Hike Lembert Dome

Lembert Dome Trail

“A lot of view for relatively little effort” would be one way to characterize the hike up 9,450-foot Lembert Dome, which looks absolutely impossible to scale when regarding it from the trailhead.

For the time-short (but not stamina-short) traveler, able to do only one quick hike in the Tuolomne Meadows area, this is the one to do. You’ll have Tuolomne Meadows at your feet, and a parade of peaks from Cathedral Peak all the way to Mt. Dana at Tioga Pass.

Geologists say Lembert Dome, located at the east end of Tuolomne Meadows, is not a true dome (such as Sentinel Dome) but a roche moutoonee; the French phrase “rock sheep” describes a glacier-carved formation recognized by its sheer front and sloping back.

The roche moutonee was named for shepherd/naturalist Jean Baptiste Lembert who worked for a decade in Tuolomne Meadows, beginning in 1885. An unsolved mystery to this day is who shot him dead in his cabin--and why--in 1896.  Another pleasant path beginning from the Lembert Dome trailhead, is the one leading to Dog Lake. The shallow lake, one of Yosemite’s warmest, attracts swimmers and picnickers.

The hike: Head north 0.1 mile to a junction. Dog Lake Trail forks left, while Lembert Dome Trail leads right, ascending through lodgepole pine forest to a saddle.

Once you leave the sandy, dusty trail behind and begin traveling over bare granite, ducts mark the route.

Choose among a couple routes over the bare rock to gain the summit, which can be very windy. Hold onto your hat and stay back from the edge!

Yosemite Hiking Trails >>  
Hetch Hetchy | Mariposa Grove | Wawona Meadow | Glacier Point 4 Mile Trail
Glacier Point to Yosemite Valley | Half Dome Trail | Yosemite Falls | Vernal & Nevada Falls
May Lake | Cathedral Lakes | Clouds Rest | Gaylor Lakes | Lembert Dome| Lukens Lake
Merced Grove | Mirror Lake | Mono Pass | Mount Dana | North Dome | Taft Point
Ten Lakes | Tenaya Lake | Tuolumne Falls | Tuolumne Grove | Tuolumne Meadow