Ahhhh such a beautiful lake ... but , did I struggle ugh …read more.... I'm an avid hiker but have been on a hiatus for quite some time and I have been out of the gym for a while and I suffered baaaaddd from it. Sigh. Anyways , you can park your car in a lot by the Tioga gate off 120. The trail head is right there by the Tioga gate . If you are coming from the park ( Yosemite) the trail head is on your left side of the road. It's only a mile to get to the lake but it's a pretty steep inclination and being soooo freaking out of shape right now , I had to take a break every 10-20 steps. I was out of breath , huffing and puffing , light headed and dizzy. Maybe from the high altitudes too . I was gasping for air. I had no problem doing Clouds Rest last year ... ugh. Anyways , the lake itself is stunningly gorgeous. Water is so clear , we saw some trouts gracefully swimming. Snow covered mountains in the background. Nice cool breeze felt good since I was sweating like crazy. There may be about 20 other hikers we saw. Some were struggling like I was climbing up on the way. It's up and then down to the lake. It should be easy peasy for experienced hikers but might be tough if you are a beginner because of the elevation gain but totally doable and totally worth it. The view is amazing all around not just the lake but the view of Mt Dana , Mt Hoffman and other peaks you can see from the trail. If you are out of shape like I am right now, just take your time and go slowly. It's okay , it's not a race. Enjoy the view and the smell and the sound of the mountains:))) ha ha One last thing , tons of mosquitoes when we were there on Saturday (6/23/2018). Highly recommend bug spray. I got tons of bites on my face and legs. Luckily I was wearing a long sleeve shirt so no bites on my arms.

Yawnnnn... A bit on…read morethe boring side for a Back Country hike. The hike starts out with some solid elevation gain, but after 15 minutes of hiking you'll be at the top of the peak and heading down towards Gaylor Lake. The lake is pretty big and beautiful with plenty of fish to be seen swimming in it. Due to the elevation of the lake it is colder than the lower elev lakes. Keep to your right and head up the trail to Upper Gaylor Lake. Not as big and pretty boring there. You can head left over the small mountain and see a few other small lakes on the other side or you can head straight up the trail to the old rock huts and mines and another small lake. After a 10 minute hike from Upper Gaylor Lake you'll crest the top and see several old rock homes. Go on inside and make yourself at home. Can you imagine people used to mine and live up here?! Our ancestors were definitely tougher than we are. Watch out for at least 2 mining holes. They have no warning or barrier around then and appear to be at least 20' deep WITH NO WAY OUT. The views on this trip are average at best. I wouldn't recommend this hike for the following reasons. IF you are coming Westward on the 120, the trailhead is at the Eastern end of the park, which is around 50 miles on Tioga pass road. The views are OK at best, not much too see. If you are coming in from the Eastern end (Highway 395) then it makes sense to check this easy hike off your list and then never speak of it again! There are only like 25+ better hikes off Tioga Road that come to mind. Hope this review helps those considering the hike.

Classic Yosemite backpacking route. 30 miles, +/- 4000 feet…read moreelevation. White Wolf to Glen Aulin/Tuolumne Meadow. Either way is good, it goes down and goes up, so either way is similar elevation wise. This is one way route, so carshuttle is required. Or you could catch YARTS but it could be full, so it is risky. 2 night/3 days is appropriate. This route is along Tuolumne River. This has massive amount of water. Since there is a lot of elevation gain/loss, you can see many beautiful waterfalls. The most specutacular falls is Waterwheel falls. As the name indicates, the falls look like waterwheel. It is gorgious. I was just staring at the falls for a while. Not only waterwheel falls, california falls, White Cascades are also very pretty. This is real wilderness Yosemite.

