Chain Lakes Trail

The mileage depends on which lake is the destination. One posted figure puts Chain Lakes 5.7 miles from Chiquito Trailhead but does not say which lake. A June 2017 outing measured 13.35 miles round trip to Lower Chain Lake and turned back before Upper. The full mapped corridor to Upper Chain Lake is about 14.9 miles round trip; use that longer figure for this route. Lower Chain Lake is a possible shorter turnaround, but it still makes roughly a 12-mile return by the mapped corridor.

The first 2.8 miles follow Chiquito Pass Trail from Chiquito Trailhead to the Yosemite boundary. The climb passes Chiquito Lake, then continues into high country toward the Chain Lakes. The boundary is not the end of the hike: Lower Chain Lake is still several miles farther in, with Middle and Upper lakes beyond it. The route starts around 7,200 feet and finishes above 9,000, so the altitude and distance make the day feel substantial even without technical scrambling.

The mapped line reaches Lower, Middle, then Upper Chain Lake. At Lower Lake, an outlet creek crosses the route; in a 2017 early-season trip it was too forceful at the trail, and the hikers found a calmer crossing farther upstream. Treat that as a real snowmelt hazard, not a description of current conditions. Never commit to a crossing that is beyond your ability; Lower Lake is the sensible turnaround if water or time makes continuing a poor choice.

Upper Lake sits in a steep, pale granite bowl, with boulders and scattered trees along the shore. It is the strongest photo stop on the route: include a foreground boulder or the tree-lined shore to give the basin scale, and look for reflections when the water is calm. The high lake is the payoff for the long approach, though the return is the same distance back to Chiquito Trailhead.

From Beasore Road, turn at Globe Rock onto Road 5S04 and continue about two miles to Chiquito Trailhead parking. A bear box has been reported there; no toilet or potable water was confirmed. The trailhead is in Sierra National Forest, and the route continues into Yosemite Wilderness. Pets are prohibited on Yosemite trails, so this full route is not suitable for pets. Overnight stays require a wilderness permit issued by Sierra National Forest for the Chiquito Pass trailhead. One late-June report found snow-covered tread, standing water, high creeks, and heavy mosquitoes near the lakes; conditions vary, so check current road and trail access before setting out and carry an offline map for the remote route.