This 46-mile road twists deep into the heart of Yosemite, climbing 3,750 feet and showcasing some of the park’s finest alpine scenery. After you’ve gotten your fill of Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point, Tioga Road should be next on your list. Highlights include Olmstead Point, which showcases bold views of Clouds Rest and Half Dome, and Tenaya Lake, where icy waters reflect massive granite domes. Past Tenaya Lake, Tioga Road skirts Tuolumne Meadows, then climbs to Tioga Pass—at 9,941 feet, the highest paved road in California. The road then exits the park and plunges over 3,000 feet to the eastern deserts at the base of the Sierra Nevada.
In winter Tioga Road is closed due to heavy snow. When the first snowfall hits (generally by mid-November) Tioga Road shuts down. Its reopening date depends entirely upon winter snowfall. In 1998 the road was closed until July 1 (a record), but generally Tioga Road opens around mid-May.
Tioga Road begins its ascent at Crane Flat, 16 miles northwest of Yosemite Valley along Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120). There’s a gas station and minimart at Crane Flat. If your tank is running low, it’s a good idea to fill up there.
Head northwest from Crane Flat along Tioga Road and soon you’ll reach the Tuolumne Grove of giant sequoias. Past the Tuolumne Grove, Tioga Road ascends through a long stretch of forest, passing turnoffs for White Wolf Lodge and several campgrounds. Eventually the forest gives way to open views, which become increasingly dramatic as you climb higher and higher.
Tioga Road also offers access to some of the finest hikes and backpacks in the park, including Clouds Rest, 10 Lakes, and two popular High Sierra Camps: May Lake and Sunrise. You can also hike down to North Dome, which overlooks Yosemite Valley. Although often ignored by first-time visitors, these hikes are among the finest in the park.
Throughout the summer a free shuttle runs between Olmstead Point and Tioga Pass (check the Yosemite Guide for seasonal times and dates). There’s also the Tuolumne Meadows Tour & Hikers Bus, which makes a daily run between Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows, stopping at popular Tioga Road viewpoints and trailheads along the way (209-372-1240).
This small grove of giant sequoias is often overshadowed by the more famous Mariposa Grove in Wawona, but the Tuolumne Grove is definitely worth a visit if you’re enchanted by the big trees. The grove is located about a half mile past the Crane Flat junction. A two-mile round-trip path starts from the parking area and drops about 500 feet as it passes by 25 giant sequoias. Among the notables: a tree with a tunnel cut through the trunk (the tunnel was cut in 1878), and a giant tree that rises nearly 300 feet—one of the tallest giant sequoias in the world.
Olmstead Point is the most dramatic viewpoint along Tioga Road, famous for its unusual look at Half Dome’s backside. But even more impressive is the striking profile of Clouds Rest, a billowing 9,926-foot granite mountain that rises 4,500 feet above Tenaya Canyon. During the Ice Age a massive glacier filled Tenaya Canyon as it flowed towards Yosemite Valley. Olmstead Point was also buried under the ice, and the bedrock here was smoothed out and polished by the glacier as it passed over the rocks. When the glacier melted, boulders embedded in the ice settled on the bedrock, and these boulders, called glacial erratics, are still there today. Several fine examples of glacial erratics can be seen along the quarter-mile geology trail that starts at Olmstead Point.
Lying at an elevation of 8,149 feet, this stunning alpine lake is a great place to take a break and bask in the glorious scenery. Several picnic areas are located alongside the road, and an easy two-mile trail skirts the lake’s southeastern shore. You can pick up the trail from the sandy beach at the northeastern end of the lake. The natural beach, a popular destination on hot summer days, is the result of freeze-thaw cycles in the winter. When the lake freezes, cracks form in the ice that often fill with water on warm days. When temperatures once again drop below freezing, the water in the cracks freezes and expands, pushing the previously formed ice out towards the shore. As the ice pushes outward, sediment on the bottom of the lake is pushed towards the shore, forming the sandy beach.
Tenaya Lake, like many lakes in the Sierra Nevada, formed when a massive glacier scooped out a basin in the bedrock. In the depths of the Ice Age, the ice here was over 2,000 feet deep. When the glacier melted, the basin filled with water and formed a lake. Today the southwest end of 180-foot deep Tenaya Lake is still partially dammed by debris left in the glacier’s wake.
The Ahwahneechee Indians called Tenaya Lake Pywiack, “Lake of Shining Rocks.” The name Tenaya was given by the Mariposa Battalion, a local militia organized by whites to remove Indians from the mountains. On May 22, 1851 the Battalion captured several dozen Ahwahneechee hiding near the shores of Pywiack. After marching the Indians out of the mountains, Battalion members named the lake Tenaya after the chief of the Ahwahneechee tribe.
North Dome (right) and Half Dome (left) are classic examples of Yosemite’s famous granite domes. The domes formed when previously overlying rocks eroded along concentric cracks, flaking off like layers of an onion. But why are the domes still bare when the surrounding scenery is covered in forest? A phenomenon called “ice creep” is partly responsible for the absence of vegetation. When snow accumulates in the winter, the bottom layers of snow compress into ice. As sunlight warms the snow, water seeps under the ice and lubricates the rock. The snowpack then slides down the granite and scrapes away accumulated soil and vegetation. Although a few cracks in the granite retain enough soil for some plants to grow, most of the dome remains bare.
