YOSEMITE ON HORSEBACK: THREE RIDES ALONG TIOGA ROAD Cindy Casey White Wolf Area, May Lake Loop, Ragged Peak Loop The high country along Tioga Road presents us with some of the most dramatic scenery in this country. Many of a rider s trail options take one above tree line, with vistas that seem without end. Here we find forests of red fir, Jeffrey pine, and lodgepole pine. You will find juniper and white bark pine at the highest end of the forested areas. Lakes and streams are abundant. The riding season is short in this high country. In general, a trip could be typically planned from July - October. Be aware that during that season, afternoon thunderstorms are common. There is a mountaineering expression: up by noon, out by two. This likely won t be your schedule, but gives you a guideline. If there are ANY clouds in the morning, late afternoon will likely bring thunderstorms. This is especially true the closer you are to the Sierra crest. You may wish to plan your trip so that you aren t on exposed granite slopes in the late afternoon, if the sky looks threatening. Each summer there is a period of typically a couple weeks when mosquitos can be quite a nuisance. Usually this will be a problem when crossing a meadow, still damp from the melted snow. If you see a hiker wearing a pack, running across a meadow, you can assume you are going to meet some mosquitos. A few fly repellant wipes are handy to have along in case you find yourself in this situation. Once the areas dry a bit from winter snow melt, the mosquitos don t present much of a problem. In this article, three rides along Tioga Road will be detailed. There will also be suggestions of other rides which you may enjoy. The rides in the White Wolf area, and the May Lake Loop, are not as commonly known as the rides in the Tuolumne Meadows area. You may enjoy exploring these areas. Whatever your destination along Tioga Road, you can almost be certain of outstanding scenery. One cannot help but love the high country! TRAILHEAD PARKING (THP) THP: 1 - Luken s Lake Parking area THP:2 - White Wolf THP:3 - May Lake parking along Tioga Road THP:4 - Sunrise Lakes parking area THP:5 - Tuolumne Meadows parking at Lembert Dome lot
The mileages listed on the maps are taken from the Trails Illustrated Yosemite National Park Map. This is an excellent map and can be purchased from the Yosemite Conservancy, www.yosemiteconservancy.org. The mileages extend from trail intersection to trail intersection. The contour intervals on the topographical maps are 40 ft. If you cannot clearly see contour lines on these maps, you can find these maps at www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/maps.htm. Visit www.yosemiteonhorseback.com, and go to the Helpful Tips link for details on downloading these free topographical maps. The difficulty ratings are based on a 1 5 rating system, 5 being the most difficult. The following abbreviations are used: RT- round trip, SL - semiloop, and LP - loop. As with all riding in Yosemite, be aware that there is a LOT of downfall every winter. It can be extremely difficult and time consuming to ride these trails before they have been cleared for the season. Keep in mind that conditions can change. Sometimes signs are removed, trails are reworked, fires can change the terrain, high water can wash out bridges, and sometimes even entire parking lots are removed. This trail information will give an IDEA of what to expect on these trails, but remember to always expect the unexpected. 1. The White Wolf Area Blue line indicates ride beginning along Tioga Road at the Lukens Lake Parking area. Red line indicates loop portion of ride, beginning along Tioga Road or from White Wolf. TRAILHEAD PARKING (THP): THP: 1 - Lukens Lake parking area. This large, paved turnout is found 16 miles east of Crane flat, if arriving from the west. A couple miles past the turn to White Wolf, watch on your right (south side of Tioga Road) for this marked turnout. If coming from the east, this parking area will be past the Yosemite Creek drainage (where the trailhead to Ten Lakes Basin is found), and once you climb up into the red fir forest. It will be on your left. THP:2 - White Wolf. The turn into the White Wolf community is well marked. Parking can be found behind the restaurant, near the stable. Turn to your left, before passing the restaurant/lodge buildings, and drive behind them.
