Explore High and Low Eastern Yosemite and Mono Lake Area

The Trip

Recharge your senses amid the rugged splendor of the Tuolumne Meadows (High Sierra) portion of Yosemite National Park. Trade lunch on the go for lunch with a panoramic view of glaciated granite peaks and pristine alpine lakes. Following our day hikes, reward yourself with a dip in the nearby lake, followed by a hot shower and a hearty meal at a campfire. Fall asleep beneath the star-studded sky. Challenge yourself on a variety of day hikes, returning to base camp each day to enjoy dinner and conversation with your fellow participants.

Tuolumne Meadows is not a single meadow but a series of meadows formed from the shallow lakes left by the Tuolumne Glacier when it receded three million years ago. The great glacier filled these meadows to a depth of 2,000 feet, cutting deep cirques into the sides of the highest peaks and leaving the sharp crest we’ll see on our trip. Other peaks were completely covered with ice, then rounded and polished by the glacier as it moved. When the ice retreated, these massive domes were left in its wake.

Parts of Tuolumne Meadows were trading grounds for several American Indian tribes for almost a thousand years. Their last meeting here was before 1900, but you can sometimes find chips of obsidian left by an arrow maker or discover a grinding hole at the base of a dome or in a meadow boulder. We will learn more about the people of Mono Lake. Kootzaduka Paiute.  We will hike a portion of the pass traveled by the tribe. 

From our base at 7,600 feet elevation, we’ll revisit the area chosen by William Colby for the first Sierra Club outing in 1901. Through our daily excursions and evening fellowship, we’ll experience the excitement and enchantment felt by those first campers to the beautiful area. Everyone helps with the chores and brings along their individual talents and interests to share. Nights are free to enjoy group fellowship around a fire or to stargaze in the wide-open skies.

Please note that the itinerary might need to change due to weather or trail conditions. Keep an open mind and a sense of adventure!

Day 1: Our adventure begins with snacks at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday in our campground south of Lee Vining, California (the east entrance of Yosemite). We'll set up tents, have introductions, and go over a trip overview.

Day 2: We will take a short guided tour of Mono Lake, a fascinating lesson on conservation and restoration.  We will then go to the Visitors Center for a brief stop before lunch. In the afternoon, we’ll enjoy a 4-5 mile hike near Parker Lake and Bloody pass, both historically known for part of the trails covered by the Kootzduka Indian tribe. Depending on weather conditions, we may continue up in elevation to get better acclimated to the altitude. We may continue on a 3mile RT hike to explore alpine lakes just outside Yosemite N. P. We may hike a historical trail nearby at lower elevation.

Day 3: Our hike today will be on the Cathedral Lakes Trails -- 7-8 miles with 1,000 feet of elevation change. We can hike to Lower Cathedral Lake, which has an area for swimming. Cathedral lake is another 1.5 miles on the trail, which is also part of the John Muir Trail, so we will encounter other hikers who are backpacking to the Sunrise High Sierra Camp. About 20,000 years ago, the Cathedral Peaks were above the Tioga Glacier, so instead of getting smoothed and rounded by the ice, they are sharper and pointier.

Day 4: Hiking at elevation near 10,000 feet we will hike to an old mining area. You will see the tailings and a renovated structure. We will then continue along a stream until we reach and hike along the edge of Shell and Fantail lakes. Those with enough time and energy may hike to Spuller lake that is at least another 500 feet above the first two lakes.

Day 5: We will hike to the famous May lake. With beautiful views all around the central peaks of the many Granite Domes, including Unicorn peak of Tuolumne Meadows, in Yosemite N.P. If time and energy allow, we may continue the trail up towards Mt, Hoffman. Otherwise, we will drive to Olmstead point and past Tenaya Lake to stop and walk one mile from Tioga Rd, in the meadows to Parsons Lodge. This lodge was built by some of the Original Sierra Club members in the late 1800s.

Day 6: Over our final breakfast together, we’ll swap tales and bid farewell to our newest friends, pack up, and break camp. If you didn’t take it in before our trip, you might consider capping off your trip with a visit to Yosemite Valley, Hetch Hetchy, or another part of the western side of Yosemite National Park.

