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YOSEMITE SOUTH Tuolumne Meadows to Donahue Pass

There are some great spots on Lyell Creek upstream from Tuolumne Meadows. With all the trails to hike and spots on the creek to explore you'll find people all over, but no where near as many people as you'd find in Yosemite Valley. You'll also leave most of those people behind within about half an hour. You'll have to hike about 4 miles till you reach a spot where you can camp, but remember that the bears in Lyell Canyon are some of the smartest bears in the park. When you were allowed to hang food the bears were known to chew through limbs to get food down.

After about 3 hours of hiking you'll get your view of Mt Lyell below, the highest point in the park at 13114 ft with its glaciers on its sides. The trail continues up to the left.

Part way up the climb you can look back to the meadows in Lyell Canyon, with the Kuna Crest on the right. On the other side of the crest is another trail that starts at the highway you left, and crosses either Parker of Mono Pass. You could continue along this route and then make you way back to Tuolumne Meadows via that trail if desired.

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