White Wolf offers a restaurant, lodge and campground. There is a stable behind the restaurant that is used by Park Service rangers. Many years ago the stable offered trail rides to visitors. The scenery in the White Wolf area is not as dramatic as the scenery further east on Tioga Road. However, the trails are very pleasant, with great footing, and can provide a relaxing, stress-free day. The preferred route is to start at THP1, as this route will take you past Lukens Lake. There are many trails to the west of White Wolf. The old Tioga Road follows the Middle Fork of the Tuolumne River, and has been restored as a trail, rather than an obvious road bed. There are beautiful meadows along these trails to the west, including Cottonwood and Smith Meadows. HOWEVER, this area just seems to keep getting hit by wildfires, most recently the massive Rim Fire. This link will show a map of the area, with the years of the various burns. Once you have retrieved the map, place your mouse in the upper right hand corner of the map and choose Fire history. http://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=37.87841,-119.68438&z=14&b=t&a=firehttps://www.google.com/?gws_rd If considering the trails to the west of White Wolf, be sure to check with the Wilderness Office to see if they have been restored from the more recent fires. The ride described in this article will skirt the area of the worst fire damage so that you can enjoy your ride. White Wolf Trails Distance from trailhead parking 1, semi-loop: Approximately 13 miles Distance from trailhead parking 2, loop: Approximately 7 miles Elevation: 7,400 ft. - 8,300 ft. Best Time of Year: July - October Difficulty: 2 This ride is rated a 2 in difficulty. There is some elevation change, but it is mostly gradual. Rocks on the trail are minimal, particularly for the Tioga Road area, but you will find some rocks to step around. The most difficult part of the ride, most likely, will be finding a short cut trail near Harden Lake. This trail is not maintained as often as the rest of the trails. The ride will be described beginning at trailhead parking area number 1. If you wish a shorter ride, chose trailhead parking number2, and follow the loop in red on the map. Trailhead parking number 1 is a large turnout along Tioga Road. You will still have traffic nearby, and you could experience motor homes, and vehicles, in the turnout with you. The turnout is well off Tioga Road, so the fast moving vehicles are not right next to the staging area. Begin the ride by crossing Tioga Road to the north side. Lukens Lake is less than a mile from this parking area, and the trail is well travelled, mainly by hikers. You will begin by entering a lovely, red fir forest. For tree lovers, the largest red fir on record, at present, is found in this area. If arriving from the west, on your drive to the parking area, once past the turn to White Wolf, watch carefully on your left (north side of the road). You will see a mammoth red fir with a significant lean to it. This tree is named the Leaning Tower. (If arriving from the east you will not pass this tree. There is a turnout near the tree)
The shady trail through the red fir forest Within a mile, you will arrive at Lukens Lake. This beautiful lake is flanked by a meadow on the eastern side. Years past, the trail crossed the meadow, but has since been rerouted to follow the lake shoreline through the trees. There are often visitors at this lake, as hikers from White Wolf campground enjoy taking a day trip to this beautiful spot. Approaching Lukens Lake
Lukens Lake After skirting around the lake to the northern side, you will find the main trail heading north. Your trail will be pleasantly forested, and travel downhill until reaching a trail junction to your right (east). You will now have ridden 2.2 miles from the parking area. Do not turn to the right at this junction, but continue straight ahead. The trail to the east leads to the Ten Lakes area. If a person wanted to take a long a longer ride (18 miles RT), this trail to the ridge above the Ten Lakes Basin is highly recommended. It is a more difficult ride, with a rocky stretch leading to the ridge, but the views are fantastic. In this article, however, we will take you through the White Wolf area. Continue your journey for another.9 miles, where once more you will meet a trail junction. This begins the loop you see in red on the map. Turn left at this junction, and head toward White Wolf, in another.8 miles from this junction. This section of trail is very pleasant, with great footing, and is mostly level. This photo was taken along this stretch of trail where there is a creek crossing. Notice the lovely forest, with lodgepole pine and red fir.
As you near White Wolf, you will find the campground to your right. As you approach this area, watch for bears, which often frequent campgrounds. If you are fortunate, you might also spot a great gray owl in this area. They have been seen here, even during daylight hours. Once to the paved road, turn right, and follow it all the way through White Wolf. The campground will be on your right. Once through White Wolf, you will find a locked gate. There is a small go-around on the left. You may wish to dismount to squeeze through this spot. You will now be travelling on a one lane, unpaved road, with the Middle Fork of the Tuolumne River on your left. Keep your eye open for marmots. These plump, furry rodents are always fun to spot. Here is a marmot on a rock. If found in an area where they see lots of human visitors, they can become quite bold. It is a sure sign you are at a higher elevation if you find a marmot. This road you are now riding is part of the old Tioga Road. It is well maintained as a road for about a mile, where it provides access to the wastewater treatment area for White Wolf. This photo was taken along this stretch of road. You might meet a Park vehicle on this road, but you will most likely just find a few hikers.
