Parsons Lodge and Soda Springs Trail

This easy out-and-back crosses the high meadow to cold, bubbling Soda Springs and nearby Parsons Memorial Lodge. From Lembert Dome parking, the connected mapped path is about 1.7 miles round trip and takes roughly an hour. The official hike listing gives 1.4 miles; the difference reflects the specific start and mapped connector, so allow for a little variation. The route is mostly level, with gravel stretches and narrower rocky or uneven footing.

Soda Springs bubbles naturally inside a low historic log enclosure; it is a small cold spring, not a hot pool. The stone Parsons Memorial Lodge nearby was built in 1915 as a Sierra Club gathering place for high-country trips. Architect Bernard Maybeck designed it using local stone and mule-brought log rafters. A vault toilet is near the lodge. Tuolumne Meadows food and water services are limited, so bring what you need; lodge exhibits or programs have seasonal hours.

Lembert Dome parking is the start used for this route. The Visitor Center and Parsons Lodge parking are also listed starts, but change the distance. Those western approaches cross the Tuolumne River on a bridge with stone steps; the mapped Lembert approach does not. Vehicle access depends on Tioga Road, which typically opens in late May or early June and closes in fall or after significant snow; spring trails can remain wet or snowy. The trail is not wheelchair accessible, and pets and bicycles are prohibited on hiking trails. Stay on the path to protect the fragile meadow. Belding’s ground squirrels, mule deer and yellow-bellied marmots live here, though sightings are never guaranteed.