Mt. Dana
Tioga Pass, Yosemite boundary · near Lee Vining · Eastern Sierra
Mountaineering
At a glance
- Grade
- nontechnical
- Elevation
- 13061
- Best season
- July–September; snow patches early summer
What is here
- Terrain
- alpine-rock
- Amenities
- Tioga Pass trailhead (roadside, 9,943 ft) · No permit needed for a day hike here · A superb high-altitude conditioner · Mono Lake panorama
- Best for
- An accessible 13er walk-up with a huge view
- Features
- 2nd-highest walk-up in California · Straight up from Tioga Pass · Sweeping Mono Lake views · No ropes or scrambling
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- High altitude reached fast from the 9,900-ft pass · Loose talus and use-trails high up · Afternoon thunderstorms on the open summit · Rapid weather changes at 13,000 ft
- Beginner friendly
- Yes
Guides, rentals and operators
- Guided trips
- No
Mountaineering detail
- Skills
- altitude · scrambling
- Style
- walk-up
- Altitude
- 3
- Route notes
- California's second-highest walk-up — a non-technical class-1/2 slog straight up from Tioga Pass to a 13,000-foot summit with a staggering view over Mono Lake and the Sierra crest, no ropes or scrambling required
- Beta note
- ~13,061 ft; Class 1–2 from Tioga Pass; ~3,100 ft gain, no technical difficulty
- Intl tip
- The rust-colored dome over Tioga Pass offers one of the most accessible 13,000-ft summits anywhere: a steep but entirely non-technical class-1/2 climb of ~3,100 ft straight from the 9,943-ft pass — no scrambling or ropes. The challenges are altitude, gained fast, and afternoon storms, so start early. The reward is a huge summit panorama over blue Mono Lake and the crest. A superb acclimatization hike and a genuine highlight for strong hikers who don't want technical climbing.
- Directions note
- Trail leaves from the Tioga Pass entrance station (Hwy 120 closed in winter)
The guide
Mt. Dana is the giant, rust-colored dome that looms over Tioga Pass, and it offers one of the most accessible 13,000-foot summi…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mt. Dana — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.9003, -119.2211