Benson Circuit: Yosemite Hiking Without The Crowds

By John A. Heatherly

I have been blessed so far. I’ve much of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, New Mexico…

I have never been to Yosemite and this thorough trip report from RGJ has inspired me to check it out.

No crowds? Sounds awesome… Enjoy!

All the beauty of Yosemite National Park without the huge crowds? Yes, please.

The apprehension started to kick in when we took our first real break of the day at the top of Mule Pass, which marks the border of a remote section of Yosemite National Park. The real worrying came later.

Reaching the top of the pass, which is at about 10,500 feet in elevation, after climbing about two miles and 1,000 vertical feet from Crown Lake, in the Hoover National Wilderness Area, meant we’d made good time in clearing the day’s first major obstacle.

But as nice as it was sitting in the sun and contemplating the talus through which we’d ascended and beautiful, blue alpine lake we passed along the way something bigger loomed on the horizon about five miles to the west.

It was the jagged peaks of the Sawtooth Range and, more specifically, Matterhorn Peak.

The peak marked the entrance to Burro Pass which, at about 10,700 feet, was …read more

Source:: Patriot Outdoor News