Swedo - Hiking Yosemite National Park: a guide to 61 of the parks greatest hiking adventures

Suzanne Swedo has taught natural science seminars for the Yosemite Association in Yosemite National Park for thirty years. During the same period, she has conducted wilderness survival, outdoor skills, and natural history outings as founder and director of W.I.L.D., an international and domestic adventure travel company. She has also led nature and wilderness trips for various educational organizations including the University of California Extension, the National Outings Program of the Sierra Club, Wilderness Institute, Pacific Wilderness Institute, and Outdoor Adventures.

Suzanne has demonstrated wilderness skills in a ten-week television series, Alive and Well, and served as a survival consultant for Warner Brothers Television. Her writings on travel and the outdoors have appeared in publications such as the Los Angeles Examiner and California Magazine. Other books for FalconGuides are Wilderness Survival, Hiking Californias Golden Trout Wilderness, Hiking the Hawaiian Islands, and Best Easy Day Hikes Yosemite National Park.

Thanks to the many park rangers and other personnel and volunteers of the National Park Service in Yosemite who have been so generous with their time and assistance, especially Laurel Boyers and Dave Gansci, Linda and Alan Estes, and Deanna Petree. All have provided much valuable information and have helped to smooth the way.

The biggest debt of gratitude is owed to wilderness ranger Mark Fincher, who knows everything there is to know about the trails of Yosemite, and to Erin Anders, who builds them. Also deeply appreciated are the support and assistance of June at the USDA Forest Service office in Oakhurst, as well as Pete Devine, Kylie Chappell, Adonia Ripple, and everyone at the Yosemite Conservancy, whose purpose it is to initiate and support interpretation, education, research, and scientific and environmental programs in Yosemite.

For their aid and encouragement, and plain good company in the field, thanks also to Joellyn Acree, Erica Crawford, Ed DeLeonardis, Minh Duong, Melinda Good-water, Jane Magid, Sally McKinney, Marissa Ortega-Welch, Fumiaki Nakamura, Jeff Nathan, the Nicoletti family, Celia Ronis, Jane Sinclair, and Sandy Steinman.

Barrett, S. A., and E. W. Gifford. Miwok Material Culture. Yosemite, CA: Yosemite Natural History Association, 1933.

Browning, Peter. Place Names of the Sierra Nevada. Berkeley, CA: Wilderness Press, 1991.

Gaines, David. Birds of the Yosemite Sierra. Oakland, CA: California Syllabus, 1977.

Glazner, Allen F., and Greg M. Stock, Geology Underfoot in Yosemite National Park. Helena, MT: Mountain Press Publishing Company, 2010.

Grater, Russell K. Discovering Sierra Mammals. Yosemite, CA: Yosemite Natural History Association and Sequoia Natural History Association, 1978.

Harmon, Will. Leave No Trace. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, 1997.

Harvey, H. Thomas, Howard S. Shellhammer, and Ronald E. Stecker. Giant Sequoia Ecology. Scientific Monograph Series No. 12. Washington, DC: US Department of the Interior, 1980.

Huber, N. King. The Geologic Story of Yosemite National Park. US Geological Survey Bulletin 1595. Washington, DC: US Department of the Interior, 1987.

Johnson, Verna R. Sierra Nevada. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1970.

Laws, John Muir. The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada. Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books, 2007.

Paruk, Jim. Sierra Nevada Tree Finder. Yosemite, CA: Yosemite Natural History Association, 1997.

Preston, Gilbert. Wilderness First Aid. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, 1997.

Sax, Joseph L. Mountains without Handrails. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1980.

Schneider, Bill. Bear Aware. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2004.

Schneider, Bill, and Russ Schneider. Backpacking Tips. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2005.

Storer, Tracy I., and David Lucas. Sierra Nevada Natural History. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004.

Swedo, Suzanne. Wilderness Survival. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2006.

Weeden, Norman. A Sierra Nevada Flora. Berkeley, CA: Wilderness Press, 1996.

Wenk, Elizabeth. Wildflowers of the High Sierra and John Muir Trail. Birmingham, AL: Wilderness Press, 2015.

Whitney, Stephen. The Sierra Nevada: A Sierra Club Naturalists Guide. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1979.

Wiese, Karen. Sierra Nevada Wildflowers. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2000.

Woodmencey, Jim. Reading Weather. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, 1998.

Zwinger, Ann H., and Beatrice E. Willard. Land above the Trees. New York: Harper & Row, 1972.

Always make and check your own checklist!

If you've ever hiked into the backcountry and discovered that you've forgotten an essential, you know that its a good idea to make a checklist and check the items off as you pack so that you won't forget the things you want and need. Here are some ideas:

Clothing

Dependable rain parka

Rain pants

Windbreaker

Thermal underwear

Shorts

Long pants or sweatpants

Wool cap or balaclava

Hat

Wool shirt or sweater

Jacket or parka

Extra socks

Underwear

Lightweight shirts

T-shirts

Bandana(s)

Mittens or gloves

Footwear

Sturdy, comfortable boots

Lightweight camp shoes

Bedding

Sleeping bag

Foam pad or air mattress

Ground sheet (plastic or nylon)

Dependable tent

Hauling

Backpack and/or day pack

Cooking

1-quart container

1-gallon water container for camp use (collapsible)

Backpack stove and extra fuel

Aluminum foil

Cooking pots

Bowls/plates

Utensils (spoons, forks, knife)

Pot scrubber

Matches in waterproof container

Food and Drink

Cereal

Bread

Crackers

Cheese

Trail mix

Margarine

Powdered soups

Salt/pepper

Main course meals

Snacks

Hot chocolate

Tea

Powdered milk

Drink mixes

Photography

Camera and batteries

Filters

Lens brush/paper

Miscellaneous

Bear-proof canister

Sunglasses

Map and compass

Sewing kit

Toilet paper

Pocketknife

Sunscreen

Good insect repellent

Lip balm

Flashlight with good batteries and a spare bulb

Candle(s)

First-aid kit

Your FalconGuide

Survival kit

Small garden trowel or shovel

Water filter or purification tablets

Plastic bags (for trash)

Soap

Towel

Toothbrush

Fishing license

Fishing rod, reel, lures, flies, etc.

Binoculars

Waterproof covering for pack

Watch

Hiking poles