Location Notes

Main Features

Beyond the PCT and TYT
Our feature trails, the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail routes, track through this section of the North Yosemite Backcountry. This map is much larger than required to understand their specific routes. The unified TYT & PCT routes enter this map on the lower Left side to where they exit off its lower Right side.

This map includes the trails running up the canyons between the ridges running up to the Sierra Crest from our combined TYT & PCT route, which illustrates the trails leading over the Sierra Crest to Hoover Wilderness Trailheads along the East flank of the Sierra.

The reasons are twofold: first, to get as wide a context on the surrounding terrain and mountains as possible.

Second, the map above puts the Twin Lakes Trailhead over on the East Flank of the Sierra in the Hoover Wilderness into context with our long trails across and around the North Yosemite Backcountry, specifically the Bensen Lake Loop.

The map above shows the Bensen Lake Loop's shared section of trail on our main trails, the combined TYT and PCT, along with it's route down Kerrick Canyon to access the PCT and its route off the PCT up Matterhorn Canyon on the Bensen Lake Loop's route to and from Twin Lakes.

Hoover Wilderness
and Hall Research Natural Area on the East Flank
Our next 30 minute backpacking map to our South covers the Green Creek and Virginia Lakes Trailheads in the Hoover Wilderness on the East flank, and the trails leading into the top of Virginia Canyon and connecting with our PCT-TYT route.

The Virginia Canyon to Tuolumne Meadows 30 min map also depicts the Lundy Canyon and Saddlebag Lake Trailheads accessing the Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area, and the East Flank of Mount Conness, although these two East flank trailheads link with each other, they don't offer trail access to our PCT-TYT through-route running down Cold Canyon.

Click the PCT-TYT route on map above in Virginia Canyon to see detailed maps to our East of the Green Creek and Virginia Lakes Trailheads in the Hoover Wilderness and click the map lower down in Cold Canyon to see the detailed map of the Lundy Canyon and Saddlebag Lake Trailheads in the Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area.

Mapology

MAP NOTE
Those squares breaking the USGS maps up into grids are the Universal Transverse Mercator / Military Grid Reference System, otherwise commonly known as UTM.

What's important for our general reference purpose is that each side of a square is 1000 meters, or a Kilometer.

From my point of view that is 1093.6 yards or .62 of a mile.

Diagonal: 1414.22 meters, if my trig is correct.

That converts the diagonal distance into 4,639.8 feet or .88 of a mile.

Mapping, Mileage,
and
National Forest Information

The elevation information below highlights the visual presentation of this precipitous terrain above.

We are hiking through the Southern Half of the well-named "Five Canyons of the North Yosemite Backcountry," also know as "The Washboard."

The elevation figures below indicate our route rapidly ascends and descends a series of closely spaced High Sierra ridges just below the Western flank of the Sierra Crest.

This segment of our trail is composed of harsh climbs and steep descents, at least until we hike South into the bottom of Virginia Canyon.

Though we have another climb South up to the top of Cold Canyon, the terrain is noticably moderating, and once we reach the top of Cold Canyon we face a long downhill hike to Glen Aulin.

Click the red dots to see the trail guide entry for that location, and click the main route of the combined PCT-TYT for the underlaying highly detailed 7.5 minute topo map.

USGS Maps

Bridgeport Calif, 1985,
30x60 Topographic Map

Yosemite Valley, Calif, 1976,
30x60 Topographic Map

Compass Offset
Magnetic North is 16 and 1/2 degrees
East of True North

scale
1:100 000

Contours
50 meters

Backpacking permitting authorities:

National Forest, Northeast of Yosemite
Toiyabe National Forest

Wilderness Area
Hoover Wilderness

Toiyabe Ranger District
Bridgeport

Seavy Pass: 9120 feet

Bensen Lake: 7581 feet

Bensen Pass: 10160 feet

Matterhorn Canyon: 8480 feet

High Point South of Miller Lake: 9560 feet

Virginia Canyon: 8560 feet

Trail Guide, Section
Backpacking the North Yosemite Backcountry
TYT and PCT

Map Credit

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior
The
USGS

USGS MAP LOCATOR

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Move the Map to the Sierras. Select size of Maps you wish to locate. Click "Mark Point" on map to see the USGS map grid of the selected map scale.

USGS Topographic