Opening Dates - Tioga Road, TM Lodge and Campground

Hi I'm new to this forum and in Australia, eagerly awaiting my fourth trip to Yosemite in four weeks' time (arriving in Valley on 2nd July). I love Yosemite and wish it was closer! - all my family think I'm nuts going there AGAIN for my holidays but I really can't think how I could improve on a couple of weeks of wandering about in the gorgeous sunshine and gleaming granite and almost alive forms and overwhelming perspective... well, you know how it is!

ANYWAY I'm a bit rattled by the prospective late opening date of Tioga Road this year and all the reports of late snow and storms... We have a permit to hike on Glen Aulin trail starting 12th July and booked at Tuolumne Lodge the night before (on 11th), and worried the Lodge won't be open, the trail will be snowy, we will freeze our butts off etc etc. This is our first trip to Tuolumne Meadows. Can anyone out there offer their wisdom (and reassurance!) about how soon after Tioga Road is open we can expect all the facilities at Tuolumne Meadows (including the Lodge and campground) to be up and running? I've surfed around a lot on the Net but can't seem to find this information...

Many thanks in anticipation!!

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OzSwaggie
ANYWAY I'm a bit rattled by the prospective late opening date of Tioga Road this year and all the reports of late snow and storms... We have a permit to hike on Glen Aulin trail starting 12th July and booked at Tuolumne Lodge the night before (on 11th), and worried the Lodge won't be open, the trail will be snowy, we will freeze our butts off etc etc. This is our first trip to Tuolumne Meadows. Can anyone out there offer their wisdom (and reassurance!) about how soon after Tioga Road is open we can expect all the facilities at Tuolumne Meadows (including the Lodge and campground) to be up and running? I've surfed around a lot on the Net but can't seem to find this information...

Can't address the TM Lodge question since I never stay at any of the campgrounds or High Sierra Camps.

The Tioga Road, however, should not be a problem. The latest that it has opened in the last 50 years has been 1 July (in 1998). Here is a link to information about the road opening/closing dates:
http://www.monobasinresearch.org/data/tiogapass.htm

The trail to Glen Aulin will be free of snow by the time that you are here. The Delaney Creek crossing should still be somewhat challenging, but not intimidating, at that time. Presently, there is about 55-60" of snow on the ground in the high country. The snow sensor at the Tuolumne Meadows weather station is currently flakey, so here is a link to the station at Dana Meadows (about 6 miles E, near the Tioga Pass entrance station):
http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/staMeta?station_id=DAN

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szalkowski

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OzSwaggie
ANYWAY I'm a bit rattled by the prospective late opening date of Tioga Road this year and all the reports of late snow and storms... We have a permit to hike on Glen Aulin trail starting 12th July and booked at Tuolumne Lodge the night before (on 11th), and worried the Lodge won't be open, the trail will be snowy, we will freeze our butts off etc etc. This is our first trip to Tuolumne Meadows. Can anyone out there offer their wisdom (and reassurance!) about how soon after Tioga Road is open we can expect all the facilities at Tuolumne Meadows (including the Lodge and campground) to be up and running? I've surfed around a lot on the Net but can't seem to find this information...

Can't address the TM Lodge question since I never stay at any of the campgrounds or High Sierra Camps.

Don't know how much of a timewise impact that it will have on the opening of the TM facilities, but the electrical power needs to be restored there also. See the first comment in response to this article:
http://www.monolake.org/today/2011/05/25/late-may-tioga-pass-update/

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szalkowski
Don't know how much of a timewise impact that it will have on the opening of the TM facilities, but the electrical power needs to be restored there also. See the first comment in response to this article:
http://www.monolake.org/today/2011/05/25/late-may-tioga-pass-update/

Power and phone went out last winter as well. It didn't take long to get them going once the road was open.

You are not nuts, just forever in love with Yosemite like the rest of us. If by chance Tuolumne Lodge is not yet open, the regular Tuolumne Meadows campground on Tioga Road will likely be open. Part of that is reseved for backpackers who have permits. You are allowed to pitch your tent there the night before hitting the trail and the night after exiting the trail. It's within walking distance of your trailhead.