- Distance: 3km
- Duration (with breaks): 1h 20min
- Duration (only hiking): 1h 00min
- Route type: to the top and back
- Start/end: Dog Lake parking
- Highest point: Lembert Dome(2862m)
- Elevation gain/loss: 218m/209m
- Difficulty: easy to moderate
- When to hike: when Tioga Road is open (usually May-October)
- When did we hike: mid-September
Why this route?
This was a surprise hike. We did not plan to do it but after hiking the Cathedral Lakes Trail, I felt kind of underwhelmed and wanted a hike with some views. I was also curious about hiking on a dome and so Lembert Dome seemed like a worthy option to explore. Rather a short hike and what a panorama!
How to get there?
The hike starts from the Dog Lake parking, which is a couple of minutes’ drive to the east from the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Centre. Turn on the road leading to Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Centre and instead of turning to the centre, turn left until you reach the Dog Lake parking. This is where the trail starts, you will see the signs to the Dome.
So how was it?
It is a short hike, perfectly combinable with another day hike but oh, I so recommend it. The trail at first climbs up on a forest path until you reach an opening and find yourself walking on the rock. That’s the beginning of the Dome.
The fun part is getting to the top as there is no marked trail, you just need to find a way that feels most comfortable for you. The cracks and bumps on the rock were either helping or obscuring our way, which made the hike much more dynamic and adventurous.
Once at the top, you have a 360 degrees view of the whole area with amazing panoramas all around you. We loved it there. The weather also seemed to be improving, so we chilled at the top for a while, watching climbers reaching the far edge of the rock. We did not go to the edge of the Dome as we decided to stay on the highest section of the rock and observe the scenery from there.
If you are driving on Tioga Road and have 1-2h to spare, definitely climb up the Lembert Dome, it’s a break way to see the area.
Tips
- As this is a short hike, it is easily combinable with another day hike in the area, e.g. the Cathedral Lakes Trail.