Re: Tuolumne Meadows Itinerary

Our only Yosemite visit in 2005 saw a late opening of Tioga Road that we missed by one day. This summer we are returning in late July and have our last two nights reserved at TM! We plan to hit some shorter hikes on the day we arrive such as Tenaya and Lembert Dome, then Cathedral Lakes the next day. Upon checking out, we can either hit another day hike trail from the TM campground area or do North Dome Trail since it will be on our way back. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Just personal preference, but I enjoyed the hike to Gaylor Lakes area more than the one to Cathedral Lakes.

North Dome is pretty awesome, but so is Ten Lakes, and so is Gaylor. And I've always liked Saddlebag.

A nice and easy day hike from the TM Campground is to Elizabeth Lake...very pretty and a nice place to spend a few hours. I would do Cathedral Lake and the suurounding area. And any strolls up or down river can lead to a variety of swimming holes if that is what you are interested in (especially if you like really cold water!) You may also want to check out the swimming hole about 300 yards south of the wilderness permit kiosk parking lot.
Saddlebag Lake and the Twenty Lakes Basin is a great area as well, but it sounds like you will be driving on your other vacation days...it would probably be a nice break for you to stay out of the car for your time at TM. And there is plenty to do at TM without having to get into a car.

I'd vote for Gaylor Lakes as the most scenic...but Lembert Dome is also fun, You can find links to them all on our website, in the Yosemite part of our destinations section--with photos

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If you don't mind a bit of easy off trail scrambling, you can follow the ridge up to the top of Gaylor Peak as you're hiking into the Gaylor Lakes basin.
Quite an amazing view of Tioga pass and Tuolumne Meadows.







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2011 10:24PM by qumqats.

There seems to be quite a bit of nice hiking trails here too. I need to look into this.

Yeah, I have to check TM out. Too bad all the reservations are booked except for large group sites.

Quote
DanPJ
Yeah, I have to check TM out. Too bad all the reservations are booked except for large group sites.

Remember 50% of the campsites at TM are first-come, first-served, so just get there early the day would like to camp there. Also, remember there are some nice campgrounds just outside of the park's Tioga Pass entrance (Tioga Lake and Saddleback Lake campgrounds) in the Inyo National Forest.

OH, I didn't know that. I will look into this option now. Thanks.