When you pick five stars the rating shows 'Woohoo! As good as it gets!' Uh well it should be 'damm…read moreit's as hard as it gets'. Don't believe the 'several dozen' switchback nonsense that the NPS will tell you. I think that means like 36. HA! I counted 113 on the way down. Erin S and I went on a backpacking trip up this trail last week-end. Our winter trip in summery conditions. Our packs were heavy because of the 4 season tent, bear can, and warm clothes. I was wearing a Suunto Ambit that said we had only gone a mile. How the 'H' is that possible when we had been climbing for almost two hours? This dang thing must be broken. The switchbacks are never ending and steep. Imagine this. For every tenth of a mile you will climb 100 ft. Can you visualize this? We set off from our car at the Happy Isle TH parking and made it to the TH cutoff for Snow Creek by 12:15. Hey we only have to climb 2.7 miles right? We should be at the top in camp by 4:00. At 4:00 I had readjusted my expectations to just get there in time to climb into my bag. A couple of day hikers passed us, and at the same time passed judgement, based on me laying on the ground gasping and crying for air. My pack was lying in the middle of the trail blocking any forward progress; I don't think they had much confidence in our (my) success. We finally made it to the footbridge as dusk was fading to full dark. Fortunately we had two days to recover and not think about having to go back down the evil switchbacks. I guess I should mention that the views are amazing of Half Dome, Quarter Domes, and all other manner of memorable granite objects. Take a moment from staring in misery at the ground as you trudge ever upward and take in the scenery. Makes it all worthwhile! BTW....the Suunto was correct. Ow...I need to take some more Advil and soak in some Epsom salt now. After I crawl out of my bed.

I bought all my shit to go backpacking and to become a mountain man. I've done a few day-hikes and…read morefelt I was ready for a big one, according to me. This is about a six mile hike, two miles through Mirror Lake and about four going up about 2,800 ft. in 99 switch backs. This hike beat me the F-ck up! It took me six hours to get up to the top, had dinner, good dinner and when we woke up we just decided to pack it up and get the hell out of Dodge! Coming down presented a new world of pain, I got a blister and my big toe nail turned purple??? This hike was way out of my league, I would not recommend it unless your are in shape, oh and by the way I was carrying 30+ lbs. of shit on my back! Incredible waterfalls through the hike and spectacular views once we got to the top including an incredible view of Half Dome from an angle I have never seen before! This is a great hike!

Sierra Point. The…read morevery spot in which Ansel Adams hiked to in 1916 at the age of 14 with his new Kodak 1 Brownie camera and took some of his very first pictures. It was this moment that inspired him to want to be a photographer and ultimately come back to Yosemite later in life and take some of the most recognized Yosemite pictures in the world. Talk about one historic spot. A little history on the trail itself. (Which is no longer in use due to a rockslide in the 70's but is still there...just not maintained.) "During the late 1800s early explorers were looking for an area that would view all five major waterfalls. On June 14, 1897 Charles A. Bailey and a friend located the area called Sierra Point by triangulation. This process is achieved by lining up three central points to locate any given area on a map. From this location one can view all five falls, Upper and Lower Yosemite, Illilouette, Vernal and Nevada Falls." I only found out about this spot through a friend who has been going to Yosemite for 30 years. You REALLY have to know where you are going to find the trail...its on older Yosemite Park maps, but because of the rockslide in the 70's the Rangers will not tell you where it starts and will advise you against doing the hike. It took me three times to finally make it all the way to the top, but that was because I had to find the old trail, (which took a couple attempts) and then take one full trip to make sure I had the time to get to the top. Its only an 800 foot climb over less than a mile, but you might lose the trail once or twice the first time so don't get discouraged. There is one spot about halfway up where the rockslide occurred and you have to do a bit of scrambling, but I have never ever climbed anything in my life and I was able to do it just fine. Just keep close watch were you step and you should be fine. Once at Sierra Point you are treated to one of the most amazing spots in all of Yosemite. To top it off, basically no one knows about this spot or how to get here so you almost feel like John Muir in that you feel like you have the whole park to yourself. (There are hundreds of people on the Mist Trail below you.) This trail isn't for everyone, but if you do enough research online and give yourself some time its totally something you can do. You won't regret it at all, its one of the most amazing hikes I have ever accomplished. :0)