Once past the wastewater treatment area, you will find a fork in the trail. Bear right. As you near the area of Harden Lake, you will find signs of past fires. The burned areas are quite extensive, but this part of the ride is enjoyable in spite of this. The next couple miles of trail, where you see signs of burn, were burned from the Wapama Complex fire in 2005. This was a lightning caused fire, and this regrowth is part of the natural cycle of nature. You will bear right (northeast) at the next trail junction, just before Harden Lake. But before continuing, take a cross country trail over to the lake. Harden Lake is an interesting lake. There is no inlet or outlet to the lake. As the summer advances, the lake gets lower, and also warmer, making it nice for swimming in years with sufficient rainfall from the prior winter season. Here are three pictures of Harden Lake, presenting very different images. This image was shot some time in the 1990 s. There was a lovely aspen grove at the lake at this time. This image was taken in 2013. This image was taken in 2015. After several drought years, Harden Lake almost disappeared. A hiking guide states that in 1977, Harden Lake was reduced to a puddle, during a drought. It appears to fluctuate drastically in size, depending upon winter snows and rains. The aspen grove is now gone, due to either fire or drought. However, there are signs that these hardy trees are going to return, given ample moisture.
After visiting Harden Lake, your recommended route of travel will be to find a trail junction on the northeast side of the lake. There is an optional route one could take here however. First, the optional route will be described. The red line shows the shorter, easier route. The blue line shows an optional route, which adds another mile to the trip. This optional route would be rated a 3 in difficulty. It switchbacks down a steep hill 500 feet, over cobblestone type rock work. This 1.3 miles section of trail traverses a very moist area, with lush plant growth, and aspen trees. When the stable at White Wolf offered trail rides years ago, their map called this area Harden Gardens. It was aptly named. During wildflower bloom season, this area is spectacular. Another highlight to this optional trail is a viewpoint, with a vista of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River, and the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. This vista point is found on the section of trail marked.7 miles. A word of caution though: this optional trail is definitely more challenging than the rest of this ride. For those wishing to follow the shorter route, finding this shortcut might be the most difficult part of your day. Because this trail is on the maps as an official trail, rangers have said it will be maintained. In 2015 it was not signed or maintained, but hopefully that was a temporary situation. When you reach the northeast side of the lake area, watch carefully for signs of a lightly used trail through the decomposed granite. There might possibly be a cairn (rock duck ) to mark the trail. If you start to descend, you have missed this trail. Shortly you will reach a rocky area. The trail passes through the rocky area, to the right. The place where one expects the trail to go is not a pleasant place for a horse to walk, due to the rocks. Look around a few yards higher, and there is a place for a horse to walk without much issue. If this trail has not been cleared, this.9 miles can be a challenge to locate. You will basically be riding up the open area, though you may have to go around a few trees. This is when a GPS, or phone navigation program, is very handy. One can get off the trail to avoid obstacles, and then check the map in the navigation program to see how to get back to the trail. There are two smart phone programs which are great for this: Backcountry Navigator for Androids, and GAIA GPS for IPhones. Once you reach a trail junction, turn right onto the well travelled trail. An uphill ascent, once headed back south from Harden Lake.
You will now make what is likely your steepest ascent for the day (unless you took the optional trail to Harden Gardens). Your trail will climb a couple hundred feet; not much by Yosemite standards! There are a few rocks, but plenty of dirt allowing the horse to stay off the rocks. The 2.7 miles to the next trail intersection begins with this ascent, then levels to a pleasant, shaded forest. There are areas of meadows, and wildflowers in season. Even later in the summer, one can often find some late season flowers, like asters, blooming. This photo shows some of the vegetation along this trail as it winds through the lodgepole pine forest. At the next trail intersection, you will go straight. You will now be retracing your route back to Lukens Lake, and then to your trailer. This ride is not one of the more well known rides in Yosemite, but hopefully you will agree that this area is quite lovely, and offered you a relaxing day. Lukens Lake