Lyell Fork is a gently flowing creek, and the trail follows it to the end of the canyon. No camping is allowed within four miles of the highway.
Gurjeet along one of the wide meanders of the creek.
Our first night's camp at the end of Lyell Canyon. There were many parties camped in this area. A bear made the rounds that night, and we heard a lot of commotion from other camps, but we were not visited by the bear.
Lyell Canyon
Starting at Tuolumne Meadows lets you get acclimated with an easy first day through flat Lyell Canyon. Purists will point out that this is not the true starting point of the JMT. We were okay with this, but it's your call.
#2: 37.8079 N, 119.2640 W 8990'