You are truly off the beaten path on this one (trail) but only for a tiring short distance. A steep…read more800 feet in under a vertical mile used to get hikers to this lookout point. When you hike the Sierra Loop trail or Mist trail to Vernal falls in Yosemite you are on the busy beaten path. This epic trail to Sierra point veers off the Vernal falls trail way before the bridge but you will not find a marker since the trail is no longer maintained since a huge rockfall covered it. There is a marker that can be used as a guide to find the trail and that is an informational sign that is labeled Rock Piles and has information about Talus, the jumbled rock piles. Since the trail is not recommended to be used this is just for historical information. Walking back from the sign towards happy isles about 25 yards you will see a huge vertical walled stone slab through the trees which is sort of a marker. From that huge slab the old trail is to the right through some scrambling and climbing a rock pile then heading up hill. Hikers who found their way to the railed lookout on top were able to see Yosemite falls, Illilouette fall and it's gorge, Nevada and Vernal falls and the point of Glacier Point. I found my way to the old trail but was not able to get to the lookout. The trail disappeared possibly due to recent dirt slides. You can how ever, see Sierra point from a safer location. If you continue hiking towards Vernal falls on the mist trail eventually you can see Sierra points railings by looking back and up towards the ridge above you. You may find another Sierra point on some maps located near Yosemite Point. The mix-up could be similar to the two rainbow views known in Yosemite.

Fern Spring is a natural rock spring in Yosemite Valley, located just above the Valley Loop Trail,…read moreon the side of the road between Bridalveil Fall and the Pohono Bridge. From the road, you can see a fenced off area with educational signs and a small parking area. Above the parking area is the main rock spring, which is clearly defined by circles of rocks. The water flows into the mountaintop, down, through, and under it, and out into this rock spring. The water also exits from the rocks below the road on the other side of the trail, but most people don't go down to see that side. According to the signs, some Native Americans believe that rock springs like this one are directly connected to the source of life. In respect of their beliefs, and to keep the spring clean, taking water from the spring is not permitted. A restoration project is underway to plant more ferns in this area to restore it to its natural beauty.

fern Spring is beautiful. But now during the government shutdown people are trashing it, we saw…read more two women having a picnic in the spring, like in it! They told us how special it was and I just thought wow so this is how you treat something you think is special? If you visit Fern Spring please respect it. Do not walk in or around it; stand in front of it and admire it and take whatever photos you want. Leave it as you found it or better than you found it, please.

This was a beautiful, short hike that's located off Tioga Road. If you're driving east towards…read moreTuolumne Meadows, the turn off to the trailhead is before Olmsted Point and Tenaya Lake. The road leading to the trail is narrow and riddled with potholes. You'll need to take it slow and yield to cars coming the opposite direction. The lot was rather full on a Friday afternoon, but I snagged a spot of someone leaving. The hike itself is 2.4 round trip with a steady, but not too steep climb to the lake. Beautiful views of Mt Hoffman on the way up, along with Yosemite's high country. The lake itself is magical and serene. No swimming allowed, as it's labeled as a public water source. It's a popular spot not only because it's a relatively short and easier trail to access a Sierra lake, but it also has one of the High Sierra Camps for back packers. Still, winding away from the camp along the shore, there was solitude to be found with a few nice rocks to relax on and and enjoy a snack before heading down. Well kept trail to a beautiful lake, in less hectic, quieter part of Yosemite (relatively speaking.)

An easy hike to a beautiful lake. There are some inclines but definitely worth the "stairmaster"…read morefeel. You can glimpse half dome on your way up. Once there, enjoy scenic views and quiet spaces!

