I'm trying to put together a last minute Yosemite/Eastern Sierra Trip.
I will be coming in from SFO and had planned to spend a day or two in the valley, then perhaps two days in Tolumne Meadows. I've never been there, so I'm curious if this is enough time to see some nice sites.
Also, are the Tolumne Meadow camp grounds on the way to Mono Lake and Lee Vining? I'll probably be making my way to the Bishop area after finishing here.
I don't believe that any of the campgrounds, accessible from the Tioga road, are open yet. There a several options outside the Tioga gate that might be, including a couple in Lee Vining.
These are my native stomping grounds, so here goes...
I'm trying to put together a last minute Yosemite/Eastern Sierra Trip.
I will be coming in from SFO and had planned to spend a day or two in the valley, then perhaps two days in Tolumne Meadows. I've never been there, so I'm curious if this is enough time to see some nice sites.
I'll resist the temptation to write that a lifetime is not quite sufficient time to spend in the Tuolumne area. There, I resisted. :-)
But seriously, you could have a great time with two days to spend in Tuolumne. If this is your first visit, here are a few sights to think about:
The meadow - The Tuolumne Meadows actually encompass much more area than what you see as you drive the road - but that area is a fine place to start. In the early and late hours it can be photographically rewarding to simply wander around and look for subjects - which will early/late grazing deer, distant views of the nearby Cathedral Range Peaks and more distant views of the peaks closer to the Sierra crest, dome in and around the meadow, the river, astounding wildflowers if you timing is right, and so forth. If I were to pick only one time of day to photograph the meadow it would probably be late afternoon into and beyond evening.
Lembert Dome - this is a fine hike to the top of an airy viewpoint that provides great views of the surrounding peaks and of the meadow. I enjoy climbing it late in the day to arrive at the top before sunset. Some who don't spend a lot of time on rocky ridges may find the exposure a bit scary, but it is not dangerous.
Elizabeth Lake - this is a relatively short hike up from the "backside" of the Tuolumne Meadows campground to a very pretty lake set in a meadow surrounded by forest with some high peaks beyond. There is much more to photograph here than you might think at first.
The Bridge over the Tuolumne on the JMT - The John Muir Trail passes through T-Meadows. Between the employee wilderness permit station and the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge (tent cabins) the JMT trail departs toward Lyell Canyon. A short distance out on this trail there is a well-known spot where the trees open up at the edge of a meadow and a sturdy bridge crosses the river as it enters a steeper and narrower section. (This is the second place where you cross a river on this trail.) This spot affords a wonderful view up toward Dana and Gibbs.
Dog Lake - This is a nice hike that you can combine with your Lembert Dome hike. Late in the day you may find that there are very few people here.
Gaylor Lakes - If you want a bit of a taste of high back-country without having to hike far or overnight, you can visit the Gaylor Lakes Basin fairly easily. The trailhead is right by the Tioga Pass entrance station, and the trail ascends steeply to cross a ridge (with great panoramas) right above. It then descends into the broad sub-alpine Gaylor Lakes Basin that contains lakes and is rock-strewn. At the far upper end you can find an old mining site.
There are also a lot sights to be seen just outside the park along the crest.
There are tons of other things to see and do here...
Also, are the Tolumne Meadow camp grounds on the way to Mono Lake and Lee Vining? I'll probably be making my way to the Bishop area after finishing here.
Yes, Tuolumne is on the way to Lee Vining - probably something in the 30-45 minute time frame for the drive. Bishop is, what, about another hour or so south of Lee Vining on a fine road.
A couple things about Tuolumne Meadows camping. You didn't say when you will be there, but do check to see when the campground opens. It does not open at the same time the road opens. The road has been open for a while. I think the store either opened yesterday or is opening next week. I haven't checked on the campground but my hunch is that it could be a week or more still.
This campground can fill quite quickly. See if you can make a reservation. If not, get there very early and get your name on "the list" for spots that will be released a bit later in the day. On most weekdays when I arrive reasonably early - especially in the very early or late season - I generally don't have a problem getting a site. If they are full, there are some other campgrounds along the Tioga Pass road in the park, and you can virtually always find something in the National Forest campgrounds just over the pass.
Also, be sure to check the other camps like White Wolf, etc. You are not too far away with those. And even if you have to camp at the eastern side, the Tioga Pass area, it's only a 20 minute drive or so back to Tuolomne Meadows, so that's not too far away.
Thanks for all the tips so far. I actually managed to book two nights at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge. They opened up this morning so I took advantage of that.
As far as I know this area first opens up June 12th, and I will be arriving the 15th.
I was thinking that I might go to the White Mountains after stopping here to see the Bristlecone Pine forest. Are there any areas to stay around this area? How long does it usually take to get here?
Sounds like you have quite a full plate on this trip!
You can do the White Mountains Bristlecone Pine forest as a one-day out and back from Bishop or other smaller towns on the east side. If you only go as far as the end of the pavement you can make a bit of a shorter day of it - and there are some really fine trees at the grove located there. You'll also encounter some really wonderful views of the Sierra crest back to the west across Owens Valley. This is worth getting up very early for - you could shoot sunrise on the crest as part of this.
The road continues a good deal further towards White Mountain itself - though it is dirt/gravel after this point. As gravel/dirt roads go, it really isn't a bad one at all, though you'll slow down a lot. The terrain up here as the road traverses along the ridge is often something of a moonscape - though you can be surprised by green and by flowers if you are there at the right time. The highest grove is a wonderful place. There might be a few other people there, but you could just as easily have solitude.
The road goes beyond this some distance, though I have not followed it. You cannot get all the way to the peak on the road.
Dan
davewolfs wrote:
Hey everyone,
Thanks for all the tips so far. I actually managed to book two nights at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge. They opened up this morning so I took advantage of that.
As far as I know this area first opens up June 12th, and I will be arriving the 15th.
I was thinking that I might go to the White Mountains after stopping here to see the Bristlecone Pine forest. Are there any areas to stay around this area? How long does it usually take to get here?
Thanks for the info Dan. The plan right now is to fly into SFO hang out there for a few days then head directly to Tuolumne. After that we have around 7 days of free time, and will likely fly out of Vegas so any other recommendations for the entire area are appreciated. I was even thinking of maybe doing a day trip to the Eureka dunes but I'm not sure how feasible this would be leaving from Big Pine.
