A Pretty Easy Hike

If a person wishes to climb a fairly tall mountain in the beautiful Sierra Nevada of California, the summit of Mt. Dana is about as easy as it gets - if you're in reasonable shape for outdoor activities. Simply drive your automobile up the Tioga Pass Road from Lee Vining and when you see the ranger entrance station for Yosemite National Park, pull off the road and park. There is quite a bit of off-road day parking near the ranger station. Walk to the ranger station, turn left, and you'll see the trailhead for Mt. Dana. The first "half" of the hike is well marked but steep. After a few hours you'll arrive at the Dana Plateau and have a colossal view of the "summit cone." From here, the trail is more difficult to follow as there is nothing but loose rock and boulders to the top. Don't let it worry you. Just look up towards the highest point of the mountain, and head in that direction. Before you know it, you'll be at the top. As access to the mountain is so easy from the Tioga Road, you'll find lots of company on the way - you'll never feel lost. I believe the total round-trip distance is 5 miles - short, but generally steep.