Mammoth Mountain, California

A short 1 mile hike in from Kaiser Pass will lead you to the top of a ridge line with incredible views toward the east. There are two pit toilets located at the top of Kaiser Pass. If you have a high clearance, 4x4/AWD vehicle you can probably drive to this location. (I made it up here in a stock...

Start your hike to this waterfall oasis in the heart of the sierra at the parking lot for the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center. The Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp sits along the beautifully winding Tuolumne River. White Cascade an 80ft waterfall sits at the edge of camp and provides an excellent swim...

Tuolumne Meadows is on Tioga road northeast of Yosemite Valley, at elevation 8,600 feet. Sites are available July-September at $26. Dogs are allowed but be sure to pack the leash!  More info: https://www.nps.gov/yose/plany...

Junction campground is by far one of my favorite campsites when I am visiting the High Sierra and Tuolumne Meadows. The only downside is, you can only camp certain months; usually from June through October when highway 120 is open.  The Junction campground is far away from the crowds of Yosemite...

Before you head out for the trip, you’ll need to get a wilderness permit. You can get one online from the Yosemite website or pick one up at the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center or from the Wilderness Center in Yosemite Valley. Go to Yosemite and take Highway 120 up to Tuolumne Meadows. You ca...

Tuolumne Meadows at an elevation of 8,619 feet exemplifies the high country of the Sierra Nevada, with its sweeping sub-alpine meadows, granite domes, summer wildflowers and meandering rivers. When the forest opens up park along the side of the road and find a trail.  There are also plenty of ne...

Waterwheel Falls may be the most unique waterfall in Yosemite. During high waterflow an extraordinary phenomenon appears as the raging water hits a series of ledges creating a plume, this coupled with strong gust blowing upward create cyclical "waterwheel" effect hence the name. On a good day th...

Head to any Yosemite wilderness station for a map, bear canister, and permit for Nelson Lake. The trail itself starts in the Tuolumne Campground at Elizabeth Lake trailhead. Follow the trail 2.2 miles up to Elizabeth Lake and remember the lake itself is in a no-camping zone, so you must continue ...

This trip is best done as a 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip making camp at Young Lakes, however it is possible to do it in a single day long haul. Start at the Lembert Dome Parking Lot and take the trail via the Dog Lake route towards Young Lakes. It's about 7 miles to the upper of the three You...

This 3.7 mile roundtrip hike begins at the center of Tuolumne Meadows (shuttle stop #2) at the Lembert Dome/Glen Aulin trailhead parking lot. There are restrooms and picnic tables at the east side of the lot, there you will also find the trailhead to Dog Lake.  The trail begins at 8,500 ft and c...

Lembert Dome stands out clearly as it is right along the road with a fairly large parking lot, about 1/4 mile past the Toulumne Store. There are multiple routes on this dome and for detail on all climbs, pick up the Tuolumne Free Climbs climbing guide. The area around this dome is gorogeous with ...

The Young Lakes trail starts from the Lembert Dome parking area and then winds up around 6 miles into the high country past alpine meadows and stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Lower and Middle Young Lakes are beautiful, but you're going to want to push on to Upper Young Lake, where y...

Lembert Dome may seem impossible to scale when observing it from the trailhead, but it is actually a relatively easy hike up to the summit. It is by far the best way to see and admire Tuolumne Meadows, not to mention the granite top, which is a wonderland to explore. There are a few ways to reac...

Mono Lake Boardwalk is an out-and-back trail that takes you by a lake located near Lee Vining, California.

You can get to the Evolution Basin a variety of ways, but the easiest is through the Florence Lake Trailhead. Here, you can choose to either take the Florence Lake Ferry across the lake, or save $25 and hike the extra 4 miles around the lake. Personally, I would choose the ferry. About five mile...

Starting at Lake Florence, this hike starts out with a climb up and keeps this up over the next 3 miles. After about 3 miles of climbing you reach another lake, Dutch Lake which provides shade and a nice place to rest. From there it's a relatively flat 1.2 miles in to your destination. Once at Cr...