Sight · Yosemite National Park
Two high lakes, bare granite shelves, and Cathedral Peak overhead.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
“You're coming up on Tuolumne Meadows, where the river winds through open grassland beneath granite domes. This is a place to get out and walk, rather than look for one perfect overlook.”
Yosemite Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yosemite National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yosemite audio tourRecorded for this place
Tuolumne Meadows“You're coming up on Tuolumne Meadows, where the river winds through open grassland beneath granite domes. This is a place to get out and walk, rather than look for one perfect overlook.”
Plays as you drive up to Cathedral Lakes in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“We just drove through Yosemite and it made our trip listening to this app as we drove through. Like having a tour guide in the car with you.”
Guide
Cathedral Lakes are a pair of high-country lakes on the John Muir Trail, above Tuolumne Meadows and beneath Cathedral Peak. This is a destination hike, not a road stop: plan on about 7.6 miles round-trip, 1,000 feet of climbing and six to seven hours to Upper Cathedral Lake. A 0.7-mile spur leads from the route to Lower Lake, so budget that distance both ways if you want to see both. If you only have time for one, Upper is often described as quieter, while Lower is the larger basin with the broader rock shore.
The route climbs steadily through forest, and many hikers find the early climb the hardest part. It opens near a meadow and the lake junction, but expect a long approach before you reach the water. The John Muir Trail through this area is busy during the open season, so don't expect solitude on the way in.
Lower Cathedral Lake sits around 9,290 feet above sea level; Upper is higher, at about 9,600 feet. Lower's eastern shore has a broad granite shelf where you can stop and rest. From its far side, look west toward Tenaya Lake below. Upper sits in a higher basin beneath Cathedral Peak and is often the quieter lake. Cathedral, Echo and Tresidder peaks all rise above 10,000 feet around the lakes.
At Lower Lake, put the broad eastern granite shelf in the foreground and aim across the water toward Cathedral Peak. That gives the picture both the lake and a sense of the steep rock around it; from the far side, Tenaya Lake appears below the basin. Still water can add reflections when conditions allow.
The trailhead is reached from Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center parking, and the drive in depends on Tioga Road's seasonal opening, usually late May or early June into October or November depending on snow. Restrooms are by the parking area. Tuolumne Meadows services are limited, so carry the food and water you need; the Tuolumne Meadows Grill/Store about a mile east is a separate stop. High-country storms can make a summer return cold and wet, so carry a warm layer and leave time for the hike back.
Wildlife
732 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,747 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
332 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
11 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
276 sightingsPikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
677 sightingsYellow-bellied MarmotMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yosemite. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModeratePolly Dome Lakes Trail6 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.7 mi awayUnmarked spur leads through granite and forest to lakes below Polly Dome.
ModeratePothole Dome Trail1 mi · 45 min · 2.9 mi awayA quick granite scramble with broad views of Tuolumne Meadows
EasyTenaya Lake Trail2.2 mi · 1.3 hr · 3.1 mi awayA level south-shore walk beneath Tenaya Peak
ChallengingClouds Rest Trail14 mi · 9 hr · 3.1 mi awayA higher vantage on Half Dome, earned over a long exposed day.
ChallengingSunrise High Sierra Camp Trail10.4 mi · 5.5 hr · 3.1 mi awayHigh lakes, a mountain saddle, and a meadow camp.
ModerateSunrise Lakes Trail7 mi · 5.5 hr · 3.2 mi awayThree high-country lakes after a rocky switchback climb.ChallengingHigh Sierra Camp Loop48.2 mi · 1.7 days · 3.2 mi awayFive camps and high passes on a 48-mile Yosemite circuit.
ModerateCathedral Lakes Trail9 mi · 7.5 hr · 3.2 mi awayTwo alpine lakes beneath Cathedral Peak reward a steady Sierra climb.
Sight · 2.7 mi awayTenaya LakeClear water, granite peaks, and an easy lakeshore stop.
Sight · 3.1 mi awayPothole DomeA short granite climb opens a wide view across Tuolumne Meadows.Lodging · 3.1 mi awaySunrise High Sierra CampA meadow-side overnight with tent cabins and meals at 9,400 feet.
Visitor center · 3.2 mi awayTuolumne Meadows Visitor CenterA ranger desk, geology exhibits and a CCC story beside the meadow.
Sight · 3.8 mi awayParsons Memorial Lodge and Soda SpringsA short walk joins a 1915 lodge with bubbling meadow springs.
Sight · 3.9 mi awayTuolumne MeadowsA high-country meadow with river bends and granite domes.
Food · 4 mi awayTuolumne Meadows Store and GrillLunch and trail basics before the high-country miles.
Campground · 4.2 mi awayTuolumne Meadows CampgroundA high-country base for Tuolumne's hikes, lakes, and river.Parkwolf’s Yosemite ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
