Over Tioga Pass : Michael Frye Photography

Ice and reflections in Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, CA, USA

Ice and reflections in Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, Wednesday evening

Claudia and I love going over Tioga Pass on the day it opens, whenever possible, and we managed to tear ourselves away from our desks on Wednesday afternoon and do just that. I photographed some beautiful puffy clouds and reflections from Tuolumne Meadows late in the afternoon. Towards sunset the clouds started to dissipate, so we headed over the pass to Ellery Lake, which had some great ice patterns.

Tenaya Lake was totally free of ice, while Tioga Lake was almost completely frozen. Ellery Lake just right, with a photogenic mixture of ice and open water. But I’m sure that will all melt soon, while Tioga Lake should be getting more open patches of water.

Meanwhile, the park did get some showers on Friday and Saturday, with a dusting of high-elevation snow. The Tioga Road has been closed off and on since Friday night, though as I write this it’s open. With showers in the forecast over the next few days it’s possible that the road may close again temporarily.

We got home late on Wednesday, around 10:30, but it was great being back up in the high country, in the thin, cold air – especially with all that ice and snow still around.

— Michael Frye

Clouds and reflections, Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Clouds and reflections, Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite, Wednesday afternoon

Snow patterns, Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, CA, USA

Snow patterns, Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, Wednesday evening

Ice, snow, and cliffs, Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, CA, USA

Ice, snow, and cliffs, Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, Wednesday evening

Moon rising at sunset form Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, CA, USA

Moon rising at sunset from Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, Wednesday evening

Related Post: Tioga Pass is Open!

Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.

14 Comments

David Leland Hyde (@PhilipHydePhoto) on May 23, 2016 at 4:06 am

Wonderful images. I’ll have to get there some time. Dad’s well-known photograph of Ellery Lake has always been one of my favorites, but I never stopped to think that those interesting snow patterns might occur again under the right conditions.

Michael Frye on May 23, 2016 at 4:36 am

Thanks David. I like that photo of your dad’s too. I think he must have done the same thing – gone over the pass on the day it opened, or pretty soon thereafter.
Reply

Binh Pham on May 23, 2016 at 12:33 pm

Great images. Love the tioga pass area. Thanks for sharing.

Michael Frye on May 23, 2016 at 5:41 pm

Thank Binh!
Reply

Kathy Barnhart on May 23, 2016 at 2:19 pm

Thanks for being our eyes and legs in this beloved area so early in the season. The evening light on the snow and ice fills me with joy! Thanks for sharing your lovely photos.

Michael Frye on May 23, 2016 at 5:41 pm

Thank you Kathy!
Reply

Barbara A. Hanson on May 24, 2016 at 1:43 am

Reflections, textures, light and values…serene…stunning. It touches my soul.

Michael Frye on May 24, 2016 at 3:23 am

Thanks very much Barbara!
Reply

JB Whyte on May 30, 2016 at 4:22 am

Wonderful eye! Love the photos, my favorite place on earth. At Christmas went for a day trip, terrible weather. Got some wonderful pictures, but with a car full of family, scary. This place still shows me miracles.

Michael Frye on May 30, 2016 at 4:51 am

Thanks JB, and I’m glad you got some good photos of the area.
Reply

Brenda Tharp on June 1, 2016 at 8:12 pm

Lovely and what fun to drive the road the day it opens! I was on the other side the day that part opened but not there for the whole opening…lucky dogs, you two!!

Michael Frye on June 5, 2016 at 2:55 am

Fun indeed Brenda!
Reply

Jeremy Brasher on June 6, 2016 at 3:47 pm

Just finished your last ebook and watched all the accompanying videos. Your a great teacher man! Thanks for your passion. It rekindles mine, as well, to get out there and chase beautiful light all the more. These images are all awesome. I didn’t get any from the park the last time i was in CA. That visit (from Kentucky) was interrupted by the gov’t shutdown. The Eastern Sierras didn’t disappoint though. We still had a successful trip. (Looking forward to learning of your 2017 workshop schedule..)

Michael Frye on June 6, 2016 at 5:43 pm

Thanks Jeremy! I’m glad you found the ebook and videos helpful. It’s too bad that the government shutdown prevented you from photographing Yosemite on that trip, but I hope you get another chance soon.
Reply

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David Leland Hyde (@PhilipHydePhoto) on May 23, 2016 at 4:06 am

Wonderful images. I’ll have to get there some time. Dad’s well-known photograph of Ellery Lake has always been one of my favorites, but I never stopped to think that those interesting snow patterns might occur again under the right conditions.
- Michael Frye on May 23, 2016 at 4:36 am
  
  Thanks David. I like that photo of your dad’s too. I think he must have done the same thing – gone over the pass on the day it opened, or pretty soon thereafter.
Binh Pham on May 23, 2016 at 12:33 pm

Great images. Love the tioga pass area. Thanks for sharing.
- Michael Frye on May 23, 2016 at 5:41 pm
  
  Thank Binh!
Kathy Barnhart on May 23, 2016 at 2:19 pm

Thanks for being our eyes and legs in this beloved area so early in the season. The evening light on the snow and ice fills me with joy! Thanks for sharing your lovely photos.
- Michael Frye on May 23, 2016 at 5:41 pm
  
  Thank you Kathy!
Barbara A. Hanson on May 24, 2016 at 1:43 am

Reflections, textures, light and values…serene…stunning. It touches my soul.
- Michael Frye on May 24, 2016 at 3:23 am
  
  Thanks very much Barbara!
JB Whyte on May 30, 2016 at 4:22 am

Wonderful eye! Love the photos, my favorite place on earth. At Christmas went for a day trip, terrible weather. Got some wonderful pictures, but with a car full of family, scary. This place still shows me miracles.
- Michael Frye on May 30, 2016 at 4:51 am
  
  Thanks JB, and I’m glad you got some good photos of the area.
Brenda Tharp on June 1, 2016 at 8:12 pm

Lovely and what fun to drive the road the day it opens! I was on the other side the day that part opened but not there for the whole opening…lucky dogs, you two!!
- Michael Frye on June 5, 2016 at 2:55 am
  
  Fun indeed Brenda!
Jeremy Brasher on June 6, 2016 at 3:47 pm

Just finished your last ebook and watched all the accompanying videos. Your a great teacher man! Thanks for your passion. It rekindles mine, as well, to get out there and chase beautiful light all the more. These images are all awesome. I didn’t get any from the park the last time i was in CA. That visit (from Kentucky) was interrupted by the gov’t shutdown. The Eastern Sierras didn’t disappoint though. We still had a successful trip. (Looking forward to learning of your 2017 workshop schedule..)
- Michael Frye on June 6, 2016 at 5:43 pm
  
  Thanks Jeremy! I’m glad you found the ebook and videos helpful. It’s too bad that the government shutdown prevented you from photographing Yosemite on that trip, but I hope you get another chance soon.