Cathedral Pass

Cathedral Pass sits above Tuolumne Meadows, reached by continuing past the Cathedral Lakes on the John Muir Trail. Starting from the John Muir Trailhead off Tioga Road, it's a moderate 8.1-mile out-and-back with about 1,528 feet of elevation gain, typically taking 4 to 4.5 hours. The payoff is a close-up look at Cathedral Peak's granite spires and a wide view across the Cathedral Range from the pass itself.

The Route

From the trailhead, the trail climbs steadily through lodgepole forest before opening onto Lower and then Upper Cathedral Lake, both set beneath Cathedral Peak's distinctive fin of granite. From Upper Cathedral Lake, it's roughly another half mile of climbing to reach Cathedral Pass, where the trees thin out and the Cathedral Range opens up in every direction. Most hikers treat the lakes as the main destination and push on to the pass for the view before turning back the way they came.

Know Before You Go

• The trailhead sits above 8,500 feet, and the pass is higher still — give yourself time to adjust to the altitude, especially if you're coming up from the Valley floor the same day.
• Tioga Road is seasonal and closed by snow for much of the year, so this trail is only reachable when the road is open, generally sometime between late spring and fall.
• This is a popular trail in the Tuolumne Meadows area, so expect company on the lakeshores, especially on weekends.