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| | | Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne Loop - Yosemite, CA | | | |
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Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne Loop - Yosemite, CA
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| Backpack | 62.00 Miles |
11,800 AEG |
| | Backpack | 62.00 Miles | 5 Days | | |
| 11,800 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | A few of us hiked the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne over three days back in 2016 and had an amazing time. We had a spirited debate on which direction to go. Chumley wanted to go down canyon and save the big climb for the final day. I wanted to go up canyon and do the climb over two days. Since I was planning the trip and getting the permit, we went up canyon! For this trip, we’re going the opposite way and heading down canyon but we’re extending the trip to five days and will do a large lasso loop. I got a permit for six people and the days ticked by until go time!
Wednesday, Aug 2 (Drive to Lee Vining)
We met at Kar’s house in north Phoenix and then made the long drive to Lee Vining where we stayed at the Lake View Lodge. It was a bit pricey but it’s very affordable when you’re cramming four people into a room. And the nice thing is this put us in close proximity to Yosemite’s Tioga Road entrance.
Thursday, Aug 3 – 12 mile and 3,000ft of gain (Lukens Lake to Ten Lakes)
We woke fairly early and made the drive up Lee Vining Canyon and entered Yosemite around 8am. We would continue to the backcountry office where we met Daniel and Abrianna and retrieved our permit. They did batch processing, which was a first for me. That had everyone enter their names onto a sheet and then a ranger went over the backcountry regulations. During his presentation, another ranger printed all the permits. It was very efficient and relatively nice change of pace compared to the one permit at a time I’m accustomed to. From there we drove to the Lukens Lake Trailhead and geared up and headed in.
The first mile is relatively easy as you drop to Lukens Lake. We passed the lake and came to a junction which was the start of our lasso loop. We turned right and headed northeast and noticed heavy mosquitoes. It’s going to be one of those trips! The trail follows the Middle Fork of the Tuolumne River and is a bit overgrown and hard to follow in places. We got off trail a few times but had a GPS route preloaded and always found our way back to trail. The miles slowly ticked by as we gained elevation and before long we started the final climb to the Ten Lakes Basin. Once up top we overlooked the lakes and dropped down. Ultimately, we pushed it a bit farther and camped at a lake at roughly 9,400ft. We set up camp and relaxed and enjoyed the evening and our first night in the backcountry.
Friday, Aug 4 – 16+ miles and 2,500ft (Ten Lakes to Glen Aulin)
Our day two plan was quite ambitious. We have a lot of miles and will be climbing to the high point of our trip. And we still have relatively heavy backpacks with 4 days worth of food. We packed up and were on trail around 8:30am and were on our way. The initial going is mostly easy as we head to the northeast and then make a hook and start our descent into a canyon that heads south along the South Fork of Cathedral Creek. This section was beautiful but was loaded with mosquitoes so our breaks were limited as we pushed through. Before long we made another hook and started the hardy climb to our high point at roughly 9,900ft. This took a lot of work and we took a few breaks along the way. With much effort we topped out and enjoyed the views. You could see for miles and the weather was fantastic.
After we had our fill we continued and had to deal with some snow but nothing major. Before long we started our big descent into Murphy Creek. We thought it was easy going but the valley had a variety of snow drifts and lots of standing water to navigate around. Nothing was overwhelming but it sucked up time and energy. The last few miles to Glen Aulin dragged on and I was very happy to be done for the day! This day proved to be much harder than I anticipated when planning the trip and I turned in very early.
Saturday, Aug 5 – 14 miles and 1,400ft (Glen Aulin to Tuolumne River 4,700ft)
Daniel and Abriana were wiped out after the difficult day two and decided to bail. They would hike out to Soda Springs and hitch hiked back to the car at Lukens Lake. We said our goodbyes and headed down canyon. This is the prime part of our hike as we descend the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. Our packs are feeling lighter and it’s mostly easy going as we passed a bunch of waterfalls and cascades. The hiking is just fantastic and it was a great day. We took a variety of pics and had a wonderful time. With some effort we hiked just over 14 miles and found a prime campsite next to an unnamed waterfall. We settled in at camp at roughly 4,700ft and noticed there weren’t’ mosquitoes. It was so nice enjoying our campfire without the need for head nets.
Sunday, Aug 6 – 9+ miles and 3,000ftft (Tuolumne River to Morrison Creek)
We have a relatively short day planned as we drop to Pate Valley and then climb out of the canyon. The first few miles were relatively easy as we continued down the Tuolumne River. The entire hike along the river is just amazing and I savored every inch. Before long we arrived at Pate Valley and I went to inspect our campsite from the 2016 trip. From there we crossed the bridge and started the final section along the river before starting our big climb. As the trail left the river we arrived to a blown down section. I believe it was from an avalanche during the winter. It took some effort as we climbed over downed trees and weaved our way through. Before long we were through and then made the large climb away from the river. With some effort we topped out at Morrison Creek and set up camp for our final night. During the evening we hiked over to a viewpoint and enjoyed the views of Hetch Hetchy. I’m thinking of hiking down there next year in 2024. We would settle in for our final night with a nice campfire.
Monday, Aug 7 - 8 miles and 2,000ft (Morrison Creek to Lukens Lake Trailhead)
Our final day is another easy-ish day but we have to hike out and then make the 10+ drive home to Phoenix. We broke down camp and it was every man for himself. Karl left camp first and I headed out about 15 minutes later. Ryan and Chumley were a few minutes behind me. The exit went very well as we had a steady climb but nothing difficult. Our packs were very light after eating most of our food so we cruised. Along the way I was parallel to the Middle Fork of the Tuolumne River and noticed a large black mass ahead of me on the trail. It turned out to be a large black bear. It noticed me and ran about a hundred feet off the trail and then staired at me. I took a few pics as I passed and got out of there. The last few miles blurred by and we were back to the trailhead and the end of our hike. We packed up and made the long drive home. Another amazing trip in the books!
Misc Notes
My GPS route has been heavily edited and the number of points reduced. If you do this lasso loop, be prepared to hike roughly 60 miles
The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River can be hiked in either direction. It can be done as a shuttle or a loop.
For the most part, you can camp wherever you want. The only restrictions are near trailheads and Glen Aulin, where you have to camp at the Backpackers campground |
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