CA - Day 3 - Yosemite - Tuolumne Meadows

A view from the top of Pothole Dome

Monday, August 31, 2015

The Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite was our destination for the day. It was a bit of a drive from Tahoe, but luckily we happened to stop by the Mono Lake Visitor Center to stretch our legs, use the bathroom, enjoy the great displays and get some great information that was useful for our next few days. The views outside of the visitor center were incredible! The entrance to Yosemite was only a short drive once leaving the visitor center. The park is $30/vehicle (or use your annual park pass). We arrived just in time for a guided hike at Pothole Dome (about 2.5 hours). The talk dragged on a little, but it was very informative.  We learned all about Belding Ground Squirrels – very interesting (they hibernate for 8-9 months a year)! The four types of predominate granite that exists in Yosemite was also discussed. Once we finally reached the top of the dome, we were rewarded with a view of many peaks of the park. Unfortunately, nearby wildfires caused the park to be a little hazy.

A view from the Valley

Getting the National Park Passport Book stamped was the next activity. The visitor center was small with minimal displays and gift shop selections. On the positive note, there were bathrooms; however, there were not water refill stations available. There is a small restaurant, post office and general store a couple of miles down from the visitor center. We grabbed lunch at the restaurant (very affordable) and then headed to the Soda Springs area. The soda springs were not very impressive. The Parsons Memorial Lodge near the springs was a nice building with some nice displays. The trail to the springs was 1.5 miles round trip and was an easy walk.

Mono Lake - South Tufa Area

We spent about five hours at the park before heading to the Mono Lake South Tufa Area. The cost is $3/person or you can use the National Park Pass.

Mono Lake is rather interesting. The South Tufa Area is the area where the most tufas are present. Tufa is a type of limestone that is formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals. Scientist figure that the lake was created at least 760,000 years ago. The lack of an outlet causes the salt level to be high – approximately 10%. There are a ton of little flies at the water edge, back in the day local Kutzadika’a people relied on the papae of the alkali flies for food. Brine shrimp live in the waters also. The lake also is a major stopping location for migratory birds. We spent about an hour walking down to the water edge and checking out the formations.