Ten Lakes (Yosemite National Park)

Ten Lakes Basin and surrounding peaks on the descent to  the Ten Lakes Basin.

Trailhead Location: Ten Lakes

About 11 miles west on Tioga Road from the end of Tenaya Lake - parking on both sides of the road (Latitude, Longitude - 37.858401, -119.577445)

Payoff Factor: 4.5

(1 being “Meh…”, 5 being “Hike? What hike?”)

Difficulty Factor: 3 (the climb from Half Moon Meadow is a 4)

(1 being your Grandma can do this hike, 5 being you’ll feel like your Grandma when this hike is over)

Length (Distance): 13.7 miles round-trip (this report includes a short side trip to an amazing view of Ten Lakes basin and two other lakes in the basin)

Shorter Options:

• 12.6 miles - simply visit the first lake off the main trail and return from there
• 11.0 miles - hike to the overlook that forks to the left just after Ten Lakes Pass (the short side trail you can see as you crest the pass)

Length (Time): 6-8 hours

Cumulative Elevation Gain: 3,228 feet

The amazing panoramic view of Ten Lakes Basin (center) and the Sierra Crest (far left).

Trip Report:

When you arrive at the Ten Lakes trailhead, you will notice there is ample parking on both sides of Tioga Road.  Most of the people completing this trail will be doing it as an overnight or multi-night backpacking trip combined with other trails from the Tioga Road area.  While Ten Lakes would make for an excellent easy/moderate overnight trip with a good deal of top notch campsites to choose from (don't forget your permits), this trip report is for a day hike of about six to eight hours.

Half Moon Meadow is an excellent place to rest and refuel before you head up the pass.

The Ten Lakes trail follows a somewhat straight line to the northeast from Tioga Road up to Half Moon Meadow followed by a steep climb up to Ten Lakes Pass and then descends east to the lakes within the Ten Lakes basin.  The trail is easy to follow, but pay close attention and keep an eye on the cairns when you are in the open granite sections.  Hikers have found their way off the trail somewhat easily in these sections in recent history (read the NPS release here about a couple backpackers that lost the trail in 2013).  

Just one of many High Sierra lakes in the Ten Lakes Basin.

Moreover, the trail shows off a lot of Yosemite's diversity as it heads from the shady Upper Montane Forest through lodgepole pines and rid fir near the trailhead to the also shady Subalpine Forest (around Half Moon Meadow and Ten Lakes) and then on to the wide-open Alpine Zone near the Ten Lakes Pass, so bring some sunscreen for the heavily exposed section around the Alpine Zone.  Enjoy the smells of the conifers as you trek through the forest...this is one of my favorite features of Yosemite National Park.  Also, the views to the north and east after you crest the pass are simply amazing!

This trail should be divided into three separate sections:

• Miles 0.0 - 4.3: The first section climbs gradually for just over four miles to Half Moon Meadow with partial views of Mt. Hoffman and the surrounding peaks (7,400ft to 8,800ft) along the way.  There is plenty of shade on this section, so enjoy it!  
  • You will come to a stream crossing and trail junction (White Wolf campground) at about two miles...head straight here to continue to Ten Lakes.
  • It is a good idea to do a short refuel at the meadow prior to heading up to the pass.  Early in the season you cross Yosemite Creek which can contain some swift water, but don't count on this being a reliable water source later in the summer.
• Miles 4.3 - 4.9: The second (and most difficult) section follows a steep grade for about a mile with convenient switchbacks as it climbs to Ten Lakes Pass (8,800ft to 9,600ft).  There is an easy to follow side trail that forks left after the pass with superb views of the Ten Lakes Basin, the Sierra Crest and the Grand Canyon of the Tuolomne.  
  • This section is a reliable water source early in the season as there are a couple decent springs right off the trail before you leave the forest.  
  • There is a trail junction with Grant Lakes at the pass which heads a mile down towards Grant Lakes.
• Miles 4.9 - 6.3: The third (and easiest) section descends for about a half mile from Ten Lakes Pass to the Ten Lakes Basin and heads around the largest lakes within the basin.

Ten Lakes Pass

The view of the Sierra Crest as you cross Ten Lakes Pass.

Grand Canyon of the Tuolomne

Notice the sheer drop into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolomne.

High Sierra Lake

Yet another amazing High Sierra lake.

Follow the sections above in reverse as you head back to the trailhead to complete your hike.

Happy trails!

-Scott

Clouds Rest (Yosemite National Park)

The awe-inspiring view of Yosemite Valley from Clouds Rest with Half Dome on the left and El Capitan on the far right.

We hiked Clouds Rest as part of a hiking trip to Yosemite National Park and Mount Whitney.

Trailhead Location: Sunrise Lakes

On the southern side of Tioga Road, southwestern end of Tenaya Lake (Latitude, Longitude: 37.825883, -119.470066)

Payoff Factor: 5

(1 being “Meh…”, 5 being “Hike? What hike?”)

