3 min
Overview
Visitors to Yosemite National Park attempting to escape the valley to the higher, cooler, and slightly less crowded confines of Tuolumne Meadows encounter a wide variety of hiking options. Several different routes depart from the meadow and approach alpine lakes. Other trails, skirt the edge of the meadows and the banks of the Tuolumne River. Other routes, some informal, lead you to the summits of rounded granite domes offering a perch from which to survey the spacious meadows. If you are on a time crunch, or if you’re simply baffled as to where to start, why not take a route that kills all of these birds with one moderate, memorable stone? This looping route with two short spur trails ties together a scenic lake, the most famous granite dome in the area, and a ramble along the Tuolumne River and its various meadows. You will earn a mixture of impressive views, including vistas across the serene waters of Dog Lake, a sweeping panorama of the Yosemite High Country from Lembert Dome, and Cathedral Peak rising up over a vast lodgepole pine forest. From the parking area at the southwest edge of Lembert Dome, skirt the northern edge of the lot to find the Dog Lake/Lembert Dome Trailhead. Step onto the wide, sandy trail and travel north, first through lodgepole pine forest, and then across a granite slab. Cairns mark the way across the slab to the continuation of trail, but the practice of building extra cairns creates a fair amount of confusion on which way to go. I kicked over all of the misdirecting rock piles on my visit, but expect people to come along afterward and re-build them. Once on the other side of the slab, the trail continues across a narrow meadow with nice views west toward Cathedral Peak before reaching the base of a moderately steep slope. From the base of the slope, you’ll commence a vigorous 400′ climb over .5 mile along the right bank of the stream draining Dog Lake. At .7 miles, the terrain evens out for a brief stretch before resuming a gentler climb at the junction leading right toward Lemb
Trail Stats
7.8 km
274 m
2898 m
2604 m
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Photos
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