Yosemite: High Country Over the Tioga Pass

Driving over the Tioga Pass, using California State Route 120, in Yosemite is an amazing experience: one which relatively few visitors to this very popular National Park take advantage of.  The reward of this 38 mile journey is having the opportunity to see an arctic tundra eco-system in the middle of the Golden State, catch a vista of the majestic Cathedral Mountain Range, see ancient Junipers tree up close, and to pass countless natural high-elevation lakes left over from the glacial period.

Since we had a very long trip ahead of us, we entered the Park very early in the morning from the West, coming in at Arch Rock Entrance, on Highway 140, from Mariposa.

A series of long tunnels built through rock gave us a hint that the road we were about to travel was an engineering miracle.

The AAA book claims that this drive is more challenging than relaxing.  We did see so many deer right along the road and as soon as we climbed to a higher elevation, we saw snow on the shadowy side of the mountain.  You do need to pay close attention for various hazards when making this road trip.  However, the road is very well-maintained and fun to drive.

The high-country is dotted with many lakes left over from the glacier period.  Siesta Lake is right along the Tioga roadway.  You can walk all around this lovely lake on a trail with interpretative signs.  This lake looks healthy and full of life.  However, it is a dying pond.  It is naturally filling in with plant life and one day this lake will be a marsh; then a meadow; and finally, it will be a forest just like its surrounding area.

Ansel Adams, the naturalist photographer, captured Siesta Lake on film back in 1958.  Coincidently, I happened to pose for a photo on the very same log that juts out into the lake that he photographed.  For fun, I converted my own photo to black and white to match his.

The view from Olmsted Point alone is worth the drive up the Tioga Pass.  This is the best place in the Park to get the back view of Half-Dome.

At Olmsted Point, you can get this gorgeous view of Tenaya Canyon too.

Tenaya Lake is at 8,125 feet elevation and is surrounded by granite domes, making a very picturesque scene.  The lake was named after an Indian Chief who met with the Mariposa Battalion at the shores of these lakes to negotiate peace.

The water was absolutely freezing!

As you get this high in elevation, the forest changes to the very hardy Sierra Juniper Pines.

These trees can grow where no other plant life can take hold.  Some of these trees have survived this very harsh climate for more than a thousand years.

I love how this Juniper has wrapped itself around this boulder.

The Cathedral Range is certainly one of the most majestic ranges in the Sierra Nevada and so few people get the opportunity to admire it.

The tops of these peaks stayed above the ice of the Glacial Period, which ended as recently as 10,000 years ago at this elevation.  The sides of the peaks were carved away by glaciation.  The sign calls the peaks "Islands in the Sky".  Even the names of the peaks, Cockscomb, Unicorn, and Cathedral make this place seem magical.

Tuolumne Meadows is an example of a tundra environment right here in California.  The mountains close to this area have some permanent snowfields that never melt.  Since the growing season is so short in this area, walking on the meadows is strictly prohibited.  Damage by footsteps could take years to repair in this fragile environment.

The dome you see in the background is the Pothole Dome and this is a favorite hiking area.

Speaking of hiking, the famous John Muir Trail passes through this area.  Read our own Madame Donna's wonderful account of her sons' hike through this wilderness last summer.  She has some amazing shots of the backcountry vistas.  They Walk, Simply, Away.  

If you want to experience a rather easy, shorter hike, you can take this trail to Mono Lake.

This exact trail was used by the Me-Wuk, Miwoks, and Paiute Indians to hunt deer and bear in this high country and to cross over to Eastern California for trading with other tribes.

Tioga means "at the fork" in Miwok language, and here you can see one of the contributing streams that will lead into the Tuolumne River.  It was partially frozen.

This area is incredibly colorful and peaceful.  Many photographers were setting up here with high-powered cameras.

Here is the very top of the Park at the Eastern Entrance to Yosemite National Park.

At 9,945 feet in elevation, this is one of the highest elevation paved state highways in California.

Tioga Lake lets you get one last glimpse of the beauty of Yosemite National Park.

Here's another shot of Tioga Lake - the color has completely changed from green to pure blue.

The trip down the Tioga Pass to the Highway 395 is an adventure not to be missed.  Hold on tight and check your brakes first because the Sierra Nevadas are an asymmetrical mountain range with a gently sloping western side and a steep rocky eastern side.

This bridge shows what an engineering feat it is to build a road on this kind of terrain in prime earthquake land.

The State Highway 120 was first built to get mineral miners across the Sierras.  Now it is used to transport tourists and naturalists who love this wild area.

This plaque is dedicated to those that made this road a reality.

Lake Ellery, a damned reservor to hold drinking water, was impressive at 9,538 feet elevation.  Sportsmen were fishing when we dropped by.

Again, this lake totally changes color depending on the light.

 The sheer cliffs overpowered our car as we zoomed down the mountainside.

The Tioga Pass road eventually gets you to the wonderful California State Highway 395 that has unlimited possiblities for further exploration of the Owen's Valley.

Whether you choose to drive north or south at the 395 intersection, you are guaranteed to have a beautiful drive viewing the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Thank you so much for coming along with me to the Yosemite High Country.