Yosemite - Tuolumne Meadows

We'll be spending a week exploring the high country of Tuolumne Meadows in the Northeast corner of Yosemite National Park.  We'll also spend a day enjoying the grandeur of Yosemite Valley and its iconic features like El Capitan, Half Dome, and Yosemite Falls. 

This is a car camping trip.  Tuolumne Meadows is the largest campground in Yosemite.  While campsites must be reserved in advance, the Park Service does not open reservations for Tuolumne Meadows until June 15, 2025.  Accordingly, this event will only take place if we can secure enough campsites for all participants on June 15.  

You will be responsible for your flight to Fresno, CA.  We will arrive on Saturday, July 19, 2025.  You will also be responsible for booking a hotel room in Fresno.  I recommend that you not book a flight until we have secured a campground reservation.  If you decide to book a room in advance, make sure its refundable.  I will create a group through Whatsapp and we can try to select a hotel that is agreeable to everyone.  You should plan on sharing a room with one other person.  You will also need to book a hotel room when we return to Fresno on Saturday, July 26, 2025 so you can clean up before returning to Atlanta on the following day.

You will also need to arrange for transportation for the week we are in Yosemite.  I will have my own car and can accomodate one additional person.  It will probably be easiest for the rest of the group to rent two cars.  Again, I will create a group on Whatsapp and we can coordinate who will be riding in each car and sharing those costs.

Please read the following itinerary carefully so that you know what to expect:

Saturday (July 19) Arrive in Fresno.  Check into hotel.  Go to dinner at a restaurant as a group.

Sunday (July 20) - Leave from hotel at around 9:00 am.  We'll need to shop for groceries and purchase two coolers for a week of camping.  I have a two burner stove and pots and pans.  We should arrive at Tuolumne Meadows in the afternoon.  Set up camp and eat dinner.

Monday - Friday (July 21 - 25)  I have five hikes planned for the week. The order of the hikes will depend on the weather.  It's very hot and dry in this part of California at this time of year.  There is always a risk that fires and smoke from fires will prevent us from doing some or all of this itinerary.  If you sign up for this event, you are agreeing to be flexible.

Clouds Rest - This is a beautiful hike in the high Sierras that leads to an incredible 360 degree overlook that includes Yosemite Valley.  The trail begins at the Sunrise Lakes trailhead on Tenaya Lake.  We'll hike about 6.25 miles and gain 2000 feet of elevation until we reach Clouds Rest.  We'll plan on having lunch here and enjoy the amazing views.  Then we'll retrace our steps back to the trailhead for a total distance of 12.5 miles

Cathedral Lakes and beyond - The trailhead is next to our campground.  It's about 8.2 miles round trip to the magnificent Cathedral Lakes guarded by the pinnacle known as Cathedral Peak.  We'll have to choose whether we go to the Upper or Lower Cathedral Lake when we reach a fork in the trail, or we can add on to our mileage and do both.  Total elevation gain is around 1700 feet.

Yosemite Valley - We'll get up early to drive more than an hour from our campground to the famed Yosemite Valley.  We'll stop and gaze at the iconic granite features known as El Capitan and Half Dome.  We'll find parking (eventually) and walk our way to the Happy Isles trailhead.  We'll start on the Mist Trail and hike past two amazing waterfalls; Vernal and Nevada.  We'll gain around 1500 feet.  We will then complete the loop by hiking on the John Muir Trail back to the trailhead.  NPS says this loop is open only on weekends, so we'll probably have to do this hike on Friday.

Glen Aulin - This is probably my favorite hike in the area and it's also the easiest.  We'll start across Tioga Road from our campground and hike approximately five miles on the Pacific Crest Trail to a High Sierra camp at Glen Aulin.  We'll be hiking mostly alongside the Tuolumne River.  The river starts out sedate and calm as it meanders through the beautiful high sierra with granite pinnacles peaking out in all directions.  Then the river gets feisty as it flows over a series of waterfalls.  We'll lose about 600 feet in elevation by the time we stop for lunch at Glen Aulin.  Then we'll retrace our steps back to the campground for a total distance of around 10 miles.

Vogelsang - This is a 14 mile out-and-back hike that begins at our campground and ascends around 1500 feet to Vogelsand, which includes a High Sierra camp and a lake.  We'll initially hike alongside the Lyell fork to the Tuolumne River before beginning our ascent into the high sierra.  

I've limited the trip to eight members primarily because I will only have one two-burner stove.  That means we will probably have to cook the same meal twice to feed everyone.  We may be able to accomodate more members depending on whether everyone wants to cook together or if some want to prepare their own meals.  I will be bringing a variety of spices and I will have cookware.  You will be responsible for bringing anything that you eat or drink from.

I expect we will eat out at restuarants for 2-3 meals.  Budget accordingly.

$25 covers the AOC service fee.  Payment of the fee is due on or before June 25, 2025.  The AOC service fee is not refundable no matter when you cancel.