We finally made it to Yosemite and entered on the eastern side of the park near Tuolumne (pronounced “to-all-lum-ee”) Meadows. Most visitors never tour this side of the park as the Tioga Pass is only open during the summer and early fall.

Tuolumne Meadows

Located in the High Sierra at 8,600 feet, Tuolumne Meadows feels quite different from the rest of the park. It is exactly what it says – a lush, green sub-alpine meadow with the Tuolumne River running through it.

Several hikes start from the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center. We chose the easier 2-mile Soda Springs hike instead of the Lembert Dome hike.

After crossing the river, a miniature log cabin stood alone in the distance. Homesteader Jean Baptiste Lembert enclosed the Soda Springs in 1889 to protect them from grazing sheep and livestock. (more…)