Ranger station · Yosemite National Park
Talk over your route and get a backcountry permit.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
“You're approaching the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge road, with access to Lyell Canyon. The seasonal lodge is a cluster of canvas tent cabins beside the river, with beds and wood stoves but no electricity or Wi-Fi.”
Yosemite Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yosemite National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yosemite audio tourRecorded for this place
Tuolumne Meadows Lodge and Lyell Canyon“You're approaching the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge road, with access to Lyell Canyon. The seasonal lodge is a cluster of canvas tent cabins beside the river, with beds and wood stoves but no electricity or Wi-Fi.”
Plays as you drive up to Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“We just drove through Yosemite and it made our trip listening to this app as we drove through. Like having a tour guide in the car with you.”
Guide
Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center is the NPS ranger station for planning overnight trips into Yosemite's wilderness, separate from the general visitor center about a mile west. Get an overnight wilderness permit here, pick up maps, rent or buy a bear canister, and talk through your route. If you're heading beyond day hikes, it's a useful stop before leaving the road.
Ask about route conditions and wilderness safety while you can still adjust your plans. Visitors repeatedly value the rangers' route advice and the time they take to explain the rules; bring your proposed route and questions so you leave with a plan, not just a permit.
Staffed service follows the Tioga Road season and closes when the road does. Overnight wilderness trips need permits year-round; when this station is closed, the park's self-registration process is the alternative. Tioga Road's winter closure can also make Tuolumne Meadows unreachable by car.
NPS lists potable water, parking, a picnic table, a restroom and wheelchair access, including an accessible restroom. It lists no designated accessible parking spaces, and no food service is listed for this facility.
Wildlife
732 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,747 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
332 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
11 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
276 sightingsPikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
677 sightingsYellow-bellied MarmotMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yosemite. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateLembert Dome Trail2.1 mi · 2 hr · 0.4 mi awayShort forest climb, bare granite, and a Tuolumne Meadows panorama.
ChallengingVogelsang High Sierra Camp Trail14.4 mi · 9 hr · 0.4 mi awayA long meadow climb to a granite camp beneath two high peaks.
ChallengingIreland and Evelyn Lakes Loop22.2 mi · 12 hr · 0.4 mi awayTwo alpine lakes reward a long loop through a river meadow.
ChallengingIreland Lake Trail19.8 mi · 9 hr · 0.4 mi awayA long walk from Lyell Canyon to a quiet alpine lake.ChallengingEvelyn Lake Trail17.2 mi · 10.5 hr · 0.4 mi awayA full-day climb to a lake beneath Fletcher Peak.
EasyTwin Bridges of Lyell Fork Trail1.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.4 mi awayA gentle river walk to two timber bridges on Lyell Fork.
ChallengingBoothe Lake Trail15.5 mi · 10 hr · 0.4 mi awayA long high-country hike to a lake beneath the granite peaks.
ChallengingWaterwheel Falls Trail19 mi · 11 hr · 0.4 mi awayLong Tuolumne River hike to Waterwheel Falls' signature spray.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayLembert DomeA steep granite climb earns a wide-open Tuolumne panorama.
Campground · 0.5 mi awayTuolumne Meadows CampgroundA high-country base for Tuolumne's hikes, lakes, and river.
Food · 0.6 mi awayTuolumne Meadows Store and GrillLunch and trail basics before the high-country miles.
Lodging · 0.7 mi awayTuolumne Meadows LodgeCanvas cabins beside the river, with trails on your doorstep.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayTuolumne MeadowsA high-country meadow with river bends and granite domes.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayParsons Memorial Lodge and Soda SpringsA short walk joins a 1915 lodge with bubbling meadow springs.
Visitor center · 1.6 mi awayTuolumne Meadows Visitor CenterA ranger desk, geology exhibits and a CCC story beside the meadow.
Sight · 2.6 mi awayPothole DomeA short granite climb opens a wide view across Tuolumne Meadows.Parkwolf’s Yosemite ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
