Tuolumne Meadows Climbing

Tuolumne Meadows is the high country climbing area of Yosemite National Park. The region is highlighted by many beautiful granite domes which offer the ultimate in knob and slab climbing. There are also classic non-dome formations like Cathedral Peak (first ascent by John Muir in the 1800's) and the Matthes Crest which are very popular with climbers. Tuolumne Meadows is a beautiful, serene place without many of the tourist popularity issues plaguing Yosemite Valley these days. The usual Tuolumne "season" for climbing runs from May through mid-Fall or so.

Some adjacent areas often grouped together with Tuolumne in guidebooks are included in the High Sierra and Lee Vining Canyon / Tioga Road areas on Mountain Project.

The main campground in the middle of the meadows is Tuolumne Meadows Campground, operated by the National Park. It's generally open from July through September. Like all campgrounds in the park and along most of Lee Vining Canyon, there's a fee to stay there. The nearest free camping is all the way across Tioga Pass, on BLM land near the town of Lee Vining where 120 crosses 395, and east of there around Mono Lake.

When Tuolumne campground is open for the summer, it also has a few climber friendly services selling grub, general outdoor goods and climbing gear at somewhat higher prices than in the big city. Gas is currently unavailable in TM.