Yosemite Backpacking Adventure: Iconic John Muir Trail
5.0
25 Ratings
Yosemite Valley
Embark on an iconic Yosemite backpacking adventure along the John Muir Trail. Hike to Clouds Rest, Half Dome, and more. Dates available in 2022. Book now!
Duration: 5 days
Cancellation: 6 days learn more
Highlights

Yosemite Valley - Meet your guide in Half Dome Village at 3:00 PM. Get acquainted with the group and with gear. If time allows before dinner, walk to some of the Valley’s iconic destinations. Eat dinner at one of the park’s numerous restaurants. (Food in the front-country is not included.) Camp in the Yosemite Valley Backpacker’s Camp.

What's Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
What's Not Included
  • Dinner on Day 1 and Breakfast on Day 2
  • Guide Gratuities
Additional Information

Begin your Yosemite backpacking adventure with a hike through one of the most famous sections of the John Muir Trail. Traverse the trail from magnificent alpine lakes to the peaks of Clouds Rest and Half Dome! Spend your first night under the stars at Cathedral Lakes, in the heart of the natural high country, then journey along the JMT over Cathedral Pass, marveling at the awe-inspiring alpine peaks. Pitch your tent in the Sunrise Lakes area for the third night, and from this point, conquer the Clouds Rest peak (9,926’) for some of the most extraordinary Yosemite Valley views in the park! Conclude your exciting adventure with the ascent of Half Dome (8,836’), followed by a return to Yosemite Valley via the Mist Trail, showcasing two remarkable waterfalls. The challenging schedule of this trip is truly rewarding! If you seek a genuine Yosemite adventure, this trip is for you!

With reference to the 2022 dates, they are slightly complex, here they are:
5/29 - 6/2
7/18 - 7/22
7/22 - 7/26
8/7 - 8/11
8/15 - 8/19
8/25 - 8/29
9/18 - 9/22
9/29 - 10/3

