Re: Trail conditions off Tioga Road? Gaylor Lakes/Mono Pass/Cathedral Lakes

Hello all, I was wondering if somebody could give me some insight regarding recent trail conditions for any of the hikes I listed above. We are a group of 6 young adult guys heading there this weekend. This is our fourth trip to the park and we want to do some hikes in the eastern part of the park but we usually go later in the season so we hadn't considered the potential of snow impeding our hikes until now.

The hikes I'm particularly interested in are Gaylor lakes, Mono Pass, and Cathedral Lakes. We are hoping to do Gaylor and one other hike in one long day and I would also appreciate recommendations on which hike to choose if conditions are okay. I know the trailhead for Gaylor lakes is around 10k feet but have read excellent feedback for the hike and would really like to go.

Thanks in advance.

I haven't gone up myself yet this year but a few friends went climbing there this past week and from the photos it looks pretty dry around cathedral and Tenaya (photo below).






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2018 04:16PM by KevinD.

Did Sunrise to Cathedral loop over two nights on Memorial Day weekend. We hit tonnes of snow at that time with solid post-holing on the way from Sunrise HSC to Upper Cathedral.

By now, there should be no snow going up to the lower Cathedral lakes and maybe some snow patches from lower to Upper Cathedral Lake. I would expect more snow around Gaylor lake, especially after you drop down from the high point and go downhill towards the lake due to north facing slope. Others who are more regular around Yosemite can give you a better idea about Gaylor/Mono area.

Thank you guys so much for the quick responses! It looks like it's a thumbs up for the Cathedral lakes area at the very least. Looks beautiful! Hopefully someone will be able to chime in about the Gaylor/Mono area.

Would anyone have any recommendations regarding Gaylor lakes vs Mono pass vs Cathedral lakes? Gaylor lakes sounds great but too short for a whole day so I'm hoping to add Mono pass or Cathedral lakes on the same day but I'm having a tough time deciding between them.

Thanks again for your help

I would recommend Lower and Upper Cathedral Lakes and then if you have time in the evening, check out sunset from Lehmbert Dome.
Hike up to North Dome and Indian arch is also a fun one. I haven't been to May lake and Mt Hoffman though that might change this weekend.

if you hike Gaylor Lakes you can extend and go to the old mining sites. There are some ruins/buildings and prospects (with old mining equipment) scattered around - if you like that kind of thing. It's marked on most decent maps of the park. Also, Granite Lakes are really beautiful, though I would not be surprised if they are not at least partially under ice. Not sure of the snow conditions though, haven't been up this year yet.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2018 07:14PM by ags.

I've read about making sure not to miss the opportunity to visit Granite Lakes when on the Gaylor lakes hike as well as hiking up to the top of Gaylor peak for an amazing view. I'll definitely look more into those old mining sites as well. Sounds really interesting. Thank you for the tips!

Maybe this reply is too late for you. We just got back from TM. Mono Pass was a great dayhike that my both my son and I enjoyed. We brought lunch and our backpacking chairs and sat down next to Upper Sardine Lake. The hike has beautiful scenery and meadows, river/ creek views, and of course the Mono Lake view, which is just past the Pass.

We did the Gaylor Lakes a few years ago. Also a nice hike, shorter and lots to see, including some old mine stuff further up.