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

 Click Red Dots  

PCT-TYT
Map North

Upper
Jack Main Canyon

TYT
Map Further North

Bond Pass
into
High Emigrant Wilderness

 Click Red Dots  

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

Map
SOUTH

PCT-TYT
Stubblefield Canyon
to
Bensen Lake

Location

Basic Layout
Below the high route of the PCT-TYT across the North Yosemite Backcountry we have a series of ridges and canyons running South off the Sierra Crest into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and Hetch Hetchy. Jack Main Canyon contains a spectacular range of terrain hiking down to Hetch Hetchy, while the route through Tilltill and Rancheria Falls to Hetch Hetchy was very faint, near-unmaintained status (as of 2016-I expect it to be serviced in '16 or '17), and had shown only two previous hikers since the Spring Thaw of 2016.

The map above depicts these first two of the Five Canyons of the North Yosemite Backcountry that both drain the West Flank of the Sierra and carry a couple of nice trails South by the compass down to Hetch Hetchy.

Main Features of Note

These are the best hiking-backpacking maps of Hetch Hetchy in the North Yosemite Backcountry up to the Sierra Crest.

Note that the Map historically mis-names Wilmer Lake: It's "correct" name is Wilma, not Wilmer Lake. I was told the story by rangers and trail crew, but it eludes me at this late hour, constructing the basics of this map.

After a bit of research I've come up with a story and a history:

Another note of interest.
The PCT route around Wilmer Lake was not added until sometime between 1931 and 1939. The route around Tilden Lake was the original through route across the North Yosemite Backcountry.

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.

top of page

Mapping, Mileage,
and
National Forest Information

USGS Maps

Northwest
Kibbie Lake, Calif, 2001,
7.5 minute Topographic Backpacking Map

North
Lake Eleanor, Calif, 2001,
7.5 minute Topographic Backpacking Map

Northeast
Piute Mountain, Calif, 1990,
Provisional,
7.5 minute Topographic Backpacking Map

Southwest
Lake Eleanor, Calif, 2001,
7.5 minute Topographic Backpacking Map

South
Hetch Hetchy, Calif, 1992,
Provisional,
7.5 minute Topographic Backpacking Map

Southeast
Ten Lakes , Calif, 1992,
Provisional,
7.5 minute Topographic Backpacking Map

Compass Offset
Magnetic North is 15 degrees
East of True North

scale
1:100 000

Contours
40 Feet

Backpacking permitting authority:

Yosemite Backpacking Permit Information

Wilderness Area

Yosemite

Physical location

Northwest Yosemite above Hetch Hetchy

Wilmer Lake
7946 feet

Hetch Hetchy Surface
3797 feet

Elevation Change:
4149 feet

Trail Guide, Section

Highway 108 Corridor to Tuolumne Meadows

Trail Guide, Segment:

Jack Main Canyon to Hetch Hetchy

Map Credit

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior:

The
USGS

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