Lembert Dome was the whole reason we picked this hike – it’s the granite landmark you can’t miss from anywhere in Tuolumne Meadows.
I haven’t been up here since September of 2024, and it’s definitely worth doing again.
You can walk to the trailhead if you go up the western side, we drove to the other trailhead on the southeastern side since we wanted to hit Dog Lake too.
The dome itself is a roche moutonnee, which is a fancy glaciology term for "the ice came through here and shaped this rock like a whale’s back" – steep and scraped-clean on one side, gently sloped on the other, courtesy of a glacier that had absolutely no regard for anything in its way.
It rises about 800 feet above the meadow and the Tuolumne River, and it’s named after John Baptiste Lembert, a homesteader who lived up here in the 1880s raising angora goats and collecting butterfly specimens to sell to museums.
Colorful resume.
It gets darker – Lembert was murdered on his own homestead in the winter of 1895, and nobody’s ever nailed down why. Rough way to get a granite dome named after you.
We flipped the order most people do it in and went up the dome first, about 3.8 miles round trip total with 850 feet of gain packed into the steep sections. The trail ceases to exist about two-thirds of the way up and just becomes "scramble toward the top," which the grippy Sierra Nevada granite makes surprisingly easy. We compared notes afterward with our Kings Canyon granite obsession and concluded the Sierra just does not miss.
The summit view is the payoff – the entire meadow spread out below, Cathedral Peak and Mount Dana on the skyline, and enough wind up there to test whether you packed a hat you actually like.
Moving On Up
Looking up at the last push up to Lembert Dome
Spot The Kids
This view looking down from the top of Lembert Dome gives an idea of the size of these granite domes.
Taking It In
Looking out to the north from the top of Lembert Dome.
Lower Lembert Dome
The western lower dome of Lembert Dome
Coming Down
Time to head up to Dog Lake
Sticky Slope
It’s a good thing that Sierra Nevada granite is super grippy. The angle is hard on the ankles, but at least it’s not slippery or loose.
Dog Lake came next, and it’s the kind of alpine lake that makes you stop and stay a while. Tom wasted no time stripping down and hopping in the water while Shelby and I kicked back on the shore and ate all his snacks. Worth noting – most people stop at the lake and never do the complete loop around it, which means you get a quiet stretch of trail with excellent views and zero company.
For The Dogs
Humans love Dog Lake too
Alpine Swim
Tom enjoys the chilly alpine water of Dog Lake to cool him down
Dog Tired at Dog Lake
Now that looks like relaxing…
Dog Lake Loop
Most hikers stop once they arrive at Dog Lake, but they miss out on a very nice loop trail with gorgeous views and no other people around.
Back at camp we headed straight into the Tuolumne River, which runs right past the campground, and stayed there until dinner.
Cold water, hot granite rock, no agenda. Sometimes the best move after a hike is just not moving anymore.
Looking Good!
Happy birthday to me – but holy crap I look old with the three-day beard growth
Dead Tired
Can’t tell if Tom is dead, or just relaxing
Tuolumne River 360
A 360 photo from our chill-out spot in the Tuolumne River right next to our campground.. Click and scroll around.
