Durango or Yosemite?

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Yosemite

My vote would be for Yosemite.

It is a backpackers and climbers haven. I was out there for a few weeks last summer hiking the Muir Trail, very beautiful.

We did many things in addition to the Muir Trail.

I will post the links to my pictures tonight when I get home from work.

Great bus service to get you from Lone Pine to Yosemite, you can bus down to the valley from Toulemne(sp??) Pretty easy to hitch hike to trailheads as well.

Easy to get a premit for Whitney if you are willing to go in from a trailhead other then Whiney Portal and backpack up the back of Whitney. We went in from Kresarge Pass and out Whitney Portal, 3 nights, 4 days. Hitched a ride down to Lone Pine, stayed at the hostel in Lone Pine for two days and took the bus back to Yosemite and our car.

I can give you lots of info on the area if you want it, especially about travlel and places to stay. PM if you would like more info. I kept a journal of my trip.

That is where my avatar is from, someplace on the Muir Trail. :)

Happy Trails - Cindy
 
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If you can only ever do one in your lifetime, Yosemite.

However:
I can't see Yosemite getting much more crowded, at least not qualitatively so. The San Juans, on the other hand, are fairly bad but continually getting worse. If you're doing one now and the other in ten years, I'd go to Durango now.
 
Yosemite. Spend a day touring the sights in the Valley and the rest of the time camping up high in the TM campground. Tons of hikes up there where you won't see anyone. You should definitely head down the other side of Tioga Pass and spend a day at Mono Lake. Like an inland saltwater sea.
 
I've been to both during the past couple of years and it's two totally different experiences, although you cant go wrong either way. If it's hiking you're after, it's Yosemite. If it's a vacation with the family, Durango, although there's some great hiking opportunities. And don't forget, Steamworks Brewery has happy hour every day from 4-6pm.
 
Durango -

I was fairly unimpressed with Yosemite. The valley is a total nightmare, and until I got into the heart of the Clark Range, the views were good, but not great. Don't get me wrong, Half Dome is awesome, and El Cap is impressive, but that place is a total zoo. Note: I did not go to Tuolumne Meadows in the northern part of the park, which I have heard is very nice.

In Durango, you can drive around and do some cool hikes that get you into the San Juans, you can do some unbelievable mtn biking, and the town has a smallish non-touristy feel. Plus, you can spend a day at Mesa Verde if you want to check out some cool cliff dwellin stuff.

So I'd vote Yosemite if you have time to get into the backcountry and do some backpacking and really get away from the crowds. Durango is you want to stay in town and day hike / mtn bike, or avoid crowds.
 
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Yosemite. I live in the Eastern Sierra, so I'm probably biased. I live close enough to dayhike Yosemite from Tuolumne Meadows - that's the high country. You should go into the valley (west side) once to see El Cap, the waterfalls, etc, but - it's zooey and has everything short of a Wal-Mart and Cal Worthington Ford dealership. But spend most of your time on the east side, dropping out of that park at some point to see other sights, like Mono Lake, Bodie ghost town, Whitney, DV, etc.
 
Yosemite.
The Valley, while busy with tourists, is worth it.
Raft down the Merced with the crowds. It is a blast.
Stay in the Valley a few days to see the sights, then head up the high country. Before you leave the Valley, get pizza and beer at Curry Village.
We enjoyed our stay at White Wolf Camp more than Tuolumne, but that is just our taste. Tuolomne is crowded as well. Leave the Park for a day trip to Mono Lake, and get lunch at the gas station. You will not regret it.
Durango is nice too, but Yosemite will be burned in your mind for its beauty.
Hiking is great in both places.
Have fun.
Sandy
 
Durango

definitely and PM me and I'll hook you up. have a few friends/relatives there, some very cool outdoorsy/guide types that moved there acouple of years ago from Sedona and who can make it a trip to remember...:D

Oh yeah, take your 3 piece fly rod too...;)
 
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Trainwreck said:
...get lunch at the gas station. You will not regret it.
Click to expand...

That gas station - the Mobil just off US395 is great, isn't it? Tioga Toomey's - even written up in the NY Times. At any point in time you can hear 10 languages being spoken. Too bad it's open only when the park is.
 
We always refer to it by the other half of its name: the Whoa Nellie Deli. Great fish tacos!!

That said--and even though the State of California desperately needs your money--my vote definitely goes for the San Juans. :cool:
 
Although colorado is my second home, if youve never been to Yosemite the choice is clear, go there.
 
Tuolumne Meadows is gorgeous and the backcountry hikes as well as the hikes from the road or Tioga Pass are a completely different experience than the Valley.
 
Here are a few hundred pics from Yosemite and the Muir Trail. When you get out into the backcountry the crowds are gone and the scenery is breathtaking. It is one of the most beautiful trips I have taken. We backpacked out there for four weeks and I would go back in heart beat.

The valley, although crowded with tourist is well worth the crowds and is fun. I couldn't take it for long, but we went down early and were out by early afternoon.

Tuolumne to the Valley

Tuolumne to Mammoth

Devil's Postpile to Piute Pass

If that's not enough, I have more. :)

Enjoy and Happy Trails!!

Cindy
 
Durango!

Within easy reach of Durango:
~ Mt. Sneffels, one of the greatest Colorado 14ers
~ Ice Lake Basin
~ Moab
~ Canyonlands
~ Mesa Verde
~ Monument Valley
~ Everything else in the San Juans Mtns
 
Thanks for all the feedback, everyone! Tickets are purchased.
I'm a sucker for road trips so in part to visit a family member and pick up her car to use, and partly to road trip by the Grand Canyon we are going:

PWM to PHX
Drive to Durango via 2-day side trip to Grand Canyon
In and around Durango - choo-choo trains, 14ers, fishing, biking, repeat
Road trip back to PHX
PHX to PWM

Thanks for the special hookup from one of you!

spencer
 
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