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Topo hiking maps of the Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trails through North Yosemite.
 
Dicks, and Fontanillis Lakes from Dicks Pass

North Yosemite Backcountry
Backpacking Topo Map

The
Combined
Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trails
&
The Bensen Lake Backpacking Loop

PCT-TYT
Hiking Map

Bensen Lake to Miller Lake through Bensen Pass via Smedberg Lake,
down to
Matterhorn Canyon
and up to
Miller Lake

Four
7.5 minute USGS Backpacking Topo Maps

Aloha Lake under Pyramid Peak from Dicks Pass

MAPS
INDEX

  Sonora
Pass
to
Tuolumne Meadows
MAPS

NORTH
MAP
PCT-TYT

Stubblefield
Canyon
to
Bensen
Lake

SOUTH
MAP

PCT-TYT

Miller
Lake
to
McCabe
Lake

 

PCT
Miles
and
Elevations

Sonora
Pass
to
Tuolumne Meadows

 

TYT
Miles
and
Elevations

Kennedy Meadows
to
Tuolumne Meadows

 

Trail Guide
INDEX

Highway
108
to
Tuolumne Meadows

Trail Guide
PAGE

Smedberg
Lake
to
Miller
Lake

 

30 min
BIG

Map

Bensen
Lake

to
Virginia
Canyon

 

Click
RED DOTS
to view
Trail Guide
Page

ALL
Mountain
Weather

LOCAL
WEATHER

EMIGRANT
&
NORTH
YOSEMITE

Permits

Stanislaus // Emigrant PERMITS

Yosemite
Permits

Toiyabe // Hoover
PERMITS

Tuolumne Meadows
Resupply

Maps
Information

Road Maps

South of Bensen Lake
PCT & TYT
an
Incredibly difficult climb to Smedberg Lake
&
up through

Bensen Pass
and down to
Matterhorn Canyon

 

SCROLL OVER LABELS/ARROWS POINTING TO ADJACENT MAPS

PCT-TYT
Map North

PCT-TYT
Stubblefield
Canyon

to
Bensen
Lake

NORTHERN
TRAIL JUNCTION
leading to
Grand Canyon
of the
Tuolumne River


Kerrick
Canyon

down to
O'Shaughnessy Dam
Trailhead
SOUTHERN
TRAIL JUNCTION
leading to
Grand Canyon
of the
Tuolumne River


Rodgers
Canyon

down to
O'Shaughnessy Dam
Trailhead

 Click Red Dots  

Below
Along the Route
of the
TYT-PCT
Further Below
The Bensen Lake Loop
from
Twin Lakes along the PCT-TYT

ROUTES
of the
PCT-TYT

Also See
Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River
&
North Yosemite Backcountry Backpacking Map

Map
PCT-TYT
SOUTH


Matterhorn
Canyon

to
Virginia
Canyon

Bensen Lake to Miller Lake Yosemite topo hiking map.
PCT-TYT
Map North

PCT-TYT
Stubblefield
Canyon

to
Bensen
Lake

Towards
Grand Canyon
of the
Tuolumne River


Kerrick
Canyon

down to
O'Shaughnessy Dam
Trailhead
Towards
Grand Canyon
of the
Tuolumne River


Rodgers
Canyon

down to
O'Shaughnessy Dam
Trailhead

Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River
&
North Yosemite Backcountry Backpacking Map

Map
PCT-TYT
SOUTH

Matterhorn
Canyon

to
Virginia
Canyon

SCROLL OVER
LABELS/ARROWS
POINTING TO ADJACENT MAPS


The Bensen Lake Loop
ROUTE
Twin Lakes Trailhead

Bensen Lake via Kerrick Canyon
Smedberg Lake, Bensen Pass to Matterhorn Canyon
Matterhorn Canyon to Twin Lakes Trailhead

 

 Click Red Dots  

 

Map of Full Bensen Lake Loop
Route

Bensen Lake, Kerrick Canyon, Matterhorn Canyon backpacking loop out of Twin Lakes in Hoover Wilderness into Yosemite.
PCT-TYT
Map North

PCT-TYT
Stubblefield
Canyon

to
Bensen
Lake

Towards
Grand Canyon
of the
Tuolumne River


Kerrick
Canyon

down to
O'Shaughnessy Dam
Trailhead
Towards
Grand Canyon
of the
Tuolumne River


Rodgers
Canyon

down to
O'Shaughnessy Dam
Trailhead

Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River
&
North Yosemite Backcountry Backpacking Map

Map
PCT-TYT
SOUTH

Matterhorn
Canyon

to
Virginia
Canyon


Location

Main Features

Hiking along this section of trail really gives us a feeling for why this section of the trail from Jack Main Canyon to Glen Aulin is called, "The Yosemite Washboard," and "The Five Canyons."

