Early May Hammock Camping in Yosemite. Suggestions?

[akford]

I'm planning to meet my brother and his wife in Yosemite the second week of May this year for some hammock camping. From reports, it looks like upper trails and campgrounds might still have snow and/or flooding issues in early May this year. Is there anyone from that area (or experience there) that has some insight on where to camp, or what trails might be good for day hikes? We don't want to deal with trying to get a back country permit this year. Additionally, my brother's wife is pretty new to camping and completely new to hammock camping so we don't want to push it too much for this trip. We plan to bring three full hammock setups and a tent for backup. Suggestions for a hammock-friendly campsite that will likely be open and accessible this May would be appreciated, or any other tips for hammock camping in the area. Thanks.

[seanholio]

Because of this year's amazing snowfall, May is a complete unknown right now. The Sierra Nevada mountains have received huge amounts of snow, and in May it will be melting. Much of that water naturally descends via Yosemite Valley. When a huge rainfall hit in 1997, it flooded the valley floor and wreaked havoc. It would be wise to plan a backup destination in case Yosemite is neither open nor accessible during your trip. Fortunately, we have thousands of beautiful places to hike, camp, or backpack throughout the state. If you are flying into the San Francisco area (SF, San Jose, or Oakland airports) the coastal mountains around there are beautiful, with many state and county parks. Hanging in State Parks depends on the ranger. Some are completely intolerant and interpret the rules to suit their predisposition, but the majority are friendly and are likely to listen if you are courteous and demonstrate how we protect the trees with our setups.

When visiting California, many of the locations have trees with humongous trunks, relative to what many visitors have at home, so be sure to bring extra-long huggers or straps, as well as tarp ridgelines. If you're traveling in the Sierra Nevadas, weather is unpredictable and changes frequently. A sunny day can turn to a very cold thunderstorm and back to sunny in an hour: if you don't like the weather, just wait a bit.

Good luck! I hope your trip goes well.

[Caminante]

I'm not an expert as I've only been once, last September, but if you're not doing a backcountry permit, it seems to me that you're pretty much relegated to the "family" campgrounds. I checked on doing a family trip to one of these campgrounds and found that they book almost immediately, 5 months in advance. If you're planning to go in May, I would ASAP check on availability:

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/camping.htm

I actually found getting a backcountry permit easier than getting a reservation at any of the campgrounds, and it allows you two nights at the backpackers' campgrounds in YV or TM.

In any case, I bet seanholio is dead on about the amount of snow and potential flooding by May. If I were a betting man, I'd look towards the TM side of the park since it's higher in elevation. Maybe the TM campground has an open spot. It may be difficult to find a site that will accommodate three hammocks, but worth a try.

Note that Yosemite requires "padding" trees for hammocks or tarps. In practice, you can chock straps and ridge lines with sticks.

[akford]

Thanks to both of you for the useful information. We'll try to look into alternatives. I hadn't heard about the requirement for "padding" trees. Good to know that stick chocking will meet the requirement. My brother and I might stay for a few more days after his wife heads home, so we might be looking for some hike-out and camp areas after we drop her off at the San Fransisco airport.