Location
Curry Village
Curry Village Main Parking Lot near Shuttle Stop #14
Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 7 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(25 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
V9879sucharlotteh
Oct 16, 2023
Best Hike Ever. - I had a fantastic experience on the 5 day Cathedral lakes to clouds rest and half dome trip. Alongside the kit list, lasting adventures emailed us about a change in the weather so I felt well prepared on what to pack. Our guide, Caber, was brilliant. He was knowledgeable about the area, good company, paced us well, made amazing food, and gave me the moral support I needed to get up Half Dome. Yosemite is one of the most beautiful places I have every been and I would highly recommend this hike with Lasting Adventures.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passenger188239
Jul 7, 2022
Yosemite: Cathedral Lakes, Sunrise Lakes, Clouds Rest, and Half Dome - Our main goals this year were Clouds Rest and Half Dome as my wife has never been on top of Clouds Rest and the last time we were on Half Dome we had to rush back down the valley. We had a private tour with Lasting Adventures that ended up attached to a standard tour only because of Half Dome permit restrictions. This worked out very nicely as we had 2 guides for 4 hikers. The first day was the standard stuff in Yosemite Valley camping at the back-packers camp. The second morning we started our hike at Tuolumne Meadows and went 4 miles to Cathedral Lakes (Lower Cathedral Lake). This was a good warm-up. I was surprised at how nice and serene the views were. The only downside was the mosquitos that were relentless. The 3rd day we hiked 7-8 miles to Sunrise Lakes. We saw sights (peaks, meadows, valleys, lakes, etc.) that most people won't see by staying in the valley. The 4th day, we hiked up Clouds Rest and stayed there for lunch. What a view - perhaps my favorite view of the valley. The first mile or so down from Clouds Rest was a little hard on the knees but it got better. That day, we travelled 8 miles in total to a camp about a half mile from the Half Dome trail. The final day was fantastic - we got up at 3am and were on top of Half Dome right at sunrise. We had breakfast, enjoyed the sunrise, and took in the 360 degree views for almost 2 hours. The rest was all down hill to get our backpacks and head down to the valley. Total mileage this day was 12 miles - a long day for us. Emily and Dawson, our guides from Lasting Adventures, were wonderful. I highly recommend using Lasting Adventures for these Yosemite hikes - they take all the worry away. This was our 3rd trip with them and obviously we are very happy to recommend them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Morgansi1322qc
Sep 17, 2021
An experience to remember! - What an amazing experience! I traveled by myself to Yosemite to meet with my Lasting Adventures group and not only did I make an incredible group of friends, but I also felt completely comfortable and safe throughout my journey. It was my first time backpacking and my guides, Eric and Aida, made the trip extremely stress-free. The hiking was definitely strenuous at times and was a challenge for me but the views were absolutely worth it. Eric and Aida were extremely knowledgeable about a multitude of topics, and I left feeling very fulfilled through the whole experience. I would recommend this trip to anyone who has an interest in backpacking and seeing the wonderful views that Yosemite has to offer! Lasting Adventures truly made everything go so smoothly and I only want to come back for more!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ambrosiaboyd
Sep 8, 2021
Best Trip Ever - My husband and I just returned from our Lasting Adventure's trip to Yosemite. We backpacked with a group of 7 other people from 'Backpacker's Camp' to Mae Lake, up to Mt Hoffman, Cloud's Rest, and finally completed the trip with an amazing last day summiting Half Dome at sunrise. It. Was. Incredible!! Our guides, Eric and Aida, immediately made us feel comfortable and excited. I can't say enough good things about them. Their passion for the wilderness, people, and their career as a guide is contagious. Aida was so generous - she even gave me her camp shoes to wear on the last day because my shoes had given me such bad blisters. Eric tried to scare us by sharing scary campfire stories, but instead had us all laughing so hard. If you have the chance to go on a Lasting Adventures trip - please do it! There is nothing like sleeping under the stars, meeting new people, and leaving the high stress of the world behind for a few days.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G4751odpaulp
Sep 8, 2021
Adventure of a Lifetime - Let’s just say that my time on the Three Summits trip by Lasting Adventures was the most amazing adventure / challenge that my son and I have ever done. God’s beauty in Yosemite has to be a glimpse of heaven, but we would not have seen it without our incredible guides Aida and Eric. Their professionalism and skills of their trade were phenomenal while also opening themselves to share their lives with each of us. As one of us on our trip said about the conversations that we had with each other and with our guides was that, “It was therapy”. I wanted to learned a ton about backpacking in the back country and I did just that with their help. I came knowing that I would see some amazing mountain heights, but I didn’t know I would walk away with 7 new friends and memories that I will remember for the rest of my life. If you are even thinking about going on a trip with Lasting Adventures; stop thinking and invest in the biggest adventure / challenge of your life.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Timvh8803ef
Aug 24, 2021
Amazing Trip and Experience! YOLO - book it! - Amazing and challenging experience! LA’s upfront communication was very responsive and helpful, which was very appreciated on our first trip to Yosemite.. Once in the park, our guides Jesse and Aida were experts in all things including Yosemite history/sites/plants, backpacking, backcountry cooking, and being funny. Our borrowed gear was top of the line and perfect for experienced or new hikers. Our guides pushed when needed (like seeing Half Dome at sunset!) and helped whenever we needed. Would highly recommend and hope to come back again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ryanmx2225ee
Jul 8, 2021
A perfect way to experience the Yosemite high country - I wanted to go backpacking in Yosemite, but I wasn't ready to go out on my own. Lasting Adventures made it accessible in the most incredible way. If you've never seen the high country of Yosemite in person, and want to challenge yourself, this is the way to do it! Pictures do not do justice to the sights you'll see on this trip. The hike can be rigorous at times with scrambling and navigating rocky terrain while ascending / descending with either your full pack or a day pack. Train on hills with a weighted pack to best prepare for what you'll encounter! The group I ended up with was excellent. We enjoyed each other's company, and encouraged each other through the physical challenges. Our guide Mike had us going at a steady pace that ensured there was room in the schedule for taking brief rest breaks, and regularly checked in with how the group was doing. As other reviews have mentioned, the meals that he prepared on trail were quite tasty.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wanderer79880
Jul 4, 2021
Great experience in the Yosemite most people don't experience. - I'd highly recommend Lasting Adventures to get into the back country of Yosemite and away from the crowds. Everything was arranged including permits for the back country and for entry to the park. Lasting Adventures supplied all the excellent gear that made it possible to have a great experience with minimal planning. Trey was an excellent guide who prepared real meals at our campsites instead of the usual dehydrated meals I'm used to. He was flexible when problems arose and rearranged the itinerary which became necessary. This is a challenging experience, and it is easy to overestimate the ability to hike miles with a 35 pound backpack. I highly recommend this trip. The limitations on masks and social distancing had been removed before we started the trip, and all of us were vaccinated, so Covid wasn't a consideration.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
732franklina
Sep 17, 2020
A trip you won’t forget! - Recently took the Three Summit Tour. Absolutely amazing! Given the circumstances with COVID lasting Adventures did not disappoint. They were flexible with schedules, Nick was very informed and educated me on a lot of the park. Could not recommend enough!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joseph
Aug 24, 2020
The best Yosemite experience! - We can't wait to come again and hike more of Yosemite with our family. The Three Summits tour with Lasting Adventures and our guide, Nicole was awesome! We are vegetarian and she accommodated us perfectly with delicious, healthy meals - best backpacking food we've ever had. Not only was Nicole an awesome cook but she was detailed-oriented and kept us abreast of our schedule and facts like miles traveled and altitude. We borrowed all the gear from them and it was all in excellent condition. The tent and sleeping bag were warm. The best Yosemite experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 6 guests
1
Adult
May 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today