Any Yosemite experts here?

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Beautiful place, the people are a bunch weirdos. Watch your deposits on anything you book...

Do some research on when Tioga pass opens...it is different every year because of the snow melt.it can be quite late in may early June..I've been about ten times and never had issues with mosquitos

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I'm no expert, but book your trip around a full moon. No more beautiful sight from glacier point!

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Well that's true, but gotta say that the view of the Milky Way when the moon isn't washing it out is also VERY impressive.

We might do a scramble up one of the peaks. Maybe Fletcher or Vogelsang.

We're not climbers. We're content with just hiking and camping

Almost every climb has a hike down, and there's nothing stopping non-climbers from taking that way up. It's ballsy and I suggest some research, and staying away from things called 'death slabs', but it's the best way to see the park without breaking out a trad rack.

I did a short backpack from Tioga Rd to Half Dome, via Clouds Rest, about 20 years ago. I want to say I started late one afternoon, spent two nights (possibly three) and was back out to Tioga Rd. Sorry, but I don't recall what trailhead I started and finished at. Possibly Sunrise...

The view of Half Dome is spectacular from that approach. Maybe a better word is "unique", as so many Half Dome views are from the Yosemite Valley floor perspective.

I practically had the place to myself until I hit the Half Dome approach trail. Then, it was like being in the checkout line at WalMart! I ended up turning around at the cables because it was getting too late to summit and get back down. Disappointing, but still a cool trip!

I eventually summited Half Dome from Happy Isles on a day hike. We started in the dark, and made decent time. We rested, ate lunch, took some pics and headed down after about an hour. In that short period, it had become extremely crowded. If you intend to summit Half Dome, my only suggestion is to get to the cables as early as possible.

Yosemite is such a beautiful place. It can be ridiculously crowded in the valley, but solitude can be had by not moving very far away. Enjoy your trip!

I don't know what to tell you about that. The NPS has more rules than Catholic School and many seem to be there just to present obstacles to impede the common folks from enjoying "their" parks. I know they're concerned about "impact", but WTF? Not everyone want to spend the weekend at the Awahnee (but if you get the chance, it's pretty friggin' nice!)

If you're not opposed to a little white lie, you might check into pretending you're thru-hiking the JMT. My brother hiked from Campo to Tioga Rd last season before he had to eject because of health problems. He was able to summit Mt Whitney w/o a permit. You might be able to use this angle in Yosemite, as well.

There used to be a link on the Yosemite page of the NPS.gov website that has the historic opening dates of Tioga Rd. I want to say the latest was like July 8th or 10th. That's not when the snow is gone, it's just when they can finally plow the whole road. IIRC, Tioga Pass is just a bit under 10,000' in elevation - 9,800/9,900 something feet.

For that matter, the valley is something like 4,400. Top of Yosemite Falls is over 7,000'.

They also forcast when the cables will be put up on Half Dome.

White Roach: I've given up on Yosemite for this year. My only availability is June this summer, and there just won't be much I can do in early summer with all that snow. Tuolumne Meadows campground won't be open until August.

We're gonna be in Bishop the night prior, then drive through Yosemite and camp near Sonoma Pass. Hwy 108 if memory serves...
We'll back pack the large loop in Emigrant Wilderness and then head to N. Lake Tahoe, which is just two hours away.
Planning all of this consumed my whole afternoon, but that's half the fun!