Backcountry Yosemite - includes related articles on Yosemite National Park

High-country hikes: uphill in every direction Almost every hike out of Tuolumne Meadows starts with a climb. Most are shaded, but get an early start to avoid a steamy ascent in the midday sun. Trails leading to the High Sierra Camps can be tiresome to tread in stretches pulverized by mules and backpackers carrying heavy loads. Here we describe a number of day-hikes and overnight trips to lakes, passes, and peaks, as well as a popular loop route that samples a wide variety of the high country.

Walk to a cool mountain lake, take a dip, drop a line While it's true that hikers who march single-mindedly toward a destination without any concern for what lies along the route miss much of the joy of the experience, it's also undeniable that most of us like to have some sort of goal in mind when we set out on a trail. And few natural features serve that function better than a clear mountain lake--whether you're looking for a cool pool to plunge into after a sweaty climb or a seductively isolated spot to fish for cold-water trout. Keep in mind that most of these lakes are filled with runoff from newly melted snow and can be heart-stoppingly frigid until late summer. Trout are not native to the high-elevation lakes, but some lakes are stocked periodically; ask at the Tuolumne Meadows visitor center for current information (buy required California fishing licenses at the nearby store). Generally, your success will increase with your distance from a trailhead, though the very highest lakes could be barren. Of these four lake hikes from Tuolumne Meadows, three are day-hikes, one's an overnight trip. Mileages are one-way.

Cathedral Lakes. The quickest route to these lakes (3 1/2 miles) begins at an often-overflowing parking area 1/2 mile west of the visitor center. The John Muir Trail climbs through thick stands of mountain hemlock and lodgepole pine. Leveling off, it circles two-pronged Cathedral Peak, which seems to take on a new persona with each angle from which you see it. A spur trail leads down to Lower Cathedral Lake; the upper lake is 1/2 mile past the junction. Continue a short distance to wide-open Cathedral Pass for views of sawtoothed ridges in almost every direction.

Elizabeth Lake. From the group campground in Tuolumne Meadows, a 2 1/2-mile trail leads steadily uphill to this meadow-ringed lake nestled in a basin at the foot of Unicorn Peak. This lake is a great choice if you have only a half-day or want to spend more time lingering on a lakeshore than hiking.

Dog Lake. Only 1 1/2 miles north and 600 feet up from the trailhead mentioned earlier for Lembert Dome (page 109), Dog Lake is the most accessible from Tuolumne Meadows. It's also the warmest, making it a good option for swimmers.

Young Lakes. From the road leading past Lembert Dome to the stables, you can make an overnight trip to these three lakes, which are tucked behind Ragged Peak at about 10,000 feet (no campfires allowed). Take the gentler western leg up, and return on the eastern leg past Dog Lake for a 14 1/2-mile-long loop.