The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne

The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne is aptly named. The Canyon follows the Tuolumne river as it drops from the Meadows down to Hetch Hetchy, where the river empties into the reservoir. As the river descends down the canyon the walls get relatively higher and higher, and the resulting scenery is kind of a mix between the Grand Canyon and Yosemite Valley.

We spent the 4th of July weekend backpacking through this incredible scenery. The route we took started at the Lembert Dome parking area and took us into the Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp backpacker's camp for the first night. It was a simple and easy day, nice for acclimating and enjoying the beautiful Tuolumne River. The camp was crowded, being July 4, but here's a hint for anyone going into Glen Aulin: go past the first cluster of backpacker sites and walk up the hill to the last set of sites. They are much bigger, less buggy, more spread apart, and less crowded. When we arrived, the lower sites were packed. I walked up the hill to the far sites and they were empty with the exception of one quiet couple.

After a bear-less night in Glen Aulin, day two took us fourteen miles down the Canyon to Pate Valley. With a 5000 foot descent, the day got progressively hotter and hotter. But this was no problem - the stunning turquoise Tuolumne river provided plenty of foot soaking and swimming opportunities, many of them presenting themselves at just the perfect time. We encountered a serendipitous waterfall with a swimming hole just after a hot climb that took us over Muir Gorge.

Just before reaching Pate Valley we saw a bear foraging, so as we selected a campsite this was in the back of my mind. I ended up finding us a site on the far side of the Pate Valley footbridge, hoping that Mr Bear didn't like crossing bridges. Since the bear was foraging, I hoped he was wild enough that he would leave us alone. I don't know how many backpackers Pate Valley sees, but considering that it is a minimum of a 4000 ft descent into and climb out of the Valley, I don't think it sees too many.

Paige strolled into camp with a bag of trout she'd caught over the last few miles of trail, and Dave cleaned and cooked them for us. It was a nice treat to share after the long day's hike! Even with the fishbreath, no bears bothered us overnight, though there was some barking from a fox or coyote near camp at one point.

Day 3 took us up and out of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, climbing 4000 feet back to White Wolf, where we had left cars. Depending on the map or signs that you believe, the hike is anywhere from 8.4 to 10.4 miles. I think it was closer to the 8.4, but I didn't really care about distance - it was all about knocking off those 4000 feet. We left camp early to get the climb out of the way before the forecasted 90 degree midday heat, and it ended up being a rather pleasant shaded climb along cobblestone trails. I was glad to be going up and not down - those cobblestone trails always make me nervous about an ankle twist when going down.

As I climbed I got some nice views down into Hetch Hetchy, though the pervasive smoke dampened the distant views. Doing the hike this direction ends rather undramatically - the high point at the end of the climb is an unremarkable hill along mosquito-ey meadows. It meanders into White Wolf where a cold coke and bag of chips awaited me.

If I did this hike again I would still choose to go in this direction - I think I might not have enjoyed the second day's hike through the Canyon as much if I had to climb that 5000 feet. The climb out of Pate Valley back to White Wolf has nice scenery, but it's mostly about getting that climb done, so you're not missing too much as you haul yourself up that hill. Also, that first easy day into Glen Aulin allows for that first day adjustment and time pad after the long drive to the mountains, the shuttle setup, and the permit pick-up.

Wildlife sightings: mountain quail, bear, rattlesnakes, king snake, garter snake, gopher snake, marmots, lots of fish, chipmunks, deer. Pictures are here: Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne Backpack