Flooded Tuolumne Meadow, Mounts Dana and Gibbs, Evening. Yosemite National Park, California. June 5, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Evening light on snow-covered Mounts Dana and Gibbs reflected on the surface of the flooding Tuolumne River, Tuolumne Meadows.
Tioga Pass opened this year on June 5, a bit later than usual. The late opening was due to a slightly greater than average amount of precipitation this past winter and a cold and wet May. As a consequence, there was a lot of snow on opening day, and lots and lots of run-off water.
I made this photograph in the evening in Tuolumne Meadows as the late light was just leaving the tops of the trees below Lembert Dome and beginning to color the summits of Mounts Dana and Gibbs with warm “golden hour” light. The Tuolumne River was so full that it had flooded large sections of the meadow – parts looked more like “Tuolumne Lake” than Tuolumne Meadow. Because the meadow was still covered with snow, the surface of the flooded areas was full of ice and slush. The overall appearance was closer to that of a winter scene, even though the calendar said early June.
G Dan Mitchell Photography
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Thanks again for the wonderful teaser from this area… can’t wait to see the wildflowers!
Very true. I already told my wife I’m planning on going back in a month to see the wildflowers!
I wish I could have been there to see all of that water Dan. By the next week, it was all dry. Great capture Dan!
Thanks, Mike. The water may be gone (or at least greatly diminished) soon, but the conditions promise a beautiful green Tuolumne Meadows full of wildflowers before long!
Dan