Parking
Use the lot off Forest Route 1N14 at the Lake Eleanor access, then follow the road shoulder northeast to the Miguel Meadow Fire Road junction. Lot capacity, fees and services were not confirmed.
Overview
About Lake Eleanor Trail
Why go
- Frog Creek opens to Lake Eleanor and its granite bluffs
- About 650 feet of total climbing
Heads up
- A short road shoulder walk connects parking to the trail
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yosemite map
Full mapElevation4,649–4,875 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
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 tourMore stories near here in the app
- Hetch Hetchy and O'Shaughnessy Dam
- A Treefrog on El Capitan
- The Naturalist Who Paid for the Survey
- Poopenaut Valley Trailhead
- 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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Lake Eleanor Trail
The lake side walkLake Eleanor Trail is a 5.5-mile out-and-back from Forest Route 1N14 to Frog Creek and back.
Lake Eleanor Trail is a 5.5-mile out-and-back from Forest Route 1N14 to Frog Creek and back. Follow the south shore before turning onto Miguel Meadow Fire Road, then walk through pine forest and a meadow to the lake view. Allow two to three hours; the route gains about 650 feet. It is a manageable high country outing if you want a lake and forest walk without committing to a full day.
Finding the startPark at the lot off Forest Route 1N14, then walk northeast along the road shoulder beside the…
Park at the lot off Forest Route 1N14, then walk northeast along the road shoulder beside the lake, past a ranger station. At the road's end, continue on Miguel Meadow Fire Road. The change from road to fire road is the key turn to watch for.
Forest, meadow and Frog CreekThe fire road runs through mixed pine forest, with wildflowers and glimpses of the lake through…
The fire road runs through mixed pine forest, with wildflowers and glimpses of the lake through breaks in the trees. The grade picks up through a meadow, then descends to Frog Creek, the turnaround. From there, Lake Eleanor sits below granite bluffs. For a photo, frame some shoreline with the bluffs behind the water. Return the same way.
Access and rulesThis is the shorter lake side walk, not the separate 10.
This is the shorter lake side walk, not the separate 10.7-mile one-way wilderness approach from Miguel Meadows. The Lake Eleanor trailhead is outside Yosemite's boundary. Dogs are not allowed on this trail. Overnight stays in Yosemite Wilderness require a permit; permits for the Lake Eleanor trailhead are issued by Stanislaus National Forest.
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.
