Pothole Dome Hiker Reviews

Pot hole dome, my 3 favorite things. Beautiful place to go! Great swimming holy and fishing spot, and a super short hike there.

We knew that being in Tuolumne in mid June would be a wet experience, but this year seems to be more wet than others. We immediately got on the trail and had to detour a couple times to get to Pothole Dome. We climbed right up to the top and had some fun with pictures and enjoyed the amazing view from the top. It makes you want to explore everything around you. Warning: it is colder at the top, especially on a windy day! When we were ready to continue on the trail to the river we went down a different side of the dome. When we reached the bottom, we could not find the trail! At least we don't think we did. There was an area at the edge of the meadow where we thought the trail would be, but it was covered in ankle deep water. But just into the wooded area was a smaller trail. We followed it for about a half mile or so, until we decided it was more likely a trail for wildlife that humans, and could not discern where it continued. We retraced it back to the dome and never could find where it was supposed to go. So, I guess we will have to return to try another time. Still, we enjoyed a peaceful, nearly flat walk in the woods wondering if we were going to meet a bear. One of the things I loved about Yosemite was that if you take a less popular trail, you can find solitude very quickly.

This is a fun, short hike with great views from the top. Some of my favorite hikes in Yosemite are the short ones (Taft Point, Sentinel Dome, etc.) Do not miss this hike if you are in the Tuolumne Meadows area.

The climb up the dome is an interesting experience, and the views of the nearby meadows and distant mountains are impressive.

We had been following the trail around the east side of the dome, naively expecting to see a sign directing us to where we were supposed to begin climbing the dome. After awhile we realized there weren’t any such signs, so we backtracked a bit until we found a spot where we began heading up the dome. Taking a “switchback” (zigzag) approach to reaching the top of the dome would seem to be a better strategy than charging directly up the side. And be prepared for windy conditions when you near the top of the dome.

A word of caution: The scheduled shuttle stop times (both at the stop near Pothole Dome and elsewhere) are APPROXIMATIONS. So don’t be worried or upset if the shuttle doesn’t pull up when the sign says it’s supposed to. And don’t expect too much sympathy from the shuttle driver if you complain to him/her about how long you’ve been cooling your heels waiting for the shuttle to arrive and how badly it has thrown off your carefully planned schedule of activities for the day.

I climbed Pothole Dome last year but wasn't aware of the lovely cascade and swirling river behind it (thank you, yosemitehikes). It is easy to scramble up--actually walk up--just after the path turns left to follow the edge of the dome; the rock there offers good traction and is pretty much gravel free. The views across Tioga Road to those peaks (Cathedral?) from the top are astonishing. The cascade area at the back is wonderful as the water curves over granite "mini-beaches" and does a right turn. After a very short climb over the rocks, the path back has more great views and a good chance of deer. Next time I'm making the cascade area my lunch stop.