Multi-pitch Climbing North Face (5.8+), Dog Dome, Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California
Mike at the top of the first pitch
Disclaimer: This climb involves rock climbing, which is inherently dangerous. This blog post does not include formal instruction of any kind. Please make sure you have the appropriate skills and knowledge before attempting this outing.
The North Face of Dog Dome is a really fun 5.8+ multi-pitch trad route that offers a wide variety of climbing. We parked at the Dog Lake trailhead and headed out on the trail. Shortly after the turn for Lembert Dome, we turned off-trail and made our way to the bottom of Dog Dome. The approach was about 0.9 miles with about 530 ft of elevation gain.
The first pitch involved an off-width crack. I found it to be a very physically tiring pitch to climb, as most off-width climbing tends to be.
The second pitch had a greater variety of climbing with some face climbing, some crack climbing, and a chimney. Mike set up the belay just above the chimney.
We weren’t sure if the third pitch went left or right from there. We ended up staying right and went up another crack that was wider than my fist.
Overall, I found the climbing to be harder than a 5.8+ should be. If we weren’t in Yosemite, I suspect this route would have been graded as a 5.9/5.10a route. That said, I don’t climb a ton of off-width so it could just be my climbing techniques could be improved. I really enjoyed this route because of the diversity of climbing offered and would recommend it if you’re looking for a fun 3 pitch trad route in the area.
Total stats: 1.9 miles, 830 ft of elevation gain
