Backpacking the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne in Yosemite

Inquiring with the rangers about the conditions in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, a few days before my trip, filled me with a bit of hesitation and doubt. “There are 100+ downed trees in the canyon”, “be aware of rattlesnakes”, “Pate Valley is flooded”, were some of the statements describing the (alleged) conditions and possible hazards along the trail. I had four days to cover the roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers), and enough food to sustain me over that same period. Worst case, I could always turn around.

The Tuolumne River originates in Yosemite National Park, initially fed by the Lyell Fork and the Dana Fork, which merge at Tuolumne Meadows before entering the 20-mile (32 km) long Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, where it reaches the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The hike through the canyon can be attempted from either side, but I chose to start at While Wolf Campground on a Sunday morning in late June after picking up my permit at the wilderness permit station at the Big Oak Flat entrance of the park. A tad too eager to stick to the rules, I followed the initial signage from the parking lot rather than taking Old Tioga Road and making it to the canyon rim via Harden Lake, which would have been the more direct route.

Following the trail down into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne

These first three miles felt monotonous, passing through a pine forest with only slight visual variation. That all changed once I reached the beginning of the partly steep downhill slope into the canyon. A hiker couple I met close to the edge of the canyon, who had just ascended from the bottom, were the first of a handful of backpackers coming the other way to alleviate my concerns and put the dangers pointed out by the rangers into perspective. “We didn’t see any rattlesnakes at all,” the woman explained, “and Pate Valley was completely dry”. “We may have encountered six or so downed trees we had to climb over,” her hiking partner informed me. All of this sounded quite encouraging.

Views of Hetch Hetchy were the first major highlight of the trek

Heading down into the canyon was a long slog on a well-groomed and maintained trail, but with some sections of loose rocks. A lookout point offering expansive views of Hetch Hetchy and the canyon floor below was the first memorable highlight, about seven miles in. The closer to the bottom of the canyon I got, the more audible the roar of the river became.

Approaching the bottom of the canyon

Swift flowing Tuolumne River at the bottom of the canyon

As I approached Pate Valley, the trail now hugged the 50- to 60-foot-wide flow of the river, swiftly making its way westward. The valley, as reported, was not flooded at all, but rather very dry. Together with close to a dozen other backpackers, I set up camp for the night, but not before dipping my feet into the refreshingly chill waters of the river and washing off the sweat and grime from the first day.

First campsite along the river in Pate Valley

Despite my best intentions, the speed at which I complete my morning routine while backpacking is relatively slow. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to be more efficient and be ready to go within 30 minutes of waking up. Instead, it usually takes me two hours, give or take, no matter what I do.

The morning of day two was no different. Shortly after leaving camp, the trail crossed over two bridges to the north side of the river and would remain there until Glen Aulin. Being reasonably close to the river and witnessing the force of the water as it made its way downstream was a view I did not tire of for the remainder of the days on the trail.

A bridge across the river shortly after breaking camp

Wildflowers blooming after most of the winter snow has melted

The views along the trail got better and better as the days went on

With the trail hugging the flow of the river, the rumble and swoosh of the water was never far away

Shortly after lunch the canyon narrowed to Muir Gorge

A waterfall right on the path by Register Creek served as a great rest spot and a place for an early lunch. Shortly after, the narrow Muir Gorge presented an impassable obstacle, which the route avoided by navigating around it via an uphill climb around two granite domes to the north, before eventually reconnecting with the river bed roughly 2.5 miles later.

A trailside waterfall at Register Creek served as the perfect rest spot for lunch

At the high point of the detour, dark thunderstorm clouds could be spotted to the southeast, and around 3 pm, it started drizzling. I debated for a while how much further I wanted to go, but eventually spotted an established campsite close to the river. I quickly set up and escaped into my tent, protected from the rain, which lasted for a bit over an hour.

Darkening skies and thunder announced some weather changes. It ended up raining for a bit over an hour in mid afternoon.

As I walked around the area a bit after the rain had died down, I realized my campsite was right across Upper and Lower Cathedral Creek Falls. Not a bad location for a hastily picked camping spot.

I decided to cut day 2 short because of the inclement weather

Rain droplets sticking to trailside vegetation

One of the few spots where there was flowing water on the trail

The downside of doing this hike (or really any backpacking trip in Yosemite) in early season is that mosquitoes are out in full force. That was most obvious to me on day three when I would get attacked by swarms of them the second I stood still. It remains a mystery whether it would have been even worse without lathering my exposed skin with insect repellent.

Seemingly endless views of water and waterfalls

The constant road of the river became a soundtrack one quickly got used to

The waterfalls along the way became increasingly impressive. After an unnamed waterfall a bit further upstream, the trail passes Waterwheel Falls, LeConte Falls, and California Falls. Both Waterwheel and LeConte Falls presented themselves as massive walls of water thundering across granite with unbelievable force.

A look along the canyon a few miles before Glen Aulin

Together with LeConte Falls, Waterwheel Falls impressed the most through its force and sound

Bottom of California Falls

Above California Falls, the scenery changed almost abruptly into a meadow with some standing water (a mosquito’s paradise), and the Tuolumne River now very calmly flowing at a low speed close by. I made it to Glen Aulin backpackers’ camp mid-afternoon, already occupied by a handful of backpacking parties on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I set up camp on one of the upper sites (11-15 area), tucked away for some privacy. I first enjoyed some time relaxing by the White Cascade and, after dinner, watched the sun setting over the canyon from an elevated viewpoint just west of camp.

Relaxing close to White Cascade at Glen Aulin

Final sunset on the trail from Glen Aulin

Spending the final night at Glen Aulin backpackers’ camp

I had not even packed away my sleeping bag, while the PCT hikers were already heading out from camp the next morning. But again: there was no need to rush. The climb out of Glen Aulin and towards Tuolumne Meadows along the PCT felt fairly steep, with the rumble of White Cascade and Tuolumne Falls nearby.

Another river crossing and a short uphill climb later, the trail began to level out, and the terrain was now a wide-open meadow, accentuated on the horizon by various granite domes to the south and Tuolumne Peak to the southwest. Cruising along on what now felt like a hiker highway, I reached Soda Springs and Tuolumne Meadows around noon. A good two dozen trail-weary and partially haggard-looking PCT backpackers were hanging out and lingering at the Tuolumne Meadows Store parking lot, stocking up on provisions, swapping stories, and figuring out their next few days ahead.

Approaching Tuolumne Meadows with Tuolumne Peak in the distance

Marmot sighting at Tuolumne Meadows close to Soda Springs

A cheeseburger and potato wedges from the Tuolumne Meadows Grill hit the spot after four days in the backcountry, before I boarded the 2:15pm hiker bus that would take me back to my vehicle at White Wolf.