Best time to go
The road is usually open from late May or June through October or November. Snow clearing and spring weather shift the dates, so check the current road status before setting out.
Overview
About Siesta Lake
Why stop
- A peaceful lakeside pause with clear tree reflections on calm water.
Heads up
- Roadside parking can be limited.
Map
Where it is
Loading the Yosemite map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Best time to go
4 active Yosemite alerts
- ClosureDome Fire closes Glacier Point Road and trailsGlacier Point Road is temporarily closed because Dome Fire smoke reduces visibility and to allow firefighting operations; some trails south of the road are also closed.Official details
- CautionMist Trail access limited during October repairsThe Mist Trail between its John Muir Trail junction above the Vernal Fall footbridge and the top of Vernal Fall has limited access through October for repair work.Official details
“Up ahead is Siesta Lake, a small, forest-ringed lake beside Tioga Road. I'd stop for a brief picnic or a look at the pine reflections when the water's calm, if there's room in the limited roadside parking.”
Yosemite Tour Guide
Yosemite, narrated.
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
Siesta Lake0:00 / 0:15
“Up ahead is Siesta Lake, a small, forest-ringed lake beside Tioga Road. I'd stop for a brief picnic or a look at the pine reflections when the water's calm, if there's room in the limited roadside parking.”
Plays as you drive up to Siesta Lake in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Sky Ansel Adams Chose
- White Wolf
- The Bird That Plants Pines
- A Rainbow by Moonlight
- 125 audio storiesacross Yosemite’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Peregrine Falcon, Mule Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 141 trails, 99 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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
More about Siesta Lake
A short stop off Tioga RoadSiesta Lake is a small alpine lake just south of Tioga Road, about 13 miles east of Crane Flat.
Siesta Lake is a small alpine lake just south of Tioga Road, about 13 miles east of Crane Flat. It is an easy place to pause for a lakeside picnic or a swim while crossing the high country. Treat it as a brief roadside stop: parking can be limited.
Reflections at the water’s edgeThe forested shore and reeds frame a small, quiet lake.
The forested shore and reeds frame a small, quiet lake. When the water is calm, pines reflect clearly across it; keep a strip of reeds or shore in the frame so the photo shows the lake as well as its reflection.
What the ice left behindA small glacier descended the ridge at the headwaters of the South Fork of the Tuolumne River…
A small glacier descended the ridge at the headwaters of the South Fork of the Tuolumne River and left the moraine behind which the lake sits. The granite slope above bears polish, striations and chatter marks where ice scraped the rock. Nearby, younger Tioga deposits are angular and bouldery, while older Tahoe deposits are more rounded and weathered.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Yosemite
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.
