Tuolumne Meadows

At Tuolumne Meadows there is a Visitor Center, petrol station, post office and shop. In high season the Park Service runs a free shuttle service around the area to reduce traffic congestion. The Visitor Centre is a useful resource for information, maps and a weather forecast. Remember if you are going out to hike that the Meadows are 8,600ft so the conditions could be very different to those in the Valley and it is important to check the weather.

The Park Service run several Ranger led walks at the Meadows, you can check the schedule in the Visitor Center. There are also wild flowers to look at in early summer, the soda springs (small, naturally carbonated springs) to find and mule or horse rides from the stables.

In addition there are a large number of hiking trails that start in this area.

Upper Cathedral Lake, Yosemite National Park

Cathedral Lakes

This is our favourite walk from this area as the scenery is amazing and we are not alone in enjoying it! It is a popular hike but last time we did it we only saw 6 other people on the 7.4 mile round trip so it is not Piccadilly Circus. If the Meadows are busy take the shuttle bus to the trailhead as the parking there is very limited. The height gain for the walk is 1,000 ft so it is not too challenging. Much of the trail runs through forest so it is nice and shady. The views of the peaks and of both the lakes are wonderful.

Lembert Dome and Dog Lake

You can either do this as two separate 2.8 mile round trips or one combined 4 mile trip.

I love the Dome walk – it is a lovely granite dome (who knew with a name like that) and you hike up 850ft to the top for some amazing views. It is the highest point in the meadows and you can see the surrounding peaks spread out in front of you.

If you have the energy you can carry on to Dog Lake which is beautiful  – the setting is fabulous.

Gaylor Lakes

There are Lower, Middle and Upper Gaylor Lakes and various hiking trails that access them. The main draw of these walks is the fabulous alpine scenery as well as the beautiful lakes themselves. The shortest walk is to the Middle Lake, a two mile round trip and 500ft height gain from the trailhead. You can walk on another mile from there to the Upper lake if you still have some energy.

If none of these take your fancy but you still feel like a walk, the Park Service website has lots of other options.