Run into the heart of the Ansel Adams Wilderness area to the divide separating Yosemite National Park and the Merced River watershed. You will catch glimpses of Lyell Canyon to the North and Mammoth, the Volcanic Ridge, and the backside of the Minarets to the East. This route avoids most of the Creek Fire devastation, dryness, and sun exposure found just a couple of miles over. You will travel past Slab Lakes and then higher to the Three D(rainage) Divide up to the top of Triple Divide Peak. That's a lot of D's! Both are class 2 and feature mostly talus. Your exact route off trail may vary, but generally will follow this route. Enjoy this lesser-known part of the Central Sierra. The starting trailhead is a bit nuked from the Creek Fire and is hard to locate. Look for the bathrooms and go behind them; avoid the trail running right with the better signage. Maybe one day a new Fernandez sign will be erected, and the burned Nissan Maxima will be removed, but until then, imagine you're in Fallout 4 for the start; it gets better after 2 miles.
