Yosemite National Park
|
Lembert Dome, Dog Dome, Dog Lake Yosemite National Park |
September 9, 2025
Despite the ongoing Garnet Fire near Shaver Lake to the south, friends Mary, Cindy and Eileen have joined me for a venture to the Eastern Sierra for three days of hiking. Upon reaching Conway Summit, we cannot even see Mono Lake directly below through the smoke and haze. Finding a pleasant walk under these conditions will be problematical, but we'll give it a try.
Having not yet visited my beloved Yosemite at all so far this year, that seems like the best place to start; so off we go up the smoky Tioga Road to the eastern end of Tuolumne Meadows. Parking at the Wilderness Center will enable a loop trip for my companions who never have hiked in this area.
Starting out on the John Muir Trail
This world-famous path actually parallels the Tioga Road across most of the Tuolumne Meadows. Go figure.
Approaching the primary destination
Just across the highway is the trail down to Glen Aulin High-Sierra Camp, which of
course is closed — for the sixth year in a row. Our own reservations
for that camp were cancelled due to the federal government's unconscionable reduction
of the park budget, which of course affects us non-mainstream off-road
lovers more than the general population of visitors.
A different trail begins our circumambulation of Lembert Dome, which I last did ten years ago, with much of the trail obliterated by snowbanks.
Heading northward, uphill all the way
In something less than an hour, the first scheduled attraction appears:
Dog Lake (9170')
Mount Dana and Mount Gibbs are hiding in the haze
Mary has misplaced her watch. She hunts for it, but to no avail. Finally,
after being informed that this is a loop and there will be no backtracking, Mary renews
her search and finds the watch — in her pocket. How it actually got
there remains unknown.
What remains of the Red Heather and the Corn Lilies
It's three-quarters of a mile to the other end
Looking back
Sierra Fringed Gentian
Western Aster
Now it's time for a cross-country shortcut to the south.
As expected, the going proves rather easy.
Whoa! This is unusual.
The others are coming
Crossing the main trail, from which there is no view of Dog Lake
Finding a convenient spot, we start up the granite slab
This just doesn't look right, however
Suddenly figuring out what is wrong, I encourage my companions to forge ahead anyway, up to the top of this rock.
Let's go see what there is to see
Congratulations, guys! You have just made it to the summit of
— Dog Dome. This was not in the plan.
Lembert Dome is over there
The meadows below are framed by Unicorn Peak and Fairview Dome
Posing on Dog Dome
Don't back up too far, guys; there's a very steep dropoff right behind you.
The shoreline of Dog Lake is barely visible to the north
Let's get over there
This must be the way
The transition from one rock to another proves easy, for some of the requisite climbing already has been done. In no time at all, we find ourselves on a new series of slabs.
On Lembert Dome for real
A safe, natural route up the north side of the dome begets a saddle and a first view of the true summit. A number of other hikers are resting here, and some are assessing their option as to whether to continue. From here, there is nothing but a giant slab of angled rock.
C'mon guys; this isn't so bad
The shortest distance to the top is, of course, a straight line
Although I did just that on my prior visit, I know that continuing around to the far side of the summit block will be much easier; so that's what we will do.
Actually, this is pretty exciting
A man is on the summit
Almost there
Made it! We impose upon the other man, who has just arrived here from Colombia, to take a group photo.
Happy guys
Starting back down
The others are disinclined to explore further
That's Puppy Dome in the near distance
I've been there and done that one; perhaps the others will be interested as well.
This is why I go hiking
Back at the saddle, we can enjoy looking down upon Dog Dome
A group of women has opted for the short but somewhat difficult scramble
For a couple of them, it's a significant struggle
Whitebark Pine is the only plant on the mountain at this time
It's a cakewalk from here
Off the rock at last
Into the forest
From here it's a steepish, relatively uninteresting slog straight down toward the highway.
Johnson Peak (11064') is the highest mountain in Tuolumne Meadows
That peak was named by Robert Marshall in the 1890s, to honor a teamster and guide in his survey party.
My favorite mountain, Cathedral Peak, is barely evident
⇔
The Dana Fork is dry as a bone
On a previous hike, I had to remove my boots just to cross that stream.
Silky Lupine
There's Puppy Dome, but no one is interested
End of the line
Meadows reprise
Been there, done that. The summit is to the right of the trees on top
§: Well, we made the best of a bad-air day, and it worked out pretty
well. I had thought that climbing both Dog Dome and Puppy Dome on the same walk
would provide a good conversation piece, but it was not to be.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty |  |
| Personality |  |
| Adventure | |
(clockwise route)
Google Earth view
