The Yosemite most people never reach.

Little Yosemite Valley as a base camp, Half Dome as the objective. One night in one of Yosemite's most iconic wilderness camping areas, with the summit the next morning before the crowds. Established trails the whole way, no complex logistics, no remote terrain. If you have thought about backpacking to Half Dome but were not sure you were ready for a longer expedition, this is where you start.

We start at Happy Isles, and we are on the cables at first light, ahead of the day-hike crowd, because we slept two miles from them. No backpacking experience needed; what you need is the legs for two full days of climbing and descending. The wilderness permit covers Half Dome, so there is no separate lottery for you to win.

Base camp along the John Muir Trail around 7,000 feet, between the Half Dome and Clouds Rest junctions. Half Dome is the primary objective; depending on the group and conditions we add Clouds Rest, or hike the Lost Valley toward Merced Lake and loop back. Four days gives us time to do more than check off Half Dome. Over Memorial Day weekend this trip runs as a five-day version with one more day in the backcountry.

We start at Happy Isles. Two summits from one camp, and I set the order by the weather and the group rather than a script, so the cables get the best morning of the four. No backpacking experience needed, just the legs for full days with real elevation gain.

Two ways in, one way out. The six-day version goes up Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang, over the pass and down to Merced Lake, then up to Little Yosemite Valley for the summit. The five-day version starts at Tenaya Lake, camps at the Sunrise Lakes, and trends downhill to the same base camp, with Clouds Rest as an option on the way. Either way the last full day is Half Dome from a base camp with a daypack, and the walk out past Nevada and Vernal Falls.

The five-day August trip runs the Tenaya Lake line: a short first day to the Sunrise Lakes, then downhill to base camp, so the big elevation is behind you before the summit. The six-day July trip is the fuller high-country traverse, with three nights above 7,000 feet before Half Dome. Both need Tioga Road open, which is why neither runs before July. No backpacking experience needed for August; July wants a few full days on your legs beforehand.

Tuolumne Meadows as a launching point into genuine alpine terrain. This trip moves through high-country lake basins above 9,000 feet, the part of Yosemite most visitors never reach. Two nights, two different lakes, a loop route that keeps the scenery changing. Day 2 is intentionally lower mileage: this is a chance to actually be somewhere instead of just passing through it. If you want Yosemite's high country without committing to a Half Dome summit or a multi-week expedition, this is the right trip.

We start at Rafferty Creek Trailhead and finish in Lyell Canyon, both in Tuolumne Meadows. Expect 6 to 10 miles a day with a full pack and some climbing. This is the trip I recommend to first-time backpackers, and to anyone who wants the high country without a summit on the schedule.

We start at Rafferty Creek Trailhead in the Tuolumne Meadows area and spend eight days moving through a chain of high-country lake basins, with off-trail granite sections, finishing with a Half Dome summit before descending into Yosemite Valley. One-way, not an out-and-back. There is no rigid daily itinerary: I handle navigation, offer options, and we adjust the route to conditions and how the group is feeling. Most of the trip is in terrain very few visitors ever reach.

We start at Rafferty Creek Trailhead in Tuolumne Meadows and finish at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley; the one-way shuttle to the trailhead on day one is included. This one asks for prior multi-night backpacking at elevation and comfort with 8 to 12 mile days carrying 2,000 to 3,000 feet of gain. In return it shows you more of Yosemite's backcountry in one trip than most people see in a lifetime.

The north rim is the quiet side of Yosemite Valley. We climb the Yosemite Falls trail past the top of Upper Yosemite Fall, then follow the rim east to North Dome, which looks straight across at the face of Half Dome, and on to Indian Rock, the only natural arch in the park. We finish down the Snow Creek switchbacks to Mirror Lake. A spring and fall trip: it runs when the high country is still under snow and again when the summer crowds have gone.

We start at the Upper Yosemite Falls trailhead by Camp 4 and finish at Mirror Lake. No backpacking experience needed, just the legs for a big first day of climbing. No cables and no Half Dome summit, which is the point: the views of Half Dome from this side are the ones in the photographs.

Spring in the Merced River canyon is a different Yosemite: Vernal and Nevada Falls running full, the Mist Trail living up to its name, and the trail past Little Yosemite Valley nearly empty because the Half Dome cables are not up yet. We camp at Little Yosemite Valley the first night, then follow the Merced upstream through Lost Valley and the granite narrows to Merced Lake, camp there, and walk it back. No summit, no lottery, no crowds. Water everywhere.

Spring means water: expect wet trail below Vernal Falls, cold river crossings kept to bridges, and cool nights. The Half Dome cables are usually still down on these dates, so this trip is about the canyon, not the summit. Snow lingers above Merced Lake some years; I adjust the second day to conditions.