Difficulty Factor: 4 (some sections are a 5)

(1 being your Grandma can do this hike, 5 being you’ll feel like your Grandma when this hike is over)

Length (Distance): 12.6 miles
Length (Time): 5-7 hours

Cumulative Elevation Gain: 3,218 feet

The view looking north from one of the first major viewpoints about 2.5-3.0 miles into the trail.  Mt. Hoffman is on the left and the flattop Tuolomne Peak is on the right.

Trip Report:

This is easily one of the top 3 day hikes in Yosemite National Park and likely a top 10 National Park hike.  The sweeping panoramic, 360 degree views from the summit provide an incredible display of several of Yosemite’s most prominent landmarks like Half Dome, El Capitan, Mt. Hoffman and Tenaya Lake.

It is a fairly long and difficult hike with some exposure thrown in just before the summit as you cross a narrow ridge with deep drop-offs on both sides.  If you’re afraid of heights you probably don’t want to attempt this hike although there are excellent, but not 360 degree, views just before you cross the arête.  You will see conflicting mileages on this trail, but I'm going with the distance from the GPS app I use on my phone as it has been very accurate every time I've tested it.

The trail is easy to follow with only a couple different intersections, but both are well-marked...just keep following the Clouds Rest trail!  The trailhead is at the Sunrise parking area which is at the southwestern tip of Tenaya Lake off Tioga Road.  You will find bear lockers at the trailhead; we suggest using these if you plan to leave food in your vehicle during the hike.  

The trail will run along Tenaya Creek for the first half mile or so and then begins a very steep climb at about two miles in.  This is easily the hardest part on your legs as the trail climbs about 1,000 feet in less than a mile (20% grade)...it's no fun on the way down either!  From there the trail descends a bit then makes a moderately steep climb to the summit of Clouds Rest.

Hiking Clouds Rest in Yosemite National Park

Hiking Clouds Rest in Yosemite National Park

This hike can easily be done in a day or can be combined with overnight or extended backpacking trips to Sunrise Lakes or Little Yosemite Valley if you're crazy enough to summit Half Dome the next day.

Keep an eye out on those pesky chipmunks at the summit.  They will get into your food and are very persistent in doing so!

Yosemite National Park - A Possible Move?

Trip Dates: November 14-16, 2014

A company flew Scott & me out to California in November for us to check out the possibility of moving there for Scott to have a job INSIDE Yosemite National Park. Yes, we would be living INSIDE Yosemite National Park. It was a very quick trip, we flew out on a Friday morning and back on Sunday night. The entire time we were just amazed that we were back inside Yosemite National Park a month after we left from our fall hiking trip! The emotions of the possible move plus my dad just having surgery made everything seem very surreal.

We stayed in the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls during this trip. We drove straight to the park after we landed on Friday and met with his potential co-workers for his interview. On Saturday we had breakfast with another potential co-worker and even sat at the "Queen's table" in the Ahwahnee Hotel! The hotel was decorated so beautiful for Thanksgiving - I would love to see it at Christmas!

After breakfast we headed out for a hike. We did a quick hike to Panorama Dome and then went back and did the Mist Trail. We did a portion of the Mist Trail last time on our way down from Half Dome but we didn't do the entire trail so I'm glad we were able to do the entire Mist Trail this time! It was pretty difficult - it's like a StairClimber the whole way up! After our day filled with hikes we headed back to the hotel for dinner and sleep!

We woke up early Sunday morning to make the drive back to Fresno to catch our plane but we, of course, had to make time for another short hike! We hiked to the Grizzly Giant in the Mariposa Grove of Redwoods as we were leaving the park.

I said I would never climb Half Dome again but I actually really wanted to do it! We couldn't though because it was closed for the season so the cables were down. We were able to get a few awesome pictures of it though! I still can't believe we climbed this!

Yosemite is a very, very beautiful place and we were so lucky to be able to visit again. This was one of the toughest decisions of our life so far...there were many "pros" of making the move but also some very big "cons". Ultimately it was up to Scott to make the decision since he was the one that would be changing jobs (I can do mine anywhere!). A few of the pros were living in a small house (it was employee housing we would be living in), Scott walking about 300 feet to work, obviously living INSIDE Yosemite National Park, etc. However, we are very lucky with the job Scott has now. He works about 8 minutes from our house, he has a fall break (the reason why we take a trip each fall), and he has three weeks off at Christmas (the reason we just took another trip out west). A move across the country, giving up Scott's current work/life balance, and leaving our family and friends were the reasons that we decided to decline the job offer. There are things that money can't buy and time off is one of them! I'm still sad we aren't moving and even cried a little bit but I know it was the best decision for us at this time. Ultimately, I feel like we will end up out west but just not right now. :-) For now, we plan on trying to sell our home, buy land around here and build our "tiny home".

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life." -John Muir