Lyell Fork of the Merced 2021

The Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne River that runs through Lyell Canyon is well known and an easy stroll from Tuolumne Meadows. However, on the other side of the Cathedral Range, there is a lessor known Lyell Fork of the Merced that flows from the lakes in the basin just south of Mt Lyell down to the Merced River.

The primary goal of this trip was to visit the seldom-visited meadows and maybe upper basin of the Lyell Fork of the Merced River, which I will refer to as just the Lyell Fork. An accidental slip off a cliff prevented me from reaching these meadows in 2016. This year, I chose an easier route which was mostly on-trail via the popular Rafferty Creek trailhead. I also planned to visit Bernice Lake, Gallison Lake and all the little lakes up the Lewis Creek basin.

Just days before the trip, consecutive showers and thunderstorms were forecast so I made alternate plans for a shorter trip. However, on the eve of the trip, predicted rain totals reduced to ~0.01 inch so I looked forward to my original plan.

My first night’s campsite was at Vogelsang Lake on a ledge that afforded me views of both the lake and the mountain ranges to the northwest. But I was also entertained by Clark’s nutcrackers flying from tree to tree to dig into pine cones for seeds.

The next day, after crossing over Vogelsang Pass, I paused to survey the cross country route from Gallison Lake. I was satisfied to see that a path between the rocky cliffs and steepening slope looked possible. Continuing down from the pass, I entered a lush meadow which the Lewis Creek slowly wound through. The abundance of sparrow-sized birds flying among the scattered lodgepole pines caught my attention. The birds were always just far enough away that I had trouble identifying them. The only notable features I observed were the white outer tail feathers. A few hundred feet from the edge of the meadow were some granite benches that I was certain would provide excellent campsites.

I continued down the Lewis Creek trail, past another similar meadow, also inhabited with the same birds with the white outer tail feathers. After resting and filling up my water at one of the water slide portions of the river, I took a left up the trail that was signed “Isberg Pass”. I initially struggled to follow the trail due to the many fallen trees. The trail became more distinct but was mostly viewless due to the pines. I dislike trees. I mean, I like trees, but I dislike hiking through or camping among dense clusters of trees that give me the feeling of being closed in, make navigation more difficult and block views. Since I was uncertain of my next water source, I stopped to camp in a small clearing at the second stream flowing down from Cony Crags.

The following day’s hike led closer to the edge of the hillside and finally provided classic panoramic Yosemite views. It was barely over 2 miles to the cutoff point where I would leave the trail in the direction of the Lyell Fork meadows. The cross country portion was easy as I maintained a general direction over vast polished granite slabs, through small patches of pine, and over small granite outcrops. I only had to backtrack once when I came to the end of a short cliff with a gully keeping me from forward progress. After retreating, I was able to easily walk into and up the gully, past a waterfall, and continue up the next granite outcrop.

I found an ideal campsite with sublime views of the Lyell fork curving around an island framed below Mt Ansel Adams. Scattered trees provided the perfect filtered shade for today’s warm and clear afternoon. With new reports of a storm in the next few days, I decided to limit my stay here to 1 night which meant I had to day hike to the upper basin today. After a little over an hour from camp and ~300’ more to get to the top, I stopped to work out a puzzling wall section. Unfortunately, my mind was still at camp below wading in the river under the warm sun. It was an easy decision to abandon the climb.

After enjoying the river and doing some laundry, I noticed the same sparrow-sized birds with the white outer tail feathers I had been seeing the past couple days. This time, I was able to get a better look. Dark, almost black head, with brown wings and lighter colored belly. Hmm, they sure look like the Dark-eyed Juncos that proliferate my Bay Area neighborhood. I’m now certain, and a little disappointed, they are common Dark-eyed Juncos. These Yosemite Juncos gave short chip sounds instead of the sharp prolonged twills that I am more familiar with at home.

On the fourth day, I reluctantly left the Lyell Fork. While backtracking up the Lewis Creek trail, I found the perfect granite chair where one could watch and listen to the cascading creek. There was even a cup holder behind the chair! But be warned, once you sit down, it takes a tremendous effort to get back up to continue your hike.

I was getting consistent reports of thunderstorms approaching so I decided to skip the detour up Bernice Lake to avoid the exposed section around Gallison Lake. Instead, I was drawn back to that first meadow below Vogelsang Pass that captivated me a few days earlier and found a campsite on the granite benches I had previously spotted. In the late afternoon, after filling my bottles at the stream, I sat still in the meadow to watch the birds go about their business. A few hopped across the grass looking for seeds. Others darted about as if they were late for their appointments. I also saw groups of about 3 following each other from tree to tree, like chums out on a night on the town. I was able to distinguish the Juncos with their white outer tail feathers. But I also saw a group of smaller birds that were likely chickadees. They were too small and far away to identify but I was able to discern their gray/white/dark colors. I will consider bringing binoculars next time.

I went to sleep undecided on how to spend my next few days. Moderate thundershowers remained in the forecast. My options were to sleep in and take a short hike to Vogelsang Lake to prepare for the early afternoon storm or end my trip and exit. At about 5:30am, I was awakened by footsteps on the granite outside my tent that was most probably a bear checking me out. Since I was already awake, I wasn’t in the mood to sleep in anymore. So I made the decision to exit.

At the pass, I was fortunate to come across a white-tailed ptarmigan. He was well camouflaged among the granite and I would have walked by without noticing him if it weren’t for his chirpy clucks calling for my attention. The rest of the hike down the dusty Rafferty Creek trail was quick and about half a mile from the parking lot, I heard the first loud clap of thunder followed by drenching rain. The weather forecast was spot-on. It was a good time to exit.