My spouse and I just returned from 3+ days in Yosemite high country, following Hwy. 120/the Tioga Road up to Tuolumne Meadows. While the rivers are running low, and some of the waterfalls have dried up – this is still stunning country, clean air and worth your visit. Posting some pictures of Olmsted Point, Tenaya Lake, May Lake, Lembert Dome and more. My full feature is coming soon in the Record newspaper. Consider booking a lodge or a campground and get up there before rain and snow closes Tioga Road come sometime in November.
Here are pictures to whet your appetite!
How to get there: From Stockton, it’s 140 miles and three hours. Take Hwy. 4 east to Copperopolis, turn right on O’Byrnes Ferry Road and follow Hwy. 120 past Chinese camp and Groveland (two great Gold Rush towns) into Yosemite, following Hwy. 120 (which is also Tioga Road in the park). Take a side trip into the stunning Hetch Hetchy Valley, which is the destination of the Toulumne River that you will see in Toulumne Meadows (for Hetch Hetchy, from Hwy. 120, go north on Evergreen Road to O’Shaunessy Dam).
For more info: Go to: www.nps.gov/yose. The park headquarters is at PO Box 577, Yosemite National Park, CA 95389-0577; phone: 209.372.0200. Camping can be booked through www.recreation.gov, or 877.444.6777.
Author Tim at May Lake, 9329 feet, with Mt. Hoffman behind
View of Half-dome from Olmsted Point, on the way up Tioga Road.
For other inspirational destinations in CA, see my Record blog: blogs.esanjoaquin.com/valleytravel!
The Tuolumne River, meandering quietly through Tuolumne Meadows.
Happy travels in the West!
Tenaya Lake, looking east