My quest to hike Mount Lyell started when I was researching on single day hikes in Yosemite. John Muir once said “The Mountains are calling and I must go”, and Mount Lyell is one such place you must go! The once famous and the largest glacier (Lyell) in Yosemite flanks Mount Lyell, and may be lost in the next few years! Though we did not make to the top of Mount Lyell, experiencing it up close, in all its glory, was worth the effort we put in.
There is no official trail (the last section) that goes to the top of Mount Lyell, but you follow the JMT trail from Tuolumne Meadows (TM) towards Donahue Pass, and make your ascend towards the peak before you make your turn and head to Donahue pass. We had anticipated a moderate hike when we were doing our research on Mount Lyell, but it was a strenuous one. We did this hike in early June, but there was so much snow during the last section of the hike for which we were never prepared for.
We started our day from TM (Lyell Canyon Trailhead) around 6:45 am on a chilly morning. It was supposed to be a clear day, and we expected the sun to be hitting us pretty soon. The initial stretch of the hike runs through flat meadows that are gorgeous in early spring, and make for some excellent photographs. The trail is flat through the meadows and barely has any elevation gain.
Our first stopping point was supposed to be the Ireland lake junction, but we stopped way before that as the trailhead elevation was already taking a toll on us. Though the hike is flat during the initial stretches, if you are traveling from sea level it makes it difficult as the trailhead itself is at an elevation of 8600 ft. The stretch until Ireland Lake junction is through meadows and makes the hike more enjoyable.
Ireland Lake junction is the first place where you can camp after TM. Within a mile of Ireland Lake junction is another campground, where we saw a lot of people camp. This is the place where you need to cross a stream, and will end up right next to Lyell fork after the stream crossing. From here on, the trail goes in parallel with Lyell fork, and splits up before you start your ascent towards Upper Lyell Canyon.
After the stream crossing the trail runs flat for about 2 miles before it starts to pick up elevation. We decided to take a break before heading up and gaining elevation. The initial stretch of elevation goes up a mountain and has no shade until you reach the top. Once you reach the top of this mountain you are walking in forest, and the trail descends from this point for about 200 to 300 ft. The trail starts to gain elevation from here on, until you reach the Lyell fork bridge. At about half a mile past the bridge, we ended up at Lyell fork crossing, which is where Mount Lyell in its full glory made its presence felt. This is a good place to break before you head up, as the next section is uphill with no trees. This is also one of my favorite places on the trail, and I wish I never had to leave!
We crossed the stream at this point and continued our journey towards Mt Lyell. The trail goes through a set of switchbacks before it can get on top of the stream that you just crossed. This was the first place where we started to see signs of snow, and knew it would not be easy from this point on. Before you reach the stream crossing on the top, you need to part ways with JMT (before the sharp bend towards Donahue Pass) and ascend Mount Lyell through the rocks. You make your own trail at this point, keeping the immediate rocks in vicinity, and heading towards the ridge in front of you.
Since this was early June, the whole section above Lyell fork crossing was covered in snow. JMT hikers were already on the trail, so there were footsteps to follow until you reached the cutoff point for Mount Lyell. With the ridge in vicinity, we started heading towards Mount Lyell. 10 minutes on the snow and we realized that we needed microspikes if we were to go any further. Luckily we anticipated snow around Lyell glacier and had carried microspikes. We stopped for a moment and fixed our microspikes, so we could continue towards Mount Lyell.
It took us about 2 hours before we could reach the ridge, and head towards Mount Lyell. We had covered about 10 miles by now and were feeling the heat of sun get to us. We checked our clocks at the ridge and it was 2:00 pm. Once at the ridge, we realized that walking in snow is not going to be easier as we ascended, and Mount Lyell was still far away. We went a little further from the ridge where we could see the base of Lyell Glacier and decided to head back, as it was getting closer to our turnaround time. There was no way we could have made it to the top of Mount Lyell before our turnaround time (3 PM). We took a break at this point and soak in the amazing views of Mount Lyell. We did meet a couple, who were descending Mount Lyell and advised us not to summit, unless we had proper crampons as the road ahead was not easy.
We decided to rest for a while and enjoy the beautiful views before we could head back. As we started to get down, we realized that the snow was getting softer, and we had to be careful. We decided to follow our own footsteps that we took coming up, so we wouldn’t get lost. It was tiring to walk on snow, but we were able to traverse it without anyone getting hurt. We reached Lyell fork crossing in about 90 minutes, and decided to take a break. By the time we reached Lyell fork crossing, we saw a couple of tents being set up by PCT hikers right beside the fork, and the view from there of Mount Lyell was simply breathtaking!
The hike down was not so fun, as the initial stretch from Lyell Fork had us descending down and then making us work over a series of switchbacks before we could get to the flatter section. By the time we reached the Ireland lake junction everyone in the group was exhausted. Though much of the trail is flatter, its long, and the elevation gain that we had didn’t help us as well. A mile past Ireland lake junction the sun was beginning to set on us, and we had to hike with our headlights, for the final stretch of 2 miles. By the time we reached Lyell Canyon trailhead it was close to 10:30 pm. We may have not made it to the top of Mount Lyell, but even getting close to base of Lyell Glacier was not easy, and those were some of the amazing views, that keeps us doing these long day hikes!
Difficulty – Strenuous Insanity Level – 4.5 Distance ~ 24 miles Elevation ~ 3000 ft Time ~ 16 hours
Directions – Lyell Canyon Trailhead – Pacific Crest Trail – John Muir Trail – Ireland Lake Junction – John Muir Trail – Lyell footbridge – Lyell fork crossing – John Muir Trail – Make your own trail (to Mount Lyell) – John Muir Trail – Pacific Crest Trail – Lyell Canyon Trailhead
The mountains are calling! 
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