Skiing a Circle- Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows and Back
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 2:09 am
Since we're semi-grounded now, I thought I'd unearth some old photos Frank finally sent to me from one of our Yosemite spring ski trips about 6 years ago. It's a ski trip that we'd like to repeat, now that there's a lot more snow! We did this tour too late in the Spring of 2015, and that winter had been a very average season for snowfall... and we waited a bit, no-- way too long to get up there. In fact, it was so bad that when we emerged from the slopes above Snow Creek Flat onto Hwy 120, we found a road that had just been plowed!! [insert small amount of cursing here.] The giant D-6 snow-plows were parked by Olmstead Pt., and It would seem that their engines were still warm! They had made it all the way to the far side of Tenaya Lake that very day!! ... the sodding, bleeding B@$+@#&$! (My Brit friend Frank curses in Yorkshire dialect) Frank trudged along the new road, while I made a valiant (read- desperate) effort to balance my skinny skis on the leftover cutbank at the uphill edge of the road. We were tired by Tenaya Lake, having had a good time earlier in the day, actually skiing on snow along the crest of Mt. Watkins. That was on the way up from our first night in the Snow Creek Hut.
Rather than a pretend snowy wilderness, we had to dodge rangers in trucks who were happily driving on the icy asphalt road for the first time of the year. We hoped to camp in the forest near the beach at the north end of Tenaya Lake, and were not sure if we would be breaking a rule or not at this time of year, but we assumed so. We made ourselves scarce, they drove off, we slept in guilt, and made the Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut the following day. We met up with a few other skiers who had come in from the east by bicycling up to Tioga Pass, and then skiing down the road. Our goal was to circle back to the Valley via the JMT: Cathedral Pass, Sunrise Camp, Little Yosemite Valley, and the Mist Trail to Happy Valley. We did it, but we (cringe) walked a lot.
Anticipating the usual long walk up the Snow Creek Trail, and at least some walking on the park road above, Frank and I took our lightest gear: skinny 190 Karhu waxless skis for me, with NNN regular bindings, and I think Frank had similar size skis, with NNN BC bindings. I don't believe either of us brought any skins. Our packs were light, as we had stashed food in the TM Ski Hut container the autumn before, and very warm weather was forecast. Franks carries a bivy sack, and I had just the tent-fly of a 2-person tent.
Here is the recently patched up Snow Creek Ski Hut... without a lot of Snow.
Inside is a very nice wood-stove, with plenty of wood provided.
We had it to ourselves. It is nice and functional, though I appear confused.
There is nice skiing above the hut on the long ridge of Mt. Watkins. One could have a very nice trip just skiing out of the Snow Creek hut, with tours up to Watkins; all around the surrounding forest, which has some truly gigantic pine and fir trees; and out to other viewpoints. The hut is around 7,600', and of course the Valley is about 4,000.' From where you leave your car in the Valley, to the S.C. Hut is ~7 miles. The Snow Cr. Trail is very well-designed, so it's not as painful as it appears on the map, and there are spectacular views.
If you don't make that long haul to the hut, there is (was?) fantastic camping on the flat plateau just a 1/4 mile east from where the S.C. Trail tops out. Recently it has been closed to camping due first (I believe) to overuse, and lately because of bear activity in the area. [Does anyone know the whole story? Did somebody finally get into serious trouble with a bear?]
Frank on the Watkins Ridge with Cloud's Rest in the background.
There is a great view of Half Dome and the Valley from up on Watkins.
Here too we suffered from a lack of snow. However, Frank and I are not attached to snow on these trips... and sometimes that becomes too literally true!
Skiing what was left of the snow on the road above Tenaya Lake on our third day.
The Meadows at last, and enough snow to have some fun. Dog and Lembert Dome nearby at the left, then Dana and Gibbs, and Mammoth Crest to the right.
Snow was thin on the ground, but there was enough to tour around.
Below is the Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut.
Rather than a pretend snowy wilderness, we had to dodge rangers in trucks who were happily driving on the icy asphalt road for the first time of the year. We hoped to camp in the forest near the beach at the north end of Tenaya Lake, and were not sure if we would be breaking a rule or not at this time of year, but we assumed so. We made ourselves scarce, they drove off, we slept in guilt, and made the Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut the following day. We met up with a few other skiers who had come in from the east by bicycling up to Tioga Pass, and then skiing down the road. Our goal was to circle back to the Valley via the JMT: Cathedral Pass, Sunrise Camp, Little Yosemite Valley, and the Mist Trail to Happy Valley. We did it, but we (cringe) walked a lot.
Anticipating the usual long walk up the Snow Creek Trail, and at least some walking on the park road above, Frank and I took our lightest gear: skinny 190 Karhu waxless skis for me, with NNN regular bindings, and I think Frank had similar size skis, with NNN BC bindings. I don't believe either of us brought any skins. Our packs were light, as we had stashed food in the TM Ski Hut container the autumn before, and very warm weather was forecast. Franks carries a bivy sack, and I had just the tent-fly of a 2-person tent.
Here is the recently patched up Snow Creek Ski Hut... without a lot of Snow.
Inside is a very nice wood-stove, with plenty of wood provided.
We had it to ourselves. It is nice and functional, though I appear confused.
There is nice skiing above the hut on the long ridge of Mt. Watkins. One could have a very nice trip just skiing out of the Snow Creek hut, with tours up to Watkins; all around the surrounding forest, which has some truly gigantic pine and fir trees; and out to other viewpoints. The hut is around 7,600', and of course the Valley is about 4,000.' From where you leave your car in the Valley, to the S.C. Hut is ~7 miles. The Snow Cr. Trail is very well-designed, so it's not as painful as it appears on the map, and there are spectacular views.
If you don't make that long haul to the hut, there is (was?) fantastic camping on the flat plateau just a 1/4 mile east from where the S.C. Trail tops out. Recently it has been closed to camping due first (I believe) to overuse, and lately because of bear activity in the area. [Does anyone know the whole story? Did somebody finally get into serious trouble with a bear?]
Frank on the Watkins Ridge with Cloud's Rest in the background.
There is a great view of Half Dome and the Valley from up on Watkins.
Here too we suffered from a lack of snow. However, Frank and I are not attached to snow on these trips... and sometimes that becomes too literally true!
Skiing what was left of the snow on the road above Tenaya Lake on our third day.
The Meadows at last, and enough snow to have some fun. Dog and Lembert Dome nearby at the left, then Dana and Gibbs, and Mammoth Crest to the right.
Snow was thin on the ground, but there was enough to tour around.
Below is the Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut.