Stretching nearly 3 miles from Pothole Dome in the west to Lembert Dome in the east, Tuolumne’s main meadow is beautiful to behold, especially at sunset, when golden light ripples across the grass and laps up the sides of distant peaks into the still blue sky. Grab a fishing pole and dip into the gently rolling Tuolumne River as the sunlight fades, or just find a quiet spot to sit and stare at the landscape as the mood shifts and the colors shimmer.
The meadow is a perfect place for quiet contemplation, but there’s actually a lot of activity going on here. Blanketed in snow for most of the year, the meadow explodes into life in summer, when the wildflowers, taking full advantage of the short growing season, fill the grassy expanse with color. For an explanation of what’s happening beneath the meadow’s deceptively still surface, check out the interpretive signs that line the dirt road between the stables and Soda Springs.