Hiking, rock climbing, and mountain climbing around Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park has many options.
Hiking, rock climbing, and mountain climbing around Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park has many options.
Granite domes are common in Tuolumne, and, throughout Yosemite National Park. There is a separate page, all about granite domes of Yosemite. At present, its references focus on rock climbing, but others are free, to add references about hiking. It is available under Granite Domes of Yosemite National Park, as the page is not specific to Tuolumne Meadows; the table of domes may be sorted, so you may look at a chosen area.
Many backcountry hiking and backpacking trails start in or near Tuolumne Meadows. The John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trails are long-distance backpacking trails that go through Lyell Canyon into Tuolumne Meadows. Tuolumne Meadows also feature a wide range of day trails. Day hike trails are popular, [1] [2] [3] and get busy in the summer high season. These trails are serviced by the Tuolumne Meadows shuttle bus, typically from June to September, though dates vary due to weather. [4]
Hiking destinations:
In Tuolumne, rock climbing is popular, [40] [41] [42] and there are many granite domes, there and elsewhere in Yosemite. [43]
In contrast to the big walls of Yosemite Valley, climbing at Tuolumne generally consists of short- to medium-length routes on eleven major domes and several minor ones; see Granite Domes of Yosemite National Park. As the area is all at a high elevation, climbing season is mainly limited to June through September.
In Tuolumne, granite tends to be knobby, moreso than Yosemite Valley. [44] [40] [45]
The rock is porphyritic granite, a very strong form of granite, plus granodiorite; see Cathedral Peak Granodiorite and Kuna Crest Granodiorite. It has a tendency to exfoliation, which produces and preserves distinctive "onion dome" shapes. Resulting climbing includes both face and crack routes, face routes often runout due to limited numbers of bolts, and crack routes frequently following very thin cracks. Local ethic is to limit the placement of bolts on new routes and to forbid the addition of bolts to existing routes, resulting in distances of 40 feet (12 m) or more between bolts. [46]
Many domes are in Tuolumne area. [47] Major (and minor) domes include:
Echo Peaks have been hiked, [74] but are usually rock-climbed, as Ragged Peak may be scrambled, but is also rock climbed. [75] Mountain that are not usually walk-ups, but typically rock-climbs:
Around Tuolumne Meadows, mountain climbing is quite popular; [85] for the highest mountains in the entire park, see the highest mountains of Yosemite National Park.
A few mountains that can be climbed, out of Tuolumne Meadows:
Tuolumne Meadows is a gentle, dome-studded, sub-alpine meadow area along the Tuolumne River in the eastern section of Yosemite National Park in the United States. Its approximate location is 37°52.5′N119°21′W. Its approximate elevation is 8,619 feet (2,627 m). The term Tuolumne Meadows is also often used to describe a large portion of the Yosemite high country around the meadows, especially in context of rock climbing.
Mount Lyell is the highest point in Yosemite National Park, at 13,114 feet (3,997 m). It is located at the southeast end of the Cathedral Range, 1+1⁄4 miles northwest of Rodgers Peak. The peak as well as nearby Lyell Canyon is named after Charles Lyell, a well-known 19th century geologist. The peak had one of the last remaining glaciers in Yosemite, Lyell Glacier. The Lyell Glacier is currently considered to be a permanent ice field, not a living glacier. Mount Lyell divides the Tuolumne River watershed to the north, the Merced to the west, and the Rush Creek drainage in the Mono Lake Basin to the southeast.
Pothole Dome is a granite dome on the west side of Tuolumne Meadows, in Yosemite National Park located at Tioga Road mile marker 18. Near Pothole Dome is Marmot Dome. The summit of the dome is easily accessible by foot from a parking area on the Tioga Road at mile marker 18. The view from the summit includes most of Tuolumne Meadows and in the distance, Cathedral Peak. The dome gives evidence of many of the geologic processes at work in Yosemite during and after the last ice age. In particular, the stranded, rounded boulders from a glacier that has long since retreated, and the water-eroded "potholes" provide evidence of two ways that water can interact with granite.
The North Face of Fairview Dome also known as the Regular Route of Fairview Dome is a technical rock climbing route in Tuolumne Meadows of Yosemite National Park. It is featured in Fifty Classic Climbs of North America.
Johnson Peak is the highest mountain, in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park.
Tuolumne Peak is a mountain, in Yosemite National Park, in the area of Tuolumne Meadows. It is a fractured granite, twin summited peak, and is close to geographic center of the park. Tuolumne Peak is located approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) northeast of Mount Hoffmann via a granite ridge-line. It is climbed less often than Hoffman, probably due to a more difficult approach.
Elizabeth Lake is a lake, in the area of Tuolumne Meadows, in Yosemite National Park, California. It was named for a geologist's niece, one Elizabeth Crow Simmons. The lake is at the base of Unicorn Peak, and is also near Johnson Peak.
Dozier Dome is a granite dome, in the Tuolumne Meadows region of Yosemite National Park. It is named after Jeff Dozier.
Mariolumne Dome is a granite dome, in the Tuolumne Meadows region of Yosemite National Park.
Puppy Dome is a granite dome in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California.
Echo Peaks consists of nine peaks, in the Tuolumne Meadows region of Yosemite National Park, California. They are near Echo Ridge.
Mammoth Peak is a mountain in the area of Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California. The summit is a class 1-2 cross-country hike that features river crossings and boulder scrambling. The peak lies at the northern end of the Kuna Crest and is close to California State Route 120. From the road, its summit appears rounded and quite rocky. Though Mammoth Peak is not as popular as other nearby peaks, its relatively easily accessed summit affords tremendous views of Mount Gibbs, Mount Dana, and Mount Lewis.
Kuna Crest is a mountain range near Tuolumne Meadows, in Yosemite National Park, California.
Unicorn Peak is a peak, in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park. Unicorn Peak is due east of Cathedral Peak, and the north summit is highest.
North Whizz Dome is a granite dome in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite National Park. North Whizz Dome is a bit south, of Cathedral Creek, which has its source, near Cathedral Peak. North Whizz Dome Dome is north of both Medlicott Dome and Pywiack Dome, both of which are south of California State Route 120, which runs through Tuolumne Meadows to Tioga Pass. It is near Hammer Dome, also, Daff Dome and Polly Dome are nearby.
South Whizz Dome is a granite dome in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite National Park. South Whizz Dome is a bit south, of Cathedral Creek, which has its source, near Cathedral Peak. South Whizz Dome Dome is north of both Medlicott Dome and Pywiack Dome, both of which are south of California State Route 120, which runs through Tuolumne Meadows to Tioga Pass. It is near Hammer Dome, also, Daff Dome and Polly Dome are nearby.
Lamb Dome Dome is a granite dome, in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite National Park. It is one of the smaller domes.
Ragged Peak is a mountain, in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite National Park.
Electra Peak is a mountain, broadly in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite National Park, if far, from the road. Electra Peak is the 14th highest mountain in Yosemite National Park.
Donohue Peak is a mountain, in the northern part of Yosemite National Park. Donohue Peak is along Yosemite National Park's eastern border, in the area of Tuolumne Meadows.