Before 2010, the only time I'd been to Tuolumne Meadows was a day trip from Crane Flat when I was a…read moreteenager. And I saw this large rock with a slightly slanted side, and thought "hey, I can go up there." It took about 29 years :-D, but I made it to the top of Lembert Dome in 2010. It's a pretty easy hike, and takes less than an hour to get to the top. There are two ways to go, and both start with a slightly steep uphill. Lembert Dome is at the end of a short spur. It's such an accessible hike that I saw a wide range of ages at the top, from pre-teens to those even older than me (I've been 29 for many years now). And why not? It's rock climbing without a lot of effort. The view is tops all around. And it's probably the only way to get a look of all of Tuolumne Meadows. Note also that the part that can easily be seen from the Meadows is *not* the highest point. If you're reading this, you already know that Yosemite National Park is not just the Valley. You could have a great vacation in this section alone. And if you do, then going to the top of Lembert Dome should be on your itinerary.

What an amazing hike to do, especially with loved ones/family. I did this hike with my wife and…read morekids ( ages 7 and 3) on 8/19/2017. We started our hike at 9 am and reached the top at 10:30. I would rate this hike easy to moderate for small kids which means you may have to pick up little ones on the way up or down every now and again but they will enjoy the hike. We saw that there was a 60% chance of thunderstorms the day of our trip but since lighting strikes Lembert Dome every month during the year, and last month when I was here it rained along with a thunderstorm we didn't let that keep us from enjoying the beautiful day. We sat on the summit and had brunch which consisted of; Veggie corn dogs, Chick'n Sandwich (Gardein), Spirulina snacks and Organic coconut bars. We then hiked towards the "lip" (see photo) of Lembert Dome where you can overseen Tuolumne Meadow. We saw 3 rock climbers making there way to the top (see photo). It was so beautiful up there and my kids loved it. My daughter said as we reached the top "this is the best day of my life". As a dad it was so wonderful to hear that. Hopefully she will love and cherish the outdoors too. The weather changed very quickly while on the summit. It became very windy and we could see and hear two separate thunderstorms in the distance. While we were taking a video it began to rain in an instant and the wind blew so cold that the rain came down as very light snow that melted before it touched the ground. It was a bit scary at first because we had to run to find cover under some pine trees that are located right where you can find a small rock climbing path to get to the lip or hike back to the other part of the dome. Fortunately, it only rained for about 5 minutes, but it came on us so fast our hearts were racing. We were the only people on this side of the dome, but afterwards we had a lot to talk about. If I could post a video of this on Yelp I would and you would hear the thunderstorm broke up our video and began to rain on us. After our hike down we decided to hike to Tuolomne Meadows and then to nearby Soda Springs. My children caught several frogs on the way to the lodge and Soda Springs (Tuolumne River) and on the hike back to our car my wife spotted a snake in the grass and I was able to get a photo with it (see attached photos). This is my 2nd favorite hike off Highway 120 because it is easy, great with the family, the views are AMAZING, and there is a high chance of rain and thunderstorms regularly which add a bit of adrenaline to it. Check out my other Yelp reviews of Yosemite Hikes.

Activity Type: Hiking Elevation Gain: 3424…read moreLength: 8.5 one way Trail Type: Out and back Skill Level: Moderate to strenuous Duration: 3 to 5 hours Top Elevation: 5364 The hike starts from the West Side of the Hetch Hetchy Dam. It's a steady 4 miles uphill eight long switchbacks. Granites scattered about makes the hike uphill an interesting one. Killer west side view of the dam and the HH Dome from 2nd and 3rd switchback. Beyond that you're steadily climbing on tree lines with very limited view. As you reach the junction you will have another 3.5 miles of mix easy and strenuous hike. We went on the 28th of this month right after a steady supply of rain two days before that. At the junction there were patches of snow. The trail from the junction was wet and the Miguel Creek was gushing and had turned into a lake. At some point the only way to cross one area was to walk on a log with our backpacks. That was one feat! The creek turned lake was about 5 feet high and 7 feet wide. The rest of the trail was covered in water and the only way to tell where it ends and begin was with our GPS. The Miguel Meadow is a pretty area to camp. BUT my favorite is about 4 miles further and will be another review.