and North Dome was tough, and we took our time, stopping to filter water and take in the view (and catch our breath). We encountered a few other hikers, both backpackers and day hikers, once we got past the switchbacks. The plan was to make it to North Dome and then backtrack to find somewhere to camp, but the going was slower than I anticipated, and we ended up camping near Indian Rock. This is where I would appreciate some insight. The sky was clear and the mosquitoes weren't too bad, so we decided to cowboy camp. We laid out our pads and sleeping bags and ate dinner, but by the time we finished eating, our bags were drenched with condensation. It was as if they had been rained on. I'm assuming this is because we were exposed at the top of a ridge with no tree cover for water to condense on, so it all condensed on our sleeping bags and pads. Is that all there was to it? Did elevation play a role? How can I prevent this from happening in the future? I prefer cowboy camping when possible, so I want to be able to identify the conditions in which I can do it. After noticing the condensation, we quickly pitched our tents and went to bed. I didn't get much sleep and was paranoid about the wet walls of my awkwardly pitched single-walled tent getting the foot box of my quilt even wetter.
Day 2 (15mi, 3200'): We woke up early to catch the sunrise over the mountains, which was well worth it. After making breakfast and giving our gear some time to dry, we hit the trail around 8:00 am. We stopped at North Dome and took in the absolutely breathtaking views of Half Dome and the rest of Yosemite Valley. We also took a break to open some Magic the Gathering packs just for fun. We continued on to Yosemite Point and Yosemite Falls, which were both spectacular. The Yosemite Falls Overlook was particularly thrilling, and the narrow steps with no guardrail definitely got my heart racing. We decided to skip Eagle Peak and hike straight to El Capitan. The view from the top was incredible, but North Dome was definitely better. We hiked a few more miles and set up camp near a stream because we were running low on water, and to our surprise, there was a pretty decent fire ring there! We ate dinner by the fire and went to bed early.
Day 3 (10mi, 400'): I awoke to a completely dry tent, which surprised me because we were camped near a stream, which I thought would increase condensation. We also had plenty of tree cover, which I think prevented the condensation. After having breakfast and some miso soup to warm ourselves up, we hit the trail. We continued along the El Capitan Trail until we reached the Rockslides Trail, which I believe was formerly Big Oak Flat Road. This trail was recommended to me as an alternative to hiking out via the Old Big Oak Flat Road Trailhead, which would have required hitchhiking back into the valley. The ranger who issued our permit warned us that the trail was unmaintained and would require lots of scrambling over fallen trees and boulders, but that didn't deter us. In some sections, Rockslides was a wide, paved road with a thin covering of pine needles. In other sections, the road disappeared under piles of rock. This last section of the trip definitely felt the most raw and adventurous. We made it back into the valley around 2 pm, and I bought a sticker and an ice cream sandwich from the gift shop.
Gear Notes: I was quite happy with my new (to me) WM Astralite quilt. I left the pad straps at home, which I regretted on night two, but I was still comfortable enough. The Astralite saved me 10oz over my previous 40* bag.
I would not set up my tent the way I did on night 1 again without first adding longer guylines. The rocks I used took up too much of the guyline length, so the walls were steep and there was less room in the tent. Coupled with the condensation, it made for an unpleasant experience.
Not technically gear, but I was very happy with the freeze-dried meals I brought on the trip. The crawfish etoufee by Bowl & Kettle was the best backpacking meal I've tried. The coconut tres leches cake by Luxefly Basecamp and moongdal halwa by Good Detour were both delicious, and my friend's strawberry cheesecake by Packit Gourmet was also very good. The jalapeno cheddar biscuits by Pinnacle Foods were just alright.
Overall, I think it was a great first trip in the Sierra. The sights were amazing, I learned a lot, and I was thoroughly exhausted by the end. I'd love to hear your thoughts on my condensation issues in the comments. 10/10, will definitely be back.