Parking
Start at Beehive Meadow. Use the Hetch Hetchy access and parking near O’Shaughnessy Dam, then follow the signed route to the named start. A separate parking lot or capacity at Beehive Meadow was not verified.
Overview
About Laurel Lake, Lake Vernon and Rancheria Falls Loop
Why go
- Includes Laurel Lake, Lake Vernon and Rancheria Falls in one circuit.
- Climbs from Hetch Hetchy into Yosemite’s north wilderness.
Heads up
- A 29-mile route with roughly 5,900 feet of climbing takes multiple days.
- Long high-country stretches cross exposed granite with limited shade.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yosemite map
Full mapElevation3,927–7,618 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
“Ahead is O'Shaughnessy Dam at Hetch Hetchy, with reservoir water between steep granite walls. For a short visit, the paved dam viewpoint gives you the broad scene and waterfall views without a hike.”
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 trailhead
Hetch Hetchy and O'Shaughnessy Dam0:00 / 0:37
“Ahead is O'Shaughnessy Dam at Hetch Hetchy, with reservoir water between steep granite walls. For a short visit, the paved dam viewpoint gives you the broad scene and waterfall views without a hike.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Treefrog on El Capitan
- Smith Peak from Smith Meadows Trailhead
- Poopenaut Valley Trailhead
- Water That Works Twice
- 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 Laurel Lake, Lake Vernon and Rancheria Falls Loop
Know the commitmentThis is a 29-mile loop from Beehive Meadow in Hetch Hetchy, through Laurel Lake, Lake Vernon,…
This is a 29-mile loop from Beehive Meadow in Hetch Hetchy, through Laurel Lake, Lake Vernon, Tiltill Valley and Rancheria Falls, then back along the reservoir. The full circuit climbs and descends about 5,929 feet. It is a multi-day backpack, not a day hike; plan roughly 24 hours on foot over three or four days. The line for this entry includes the Laurel Lake branch.
The climb and the lakesThe first four miles follow the old Lake Eleanor Road as it climbs out of the valley.
The first four miles follow the old Lake Eleanor Road as it climbs out of the valley. The route then winds through rolling, wooded hills, with views back toward Hetch Hetchy. Laurel Lake is the western reach of this version. Continue toward Lake Vernon, where an exposed granite ridge borders the lake and the route opens into Yosemite’s high country. Expect long climbs and sunny stretches; this is a serious trip even before you add a full pack.
Across Tiltill Valley to RancheriaFrom the Lake Vernon area, the circuit drops through Tiltill Valley to Rancheria Falls.
From the Lake Vernon area, the circuit drops through Tiltill Valley to Rancheria Falls. The high-country tread crosses exposed granite and has steep sections, with limited shade on the ridge. Rancheria Falls is a gentle cascade at the reservoir’s eastern end, a different destination from Wapama Falls near the dam.
The return to Hetch HetchyThe loop follows the reservoir’s north edge back toward Beehive Meadow.
The loop follows the reservoir’s north edge back toward Beehive Meadow. That shoreline brings you back to the water and the valley’s granite walls after the longer high-country traverse. GPS totals vary with the exact trace and lakeside access, but the route here follows the Laurel-inclusive circuit rather than doubling an out-and-back distance.
Permits, access and a shorter sampleOvernight hikers need a Yosemite wilderness permit.
Overnight hikers need a Yosemite wilderness permit. Pets are not allowed on the dam or hiking trails. Hetch Hetchy sits lower than much of the park, so plan for sun and carry enough water; watch for rattlesnakes and poison oak. Use the Hetch Hetchy access near O’Shaughnessy Dam and follow the signed route to Beehive Meadow; no separate parking lot there was verified. Food service along the route was not found, so plan for the whole backpack. If you want to try the initial climb without the loop, the first four miles are described as a strenuous eight-mile out-and-back.
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.
