Snow CampFor over fifteen years the De Anza College Outdoor Club has gone camping in Yosemite Valley in the winter. This trip often has more attendance than any other trip of the year.
Because we are in a campground with heated restrooms and there are restaurants to bail to if cooking out doesn't work, this isn't a true wilderness adventure.
But we have had
someone on almost every trip who has never been in the snow or been camping before (or even both), so for them it meets all definitions of an adventure.
The new friends in these group photos at the end of previous winter Yosemite trips were mostly strangers when the trip started.
 
 
 
  
There is a bigger copy of the 2004 group photo at:
Yosemite winter 2004 camping trip
2005 :
February 2005 Yosemite camping
2006:
De Anza College Outdoor Club Yosemite winter trip 2006
Who's going?
Most people sign up much closer to the trip date, but as an example, for the 2007 trip:
Rose, Michael, Somayeh, Shannon, Keith, Thuy-Duong, Dinh, Bhavishya, Hoda, John, Suzy, Sandi, Tiffany, Mona, Maryam, Sandeep, Joe, Pradeep, Jessica, Manoj, Yvonne, Chance, Philip, Catherine, Iain, Aaron, Howard, Alice, Eileen, Edgar, Mike, Tamara, Alan and Mary.
Our ages were 12, 18, 18, 19, 19, 21, 22, 22, 25, 25, 26 26, 27, 27, 27, 28, 28, 28, 28, 29, 30, 31, 31, 34, 36, 36, 40, 42, 56, 58, 58 and 62. (You have no excuse that no one your age is going!)
Eight had been on the trip before. Four had never been camping and two of them had never seen snow. Three of us were Red Cross first aid/cpr instructors.
Hordes of others said they were going but did not sign up.
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For a list of required equipment (and another list of the things you will really wish you had) as well as menu advice, and a discussion of what to look for in long-johns, fabrics and rain gear, go to: Snow or rain camp must-haves To go on our trip you must read the must haves list and follow it. On a budget? In 2008 we found winter hiking boots for rent for $7 for the weekend. We do a shopping survey and list the cheapest places to find the needed gear, often at half the price of higher priced camping gear stores.
This page also describes the extravagant Sunday brunch ($41) at the Ahwahnee hotel that most people usually go to after we pack up the campsite on Sunday morning.
How many people can you fit in an eight person tent?
  
  
The Feb.1-3, 2008 trip was the same cost as 2007, as little as $10 if you are a club member and you carpool. Go to Outdoor Club Coming Attractions closer to the date of the 2009 trip for the whole cost breakdown.
For info on the logistics of where to pitch your tent, dealing with iced car door locks, staying warm and comfy overnight and more, go to: First-timer's instructions.
This National Park Service photo shows a coyote going after a meal under the snow. There WILL BE coyotes and raccoons, if not bears, in the campground. We've seen them every time of the day and night and heard them singing overnight. People on previous trips have made lots of mistakes about food storage and dealing with animals. PLUS When any De Anza club camps as a group we face this problem: Someone in a nearby campsite
will expect the worst (noise, etc.) from an obviously college-age group. And they will be quick
to complain about any rule infraction (some of which carry heavy fines). To go on our trip you must read A problem and its solution
We could have 1 1/2 foot deep snow in the campground or very-early-spring type weather with only a little snow on the ground. We could have to deal with the Mono winds. You might encounter hazards on trails. To go on this trip you must read: Snow camp weather, hike safety and first aid considerations
What is there to do on this trip?
On Saturday, some people on this trip will take the free bus to the ski resort to snowboard or ski. They offer ski (downhill or cross-country)lessons at the resort and a Ranger guided snowshoe walk. Usually more people will do a major hike, like the one to the top of or the base of upper Yosemite Falls. (There's a different free bus to the trailhead.) Others will do a few short hikes or a Ranger nature or history walk, photo walk with a professional photographer or go ice skating. (Free bus to those places, too.) Some will try to fit in working on a term paper on a laptop.
Below is a Park Service photo of upper Yosemite Falls with the winter snow cone at its base. Our Saturday hike, if the trail is clear enough, can get us quite close for photos.
The hike part way, to an overlook at Columbia Rock, is 2 miles round trip with a 1,000 foot elevation gain and is often quite clear of snow. The hike to the top is 7.2 miles round trip with a 2,700 foot elevation gain. You can hike any distance you choose.
The section of the upper Yosemite Falls trail near the top, as shown below, had a lot of snow one year, which is part of the reason we expect people to hike in groups of four or more if they go above the valley floor. That way if someone gets into trouble, there is someone to stay with them while two others go back for help. The Park Service has reported about people who went off trail on the Yosemite falls hike, went to an unsafe area and died. Did you read Snow camp weather, hike safety and first aid considerations?
More pictures of this hike are at Upper Yosemite Fall hike.
  
