Parking
Access the South Fork Tuolumne River wilderness trailhead from Tioga Road. No developed lot is identified in the trailhead information; confirm the legal roadside access before starting.
Overview
About South Fork Tuolumne River Trail
Why go
- A low-use route through burn areas and mixed conifer forest to the river.
Heads up
- The faint tread can be difficult to follow.
This is a 5.8-mile out-and-back from the South Fork Tuolumne River trailhead on Tioga Road to the river and back. The published route description gives 2.9 miles each way; the available map line is about 2.5 miles to the river, so plan around the longer figure. The trail drops roughly 1,180 feet to the river, then climbs that ground again on the return. Allow about four to five hours, especially if you need time to keep the faint route in view. This suits hikers comfortable navigating a lightly used wilderness trail.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yosemite map
Full mapElevation5,614–6,795 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
4 active Yosemite alerts
- ClosureDome Fire closes Glacier Point Road and trailsGlacier Point Road is temporarily closed because Dome Fire smoke reduces visibility and to allow firefighting operations; some trails south of the road are also closed.Official details
- CautionMist Trail access limited during October repairsThe Mist Trail between its John Muir Trail junction above the Vernal Fall footbridge and the top of Vernal Fall has limited access through October for repair work.Official details
“Up ahead is the South Fork Tuolumne River trailhead on Tioga Road, for a lightly used forest hike down to the river.”
Yosemite Tour Guide
Yosemite, narrated.
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 trailhead
South Fork Tuolumne River Trailhead0:00 / 0:23
“Up ahead is the South Fork Tuolumne River trailhead on Tioga Road, for a lightly used forest hike down to the river.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Wooden Eggs on the Cliffs
- The Toad Beyond the Pond
- The Lizard Doing Push-Ups
- Tamarack Flat Campground
- 125 audio storiesacross Yosemite’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Peregrine Falcon, Mule Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 141 trails, 99 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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.”
Trail guide
Hiking South Fork Tuolumne River Trail
A quiet, faint routeThe path winds through old burn areas and mixed conifer forest.
The path winds through old burn areas and mixed conifer forest. It sees little traffic, and the tread can be difficult to follow. Keep a detailed offline map available and turn around if you lose the line. The South Fork is the destination for this outing; the longer route onward to Aspen Valley is a separate backcountry commitment.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Yosemite
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.
