Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Cyclists and skiers ascend Tioga Pass

Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

With warmer weather and the road open as far as Tioga Pass from Highway 395, there was quite a bit of human-powered recreation going on at Tioga Pass this weekend. Cars—many with bike racks and ski racks—were at times taking almost all the available parking spots that had been cleared of snow between Ellery Lake and Tioga Pass.

Cyclists enjoy the car-free Tioga Pass Road in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park.
Cyclists enjoy the car-free Tioga Pass Road in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park.

Bicycles were everywhere! Many riders rode up from the bottom, many parked at Ellery Lake and rode up from there, and many also parked at the pass and rode into Tuolumne Meadows. An avalanche-danger closure prevented access to the west end of Tuolumne Meadows via Tioga Road. Many pedestrians walked into Yosemite National Park from the Tioga Pass entrance gate as well.

Snow-covered Tuolumne Meadows from Lembert Dome, May 30th, 2010.
Snow-covered Tuolumne Meadows from Lembert Dome, May 30th, 2010.

Skiers braved the avalanche danger and were everywhere as well! From touring on the frozen lakes and meadows to dropping into Ellery Bowl next to gigantic cornices, all the popular lines visible from Tioga Road were being skied this weekend.

Snow-covered Ellery Lake. Photos by Greg Reis.
Snow-covered Ellery Lake. Photos by Greg Reis.

There is still no official predicted opening date of Tioga Road through Yosemite National Park for cars, although there is one report that it will be another couple of weeks. It is currently closed to cars between White Wolf and the Tioga Pass entrance.