Getting There

We will meet at our reserved campsites 12 miles south of Lee Vining, California at 3:00 p.m. on Day 1. The closest airport is Reno, Nevada, which is 151 miles (3 1/4 hours) north. Other airport possibilities are Sacramento (240 miles, 4 3/4 hours) and the Bay Area and Los Angeles airports (both 6 hours away). Travel to and from our campsite is the responsibility of each participant. Sierra Club leaders are not allowed to make carpool arrangements for participants, but a participant list will be provided in advance if you choose to coordinate ride-sharing. During the trip, participants will need to carpool to the trailheads. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

We will maintain the same base camp for the entire week. The group will share five reserved public campsites with clean restrooms (flush toilets, sinks, mirrors but NO electricity plugs) and potable water. Public hot showers and a tiny grocery store are at the RV camp a short distance away. All food and commissary equipment will be provided from dinner on day one through breakfast on the final day. You will need to bring your eating utensils, plate, bowl, and cup/mug. We’ll divide into two-person teams to help prepare our wholesome and hearty meals. Even though we’ll be in a campground with other campers, we will run our trip in the spirit of a backcountry base camp. Mealtimes and meal preparation are always social occasions, nourishing both the body and the spirit. Diet restrictions will need to be discussed with the leader before being accepted for the trip.

Trip Difficulty

Trip is a moderate to moderately strenuous trip with round-trip trail mileage ranging from 4 to 12 miles and elevation gains of 900-1,600 feet. Elevations will range from 7,900 feet at several trailheads to 10,000 feet on the East Entrance of Yosemite N.P. and we will ascend from there.  Strenuous and sustained exercise such as hiking in thin air of high altitudes requires extensive conditioning well before our trip starts. The better condition hikers are in when the trip starts, the better of a time you will have and will be most comfortable if they can do regular aerobic training and hiking at altitude before they come on the trip, and comfortably maintain an average hiking speed of 2–2.5 mph for six to eight hours -- the keyword being comfortably. If the leader feels you are not reasonably conditioned for a particular day of hikes, you might be asked to take that day off and rest.

Equipment and Clothing

Since you can drive to our campsite, you do not have weight/size limitations on what you can bring other than those imposed by the airlines or your vehicle. We heartily recommend that you take this week to unplug from our connected world. You will receive a basic equipment list once you are accepted on the trip. Your boots should be broken in, but not broken down. They should be waterproof, adequately sturdy to withstand rocky trails, and have good-quality lug soles. Walking sticks or trekking poles can help on steep or rocky sections of trails and stream crossings. You will need basic camping equipment, including a tent. The camping areas are not extremely large, so please bring a 1- to 2-person tent only. You will also want to bring 1-2 folding chairs to use at the campsite for meals. You will need to furnish your own day pack, sleeping bag/pad, first-aid kit, flashlight, and personal gear. Your sleeping bag should be rated for at least 30-degree weather.

The weather in the Sierra during the summer is usually delightful, with cool mornings/evenings and warm, sunny days. Afternoon thunderstorms can occur with little notice. Temperatures routinely range from the 80s during the day to the 40s at night, with little humidity. Each day we’ll have our day packs and you'll need to have a first-aid kit and GOOD rain gear. Everyone will also be required to carry two one-quart water bottles.

References

• O’Neill, Elizabeth Stone, Meadow in the Sky. Panorama West Books. This is an excellent book on the history of Tuolumne Meadows.

Conservation

Sierra Club co-founder, John Muir, wrote about the wilderness: “For going out, I found I was going in” and "This grand show is eternal."

We will be practicing recycling and minimzing waste thoughout the week. The Sierra Club’s history is steeped in efforts to preserve habitat and wilderness in its most natural form. The Club was instrumental in passing the Wilderness Act of 1964, establishing the National Wilderness Preservation System, and affording the High Sierra the highest level of protection possible. As Sierra Club members we have reason to be proud of this accomplishment as we hake through the region.

This area, however, has been heavily impacted by recreational use. On our trip, we’ll talk about wilderness preservation and restoration of the Yosemite National Park region. We’ll also have a more general discussion of the impact of man on the fragile wilderness environment and we hope participants will share a conservation issue affecting them in their state on either a local, national, or international level. We'll enjoy a discussion with Lynn Boulton from the Range of Light Sierra Club Group.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.