Looking for climbers in Yosemite

Hi there

Myself and my friend are doing a road trip and will be passing through Yosemite by the 12th & 13th May. We would love to do some top roping if any one would be interested. I can second climbs at single pitch, just haven't lead anything in a year, and would be really just getting back into the swing of things. At that my leading was not to a very high standard, was comfortable leading 5.5 last year.
If any one is in the Yosemite area and has any tips or would be interested in taking an Irish and Scotish girl for a climb, then please let me know. Also any tips for cheap or free camping would be great!

Thanks.

Camping in camp 4 is only $5 a night per person, or if you can find a few more people to spit with, you can share a site in one of the pines campgrounds for even cheaper.

It's pretty easy to find partners in camp 4, especially if you post on the message board.

You can camp for free outside the park on the national forest land, but you'll pay more in gas to get to the valley and back than you'll save in camping fees. Just make sure you get to camp 4 early in the day so that you get a spot before it fills up.

Great thank you.

If your plan is to stay at Camp 4 you need to get there very early (i.e. 5am)and wait ouside the ranger station until it opens. It is 1st come, first served and the line can start very early. Two girls in camp 4 will not have a problem finding top rope partners. Take all the bear warnings seriously. Do not try to camp in your car as you will be have rangers and bears to deal with. Both know all the tricks.

Sergio P wrote:Do not try to camp in your car as you will be have rangers and bears to deal with. Both know all the tricks.

A "friend" of mine spent 90 days camping in his car in Yosemite and he have never had a problem with either. But you have to understand the camping situation in Yosemite.

Logistics wise, Yosemite is literately the worst place in North America for a dirtbag or roadtrip climber to stay. There really is no legal way to stay in Yosemite for a long period of time, unless you work for DNC and live there, or you have a friend with a cabin. It is impossible to find camping in Yosemite, and if you do find camping, you are limited to seven days of camping per year, for all campgrounds combined. As you mentioned, you can drive out of the park and back everyday, but its easily a 120+ minute drive round trip per day. There are tricks, such as using the backpackers' campground, and staying with strangers, if you can convince them. But that stuff only works to a very limited extent, you cannot rely on finding a stranger to stay with every night. You can drag a ledge up on El Cap and sleep up there, but that is even less convenient than driving out of the park every night. You can just sneak into Camp IV at night and sleep in your bag on the ground and than leave early morning, but the one night it rains, it is really going to suck. So really, there is no legal way to do it. Eventually you will probably get caught if you sleep in your car, but I am fairly certain that the amount of money and time you saved by sleeping in your car will far exceed the ticket fee.

From the Yos website, here is the actual info on allowed length of stay:

There is a 30-night camping limit within Yosemite National Park in a calendar year; however, May 1 - September 15, the camping limit in Yosemite is 14 nights, and only seven of those nights can be in Yosemite Valley or Wawona.

See:

nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/…

Except, unfortunately, Camp IV still has a limitation of seven days. Because Camp IV is the only walk in campground open right now (other than the backpackers'), the OP is likely not going to be able to stay in a Yosemite campground more than seven days. At least not legally anyway. The other campgrounds fill up many months in advance. You can always try to check the reservation website for last minute cancellations, but more often than not you come up empty handed.

Thanks all for the info. Managed to get a spot in Camp IV 2 nights without lining up at 5am. AMAZING Loved every minute, I will be returning!