Rating Moderate
Distance 9 miles, round-trip
Hiking Time 4–5 hours
Elevation Change 600 feet
Summary Most hikes to the rim of Yosemite Valley start in the Valley and require several thousand feet of hiking up. But North Dome is reached via a one-way, 4.5-mile trail that heads 600 feet down from Tioga Road. You’ll still have to hike 600 feet up on the return (with a few extra ups and downs thrown in for good measure), but the effort is worth it. Perched high on top of 7,542-foot North Dome, you’ll be treated to sweeping views of Yosemite Valley. To your left, Half Dome’s terrifyingly sheer 2,000-foot northwest face looms above. Although normally done as a day hike, North Dome also makes a great backpack. The forested recess behind North Dome has several great campsites, and sunsets here are among the most spectacular in the park. Backpacking note: there is no water near North Dome. Plan on filling up at one of the several streams you’ll encounter early on in the hike.
Trailhead North Dome’s trailhead is located at Porcupine Creek (25 miles east of Crane Flat; 15 miles west of Tuolumne Meadows).
Rating Easy
Distance 2.4 miles, round-trip
Hiking Time 2 hours
Elevation Change 500 feet
Summary May Lake is Yosemite’s most accessible High Sierra Camp. The trail to May Lake is just 1.2 miles long with only 500 feet of elevation change. But even if you haven’t booked a night in one of the comfy tent cabins, this gorgeous alpine lake (elevation: 9,350 feet) still makes a great day hike or overnight backpack. Looming above the lake is 10,850-foot Mount Hoffman, the geographic center of the park. Although there’s no official trail to the top, Mt. Hoffman’s summit is a popular destination reached by an unofficial 2-mile trail. If you’re comfortable hiking off trail and feel like you can handle the strenuous ascent, Mount Hoffman is a classic destination with sweeping 360-degree views. As John Muir once put it when describing how best to spend one’s time in Yosemite: “Go straight to Mt. Hoffman ... From the summit nearly all the Yosemite park is displayed like a map.”
Trailhead Turn onto May Lake Road (27 miles east of Crane Flat; 20 miles west of Tuolumne Meadows) and follow the road two miles to the trailhead.
Rating Strenuous
Distance 14.4 miles, round-trip
Hiking Time 7–8 hours
Elevation Change 2,200 feet
Summary Thousands of ambitious hikers set their sights on Half Dome, but savvy Yosemite connoisseurs know that 9,926-foot Clouds Rest offers better views in a shorter distance with mercifully fewer crowds. Nothing against Half Dome—it still offers fantastic views of Yosemite Valley—but Clouds Rest offers great views of the Valley, plus amazing views of the High Sierra, plus incredible views 1,000 feet above Half Dome! Simply put: Clouds Rest should be in any serious Yosemite hiker’s top five. The trail starts near Tenaya Lake and soon encounters a steep, thousand-foot, switchback-laden ascent. This is the toughest part of the hike (and it sure is nice to get half of the elevation out of the way right at the start). Although Clouds Rest is easily done in a day, there are several good campsites along the way for backpackers.
Trailhead The trail to Clouds Rest starts at the Sunrise Lakes Trailhead at the southwest end of Tenaya Lake. After reaching the top of the steep ascent, the trail splits. Follow the signs to Clouds Rest.
Rating Strenuous
Distance 10.4 miles, round-trip
Hiking Time 6–7 hours
Elevation Change 1,600 ft.
Summary The lush meadow at Sunrise High Sierra Camp offers weary hikers the ultimate in alpine relaxation. Often waterlogged and spongy in the early summer, by mid-summer it’s a wildflower-strewn paradise with a serpentine creek flowing through the center. Sparkling views of the surrounding granite peaks leave no doubt why Sunrise was included on the John Muir Trail. But even without the lure of the High Sierra Camp, Sunrise Meadow would still be a popular backpacking destination. Several exceptional campsites are perched on a rise overlooking the meadow, and campers are treated to (drum roll, please!) composting toilets.
Trailhead The most direct route to Sunrise High Sierra Camp (info listed below) starts at the Sunrise Lakes Trailhead at the southwest end of Tenaya Lake. An alternate route starts in Tuolumne Meadows at the Cathedral Lakes Trailhead and follows the John Muir Trail down to Sunrise Meadow. Although easier, the Cathedral Lake route is slightly longer (13.2 miles round-trip, 1,300 feet elevation change).
Rating Strenuous
Distance 12.8 miles, round-trip
Hiking Time 6–7 hours
Elevation Change 2,000 feet
Summary This secluded cluster of lakes is nestled in a granite basin at about 9,000 feet. Despite the name, there are only seven lakes at Ten Lakes (three previously counted bodies of water are now considered ponds). Numerical shortfall aside, Ten Lakes makes a good, long day hike and a superb overnight backpack. There’s great fishing, and because the lakes lie below 9,600 feet campfires are allowed at night. The trail to Ten Lakes climbs gradually to Half Moon Meadow, then makes a steep ascent to 9,500-foot Ten Lakes Pass, where you’ll be treated to terrific views of the High Sierra, including Mt. Conness and the Sawtooth Ridge. From Ten Lakes Pass descend 500 feet into Ten Lakes Basin. A few hundred yards north of the lakes, the outer rim of Ten Lakes Basin drops thousands of feet into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River.
Trailhead The hike starts at the Ten Lakes trailhead (20 miles east of Crane Flat; 26 miles west of Tuolumne Meadows). There’s a good-sized parking lot across the road from the trailhead.
