Reaching elevations upwards of 10,000 feet, Tioga Pass is a once-in-a-lifetime drive. Scattered with mountain views, alpine lakes and wildflower-dotted meadows, you’ll be happy you left the driving to us.

Gaze out the window and look for bears as you make our way to the Pothole Dome trailhead. Enjoy a short hike overlooking Tuolumne Meadows before heading to Tenaya Lake. Here, you’ll enjoy an included box lunch and have the chance to swim in the crystal clear alpine waters of the lake. On the way back to the hotel, we will make another stop at Olmstead Point for a vantage point of Half Dome most people miss.

Itinerary

• 8:00am. Depart Cedar Lodge
• 8:15am. Depart Yosemite View Lodge
• 10:00am. After gaining almost 4,000 feet of elevation and traversing Tioga Road, we will reach the Pothole Dome trailhead. Here you’ll have about 2 hours to hike the relatively easy 2.5 mile roundtrip hike. From the top of the dome, enjoy views of Yosemite’s high elevation peaks, Tuolumne Meadow and the Tuolumne River.
• 12:15pm. Around noon we will stop at sparkling Tenaya Lake to enjoy lunch on the beach. Don’t forget your bathing suit! Taking a dip in the refreshing snow-melt is the perfect solution to a hot summer’s day.
• 2:30pm. After about two hours of free time at the lake, we will start to make our way back to your hotel. Along the way we will stop at Olmstead Point to take in the views and to see Half Dome from a new perspective.
• 4:00pm. Arrive Yosemite View Lodge
• 4:15pm. Arrive Cedar Lodge

Important Details:

National Park Entry: National Park Entry is included with your tour so there is no need to secure your own day-use permit from the park itself.

Due to our commercial permit with Yosemite National Park, we can only grant you access to the park for the duration of the tour. We cannot provide separate or additional park entry permits or allow you to follow behind and drive your own vehicle.

Pickup Locations: Our pickup locations are conveniently located right outside Yosemite National Park on Highway 140 in El Portal, CA. You can park at either pickup location for the duration of your tour free of charge.

It is imperative to double check our pickup locations and their addresses before arriving to Yosemite. This area does not have reliable cell service. Please do not confuse the Yosemite View Lodge (our pickup) with the Yosemite Valley Lodge (inside the park). Additionally, if you are staying at a hotel on a different highway or location within the Yosemite area, please note that you cannot drive through the park to reach us if you do not have a day-use entry pass. Rangers will not make exceptions for you to enter the park to meet our departure point.

The hike: The Pothole Dome trail is a mild 2.5 mile roundtrip hike with 250 feet of elevation gain. The summit of the dome itself rewards hikers with sweeping views of Tuolumne Meadows and Yosemite’s higher elevation mountains towards the east.

Be sure to wear comfortable clothing, and bring good hiking shoes in case you want to climb up the sloping granite top of pothole dome.