There are nearly 350 miles of cross-country skiable trails and roads in Yosemite including 25 miles of machine groomed track and 90 miles of marked trails (no fee) that begin at Badger Pass. Very near Badger Pass there are some relatively short trails to scenic points and some nearly level machine groomed track for beginners. The road to Glacier Point is groomed for cross country skiing in the winter. The mileages from Badger Pass are:
Summit Meadow, 1 mi. (There is usually an operational outhouse there.)
Bridalveil Campground, 2.8 mi.
Bridalveil Creek, 3.3 mi.
Ostrander Trailhead, 4.1-4.5 mi.
Clark Range View, 5.7 mi.
Sentinel Dome, 9.2 mi.
Glacier Point, 10.5 mi.
Signed winter trails (no fee) are also available at Crane Flat, in the backcountry and among the Giant Sequoias of the Mariposa Grove.
Brochures (including maps) of cross country ski and snowshoe winter trails are available as PDF files: (200-500 kb in size).
Badger Pass and along the Glacier Point Road
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/badger-winter.pdf
Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/mgrove-winter.pdf
Crane Flat area
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/cflat-winter.pdf
Links to Badger pass downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and tubing start at:
http://www.yosemitepark.com/BadgerPass.aspx
Lift tickets for 2007-8 weekends will be:
Adult all day $38, half day $28
Lifts operate from 9am to 4pm (Half-Day is noon to 4pm)
http://www.yosemitepark.com/BadgerPass_RentalPricing.aspx
Call 1 (209) 372-1000 for ski conditions.
 
Snowboarding photo by Ernie Moreno. Fallen skier by Robert Campbell.
If you want to rent downhill or snowboard gear you might want to rent it at the Yosemite resort. If you rent gear at home before the trip it could be a waste of money if a storm closes the road to the resort, shuts down power to the ski lifts, closes the resort completely or you decide that a big hike that day would be more fun.
The rangers offer a cheap (suggested $5 donation for snowshoe use) daily snowshoe walk (moderate to strenuous) with a Ranger naturalist which meets at the Badger Pass A-frame. As of early 2008 it was scheduled from 10:30 to 12:30. (Photos below by Monica Colmenares and Richard Neimrec.)
  
An article on the snowshoe walks is at:
http://www.yosemite.org/newsroom/clips2004/february/021604.htm
Road and weather conditions permitting, the free bus to the ski resort for the snowshoeing, skiing and snowboarding leaves Curry Village (two blocks from the campground) at (Jan. 2008) 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. (and makes stops at various hotels) and returns from the ski resort at 2 and 4 p.m. Allow at least one hour for each one-way trip.
In Yosemite Valley
A free shuttle bus goes to 17 stops in the valley in the winter (early 2008) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (but check the timetable at each stop) at 10 to 20 to 30 minute intervals. The route, stops and how to find the store, shower house, etc. are at: Yosemite Valley free shuttle bus
The film Spirit of Yosemite usually plays every half hour when the Visitor Center is open. (early 2008 - Mon.- Sat. 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4:30.) This is a great visitor orientation film with some swooping aerial views along with history and scenes from all seasons and all parts of the park.
Ice skating info is at:
http://www.yosemitepark.com/activities_winteractivities_iceskating.aspx
photo below by who?
 
The Ansel Adams gallery has free photo walks, weather permitting, at 9 a.m. for two+ hours Saturdays (early 2008). Limited space, conditions permitting, sign up in advance at the gallery.
see also: Yosemite winter photos
There are more than 12 miles of surfaced bike paths on the valley floor and the weather is sometimes good enough to ride or rollerblade.
Listen to the snow fall, listen to coyotes sing, make snow angels...
Yosemite Today / Yosemite Guide newspaper has lots of safety info, a calendar of park activities including Ranger walks, and hours of operation for visitor centers and museums.
The January, 2008 issue listed:
Friday 2 p.m. for 1 1/2 hours Ranger stroll, geology, meet at the Visitor Center,
Bears at 2 p.m. Saturday for 1 1/2 hours, meet at the Curry Village amphitheater,
Merced meanders, Sunday at 2 p.m. for 1 1/2 hours, meet at shittle stop #11 (Sentinel bridge)
Evening programs 7 to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday evening at the Lodge
The commercial services section of the Yosemite Today newspaper has hours of operation for tours, stores (early 2008 from 8 a.m. to 6 or 8 p.m.), food service (early 2008 from 6:30 or 7 a.m. to 7:30 or 9 p.m., post office, laundromat (early 2008, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Housekeeping Camp), showers (early 2008, 24 hours at Curry Village), auto service, gas stations (no gas stations in Yosemite valley) and more.
Online at:
http://www.nps.gov/yose/now/today.htm
 Evenings are spent playing guitar and gossiping around the campfire, playing charades and board games, sometimes taking night hikes. If it's slippery, and it probably will be, people often night hike arm-in-arm in groups of four or five or...
 