After the severe descent into what I call "The Bensen Hole" from Seavy Pass, (Bensen Lake sits at the base of surrounding mountains divided by their drainages) we have an equally severe climb out on the other side, no matter which way we came in. Staying at the "Riviera of the Sierra" only costs sweat and calories, a physical lens which makes it even better. Since we are hiking South we will face one of the most difficult climbs along the whole Tahoe to Whitney Trails up ahead.

The climb from the head of the little valley under Volunteer Peak to the first trail junction belongs in the same category as The Golden Staircase. But it is not just this one climb that gives this section its difficulty. It is the rapid-fire succession of climbs.

South from Seavy Pass we are faced with a rapid succession of steep descents and ascents spaced very closely together. The top hiking map above depicts the trail segment at heart of this difficult section, where our climbs and descents are closely spaced.

Map Note

The Bensen Lake Loop

Hiking up Matterhorn Canyon escapes the canyon through Burro Pass, which leads to Kerrick Canyon through Rock Island Pass. This section makes up the East end of the Bensen Lake Loop out of Twin Lakes, which is located Southwest of Bridgeport on Highway 395.

Check out the Bensen Lake to Virginia Canyon 30 minute map for the East side of this loop route, and the Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake 30 minute map to review the West side of the Bensen Lake Loop.


Road Maps

Highway 108 Corridor
to
Highway 395

Scroll East, to the Right, to reveal Bridgeport on Highway 395.
We can see Twin Lakes is very close to Bridgeport.

See the map below Right.

A Nice Drive
The view of the sheer East Sierra Flank from the
Highway 395 Corridor is beautifully impressive.

 

Hetch Hetchy Roadmap

Road Maps specifying locations of the endpoint of our backpcking trip to Hetch Hetchy in relation to Mather, Highway 120, Crane Flat and Tuolumne Meadows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuolumne Meadows Roadmap

Center and magnify the map on Tuolumne Meadows to locate the relative positions of the TM Post office, Store, Cafe, backpackers Camp, and permit office.

We also locate Crane Flat to the West on Highway 120 and Lee Vining and its resources on the Eastern end of Highway 120 on Highway 395.

North on Highway 395 we locate Bridgeport and its access into the North Yosemite Backcountry through Twin Lakes on the edge of the Hoover Wilderness.

Continuing North on 395 we turn West on Highway 108 to find access Points through Kennedy Meadows and Sonora Pass into the North Yosemite Backcountry via Emigrant Wilderness on the classic routes of the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails.


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.

Map Information Map Symbols

Online and Trail Maps Online Length Conversion

 


Mapping, Mileage, and National Park Permit Information

 

 

Yosemite Permits

 

I have not yet written the Yosemite National Parks permit page. But I will offer some advice.

update
(Yosemite Permits)

Walk into Yosemite. Don't even mess with getting permits there.

Want to hike the JMT? Start at Sonora Pass. Drop down to the Valley backwards on the JMT once you arrive at Tuolumne Meadows, then reacquire the JMT in Lyell Canyon via Voglesang.

Yosemite Permit Problems Solved.

 

Yes, I know that may not solve your permit problem. But it is a start.

Topographic Map Information

Northwest Map
Piute Mountain, Calif, provisional,
1990, USGS 7.5 minute Topographic

Northeast Map
Matterhorn Peak Calif, provisional,
1990, USGS 7.5 minute Topographic

Southwest Map
Ten Lakes, Calif, provisional,
1992, USGS 7.5 minute Topographic

Southeast Map
Falls Ridge, Calif, provisional,
1992, USGS 7.5 minute Topographic

scale
1:24 000

Contours
40 Feet

Compass Offset
Magnetic North is
15 degrees East of True North.

 

Backpacking permitting authority

National Park
Yosemite Permits

Wilderness Area
Yosemite

Physical location
South of Highway 108, North of Highway 120.

 

topo hiking map North:                              topo hiking map South:

Elevations   More Information

Bensen Lake
7581 feet

Smedberg Lake
9219 feet

Bensen Pass
10,160 feet

Trail Forum Section
Backpacking the North Yosemite Backcountry
TYT and PCT

Trail Forum Segments
Seavy Pass to Smedberg Lake
hiking North Yosemite Back Country

Smedberg Lake to Miller Lake
via
Matterhorn Canyon


Map Credit

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

Thanks to the USGS for their excellent free downloadable mapping service.

USGS MAP LOCATOR

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.

Map Information Map Symbols
Trailhead
Contact
Alex Wierbinski

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Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney

Your guide to backpacking the Sierra Crest, including the Tahoe to Yosemite, Pacific Crest, and John Muir Trails
© Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Crown Jewel of the Pacific Crest Trail