#7 of 141 trails in Yosemite
Yosemite National Park, CA
Two alpine lakes beneath Cathedral Peak reward a steady Sierra climb.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
“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 trailhead
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 this trailhead 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.”
Trail guide
Cathedral Lakes Trail is a high-country out-and-back from Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center to Upper and Lower Cathedral Lakes. To visit both, plan about 9 miles round trip: the main route to Upper Lake is listed at 7.6 miles, and the 0.7-mile one-way Lower Lake spur adds about 1.4 miles for the detour and return. The climb to Upper Lake gains about 1,000 feet. Allow roughly 7–8 hours for both lakes, breaks and shoreline exploring; the 6–7-hour estimate is for the Upper Lake route. For a shorter day, skip Lower Lake and stay on the main route. The trail starts above 8,500 feet, so a steady climb can feel harder than its elevation gain alone suggests.
From the Visitor Center parking area, follow the John Muir Trail as it climbs through conifers toward open granite and meadow. Near the top of the climb, a spur drops to Lower Cathedral Lake. Visit it, then retrace that short branch to the junction and continue toward Upper Lake. The two-lake outing is not a loop. Watch the junctions, especially when lingering spring snow or wet ground makes the tread less distinct. Expect a natural, rocky path rather than a smooth walkway.
Lower Lake is the larger of the two. Its eastern side has a broad granite shelf beside a wet meadow, where small streams cross the route and the ground can be marshy. If you have time, continue toward the lake’s western end for a view back toward Tenaya Lake. This branch is only 0.7 mile one way from the junction, but going out and back adds 1.4 miles to the day.
The main route continues toward Upper Lake beneath Cathedral Peak, with Echo Peak also in view. The trail passes a little east of the water, so allow a few extra minutes to find a comfortable place at shore. The John Muir Trail is popular, while hikers spread out at the lakes; Upper can feel quieter than Lower, though crowding changes through the day.
The pale slabs around both lakes belong to Yosemite’s vast granite landscape. Glaciers shaped the high country’s present landforms, leaving the lakes framed by broad rock and steep peaks. At Upper Lake, look back across the water toward Cathedral Peak for the defining view; at Lower Lake, the west end opens toward Tenaya Lake.
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
ChallengingMcCabe Lakes Trail29.6 mi · 18 hr · 0.6 mi awayA long Tuolumne Meadows out-and-back to McCabe’s alpine lake basin.
ChallengingGlen Aulin Trail11 mi · 8 hr · 1 mi awayAn 11-mile river walk to waterfalls at Glen Aulin.
ModerateElizabeth Lake Trail4.8 mi · 5 hr · 1 mi awayA steady climb to a high lake below Unicorn Peak.
ModeratePothole Dome Trail1 mi · 45 min · 1.1 mi awayA quick granite scramble with broad views of Tuolumne Meadows
ChallengingWaterwheel Falls Trail19 mi · 11 hr · 1.2 mi awayLong Tuolumne River hike to Waterwheel Falls' signature spray.
ModerateDog Lake Trail2.8 mi · 2.3 hr · 1.2 mi awayA steep climb gives way to a quiet high-country lake.
EasyParsons Lodge and Soda Springs Trail1.7 mi · 1 hr · 1.2 mi awayA flat meadow walk to bubbling springs and a Sierra Club lodge.
ChallengingYoung Lakes Trail13.6 mi · 9 hr · 1.2 mi awayA full-day walk through meadows and forest to high-country lakes.
Visitor center · 0.1 mi awayTuolumne Meadows Visitor CenterA ranger desk, geology exhibits and a CCC story beside the meadow.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayParsons Memorial Lodge and Soda SpringsA short walk joins a 1915 lodge with bubbling meadow springs.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayTuolumne MeadowsA high-country meadow with river bends and granite domes.
Food · 1 mi awayTuolumne Meadows Store and GrillLunch and trail basics before the high-country miles.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayPothole DomeA short granite climb opens a wide view across Tuolumne Meadows.
Campground · 1.2 mi awayTuolumne Meadows CampgroundA high-country base for Tuolumne's hikes, lakes, and river.
Ranger station · 1.6 mi awayTuolumne Meadows Wilderness CenterTalk over your route and get a backcountry permit.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayLembert DomeA steep granite climb earns a wide-open Tuolumne panorama.Parkwolf’s Yosemite ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