 
Looking for yourself in one of these? There are bigger pictures at: Yosemite winter 2004 camping trip.
This girl was caught studying in the restroom at 5 a.m. on one of our Yosemite winter trips. Why in the restroom? Because it's heated in the winter and you can save on flashlight batteries. At 5 a.m. it's quiet except for the coyotes she heard howling in the distance. Lots of people study on our trips, bringing homework, projects and even laptops. Some study in cars on the way to and from the trip. This might not be as effective as studying at home, but you've got to get away and have fun sometime!
What if it storms so much they close the road to the ski resort? We won't be able to ski or take one of the long hikes.
Will there be anything to do except hide in the car, play cards at the laundromat or go online at the Lodge (for a fee)?
The answers are at: Things to do during a Yosemite snow storm besides hiding in your tent
In 1998 thru 2008 on Sunday some people dragged themselves out of bed early, ate just a little, and did a short morning hike (others slept in). We all packed up the campsite by the 10 a.m. deadline.
At least half of the group got showers or otherwise cleaned up, changed into decent clothes (you won't be let into brunch wearing dirty camping gear) and went to brunch at the Ahwahnee hotel at around noon or 1 p.m.
Photo below courtesy of the park concessioneer Delaware North.
see: Outdoor Club winter campers at brunch
Answers to most questions about how the De Anza Outdoor club works are at: Outdoor Club Basic Info The main rules common to most of our trips, including who is eligible to go, are at: Outdoor Club trip rules.
The club can't arrange rides, but people going on our Yosemite road trip have various options of how to get there. For ideas and driving directions go to: Snow camp carpools and driving directions
Prepare for winter driving has a link to bad weather driving tips, tips for using tire chains, tricks for dealing with frozen car locks, how to prepare your vehicle for winter driving, how to de-fog the windows, a winter survival kit for your car and what to do if you get stranded. Don't have chains? Try: Snow chain rentals
For the answer to the question:
How do I convince my parent(s)/guardian that I can go on this trip? or How do I convince them to pay for some gear for the trip?
Go to: Snow camp FAQs
Club members can rent club-owned equipment for trips Membership is $15 for 365 days. Reasons why you should become a member are at: Membership benefits
How can I sign up for this trip?
The Outdoor Club has a good reputation with Risk Management and they let us do adventurous trips like this one as a result. The club wants to keep that reputation and wants the trip to be safe and fun. You will need to read most of the links from this page about safety and take a written test before you can sign up for the trip. Sample test questions and a few of the answers are at: Snow camp pre-test sample questions
We got tired of people who brought useless rain gear on previous trips. We had to dress them in plastic leaf bags:
So you will need to show us your rain gear when you sign up for this trip. We will not accept a rain poncho. We will not accept thin, easily torn temporary rain gear like they sell at airports for emergencies.
Go to: Snow or rain camp must-haves for details and ideas for people on a budget.
You'll need to fill out and sign a release for each Outdoor Club off campus event you sign up for; you can print one in advance at release form.
The pretrip meeting for the 2009 snow camp trip will be announced here closer to the date. This would be the best time to arrange carpools, see who will share a big tent with who and the last chance to sign up for the trip.
Equipment rentals will go much more smoothly if you have read the Outdoor Club Sample Rental Agreement
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When camping with a large group of people some complain there is not enough room in their shared bear box for all their food.
More things could fit in the campite bear-proof storage lockers if everyone brought smaller containers of food, etc.
NO!→  ← Yes!!
and if everyone brought their gear in small, deep plastic trash cans or other plastic boxes close to, but no more than, 17 inches tall. A typical bedroom waste receptacle could be 9" by 12" by 17" deep and hold quite a few cans of food, cooking items and toiletry bags. If you've never shared bear boxes with a big group, read
Using a campsite food storage locker
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Below, a NPS photo of Half Dome cloaked in snow on Jan. 5, 2005, and a picture taken near our campground at sunset by Mike Rivers:
 
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A larger copy of this photo is at:
Yosemite Falls view in February snow and other seasons
To see a live, or nearly live shot of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, go to
http://www.yosemite.org/vryos/index.htm
At this site you can become a member of the Yosemite Association and get 15% off on books, postcards, etc. at the Yosemite (and most other National Parks) visitor centers.
The 25 best books about Yosemite are for sale at: http://www.yosemitestore.com/merchant/index.html
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For a laugh, and to help insure you won't become an entry on the page, read Camping Blunders
There's easy camping info at: Have more fun camping
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The entire text of The Yosemite by John Muir is at:
http://www.abovecalifornia.com/lib/JohnMuir/Yosemite/index.shtml
Favorite chapters for winter trip reading include:
Winter Storms and Spring Floods
Snow-storms
Snow Banners
Some great pictures of climbing as well as beginning and advanced photo tips for hikers, climbers:
http://www.gdargaud.net/Photo/ClimbingPhotoTips.html
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Yosemite Valley is an attempt to show the dramatic scale of the depth and width of the valley through pictures of Yosemite Falls.
How much water will there be in the Yosemite waterfalls?
Yosemite nature and photography links has links to photo tips, geology, birding and wildflowers (well, okay, no wildflowers in the winter, but...) info.
Yosemite trips index
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