Parking
Use the signed Lukens Lake Trailhead roadside area on Tioga Road; a trail guide estimates about a dozen spaces. A vault toilet and animal-safe food storage are at the trailhead. Vehicle access depends on Tioga Road’s seasonal opening.
Overview
About Lukens Lake Trail from Tioga Road
Why go
- A lake and flower meadow on a short route.
- A clear out-and-back with only about 200 feet of gain.
Heads up
- Muddy tread often persists into early August.
- Tioga Road access is seasonal.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yosemite map
Full mapElevation8,228–8,422 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
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
“Lukens Lake Trailhead is ahead on Tioga Road, for a short forest walk to a meadow-ringed lake. Allow one to two hours for the one point six mile round trip, climbing over a wooded saddle before dropping to the water.”
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
Lukens Lake0:00 / 0:27
“Lukens Lake Trailhead is ahead on Tioga Road, for a short forest walk to a meadow-ringed lake. Allow one to two hours for the one point six mile round trip, climbing over a wooded saddle before dropping to the water.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Rainbow by Moonlight
- Why Summer Clouds Build Up
- Lakes Before the Trout
- The Sky Ansel Adams Chose
- 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 Lukens Lake Trail from Tioga Road
A short walk to a high-country lakeLukens Lake Trail from Tioga Road is a 1.6-mile out-and-back with about 200 feet of gain.
Lukens Lake Trail from Tioga Road is a 1.6-mile out-and-back with about 200 feet of gain. It climbs through mixed conifer forest, crosses a saddle, then descends to a small mountain lake and its surrounding meadow. Plan on one to two hours for the walk and time at the water.
Forest, saddle, then meadowThe short route starts beside Tioga Road, works uphill through trees, and drops from a saddle…
The short route starts beside Tioga Road, works uphill through trees, and drops from a saddle toward the lake. It is a modest hike with a clear destination rather than a long wander through the high country. The separate approach from White Wolf is much longer; this trail record covers the Tioga Road start and return.
Flowers and wet groundLukens Lake sits at about 8,200 feet.
Lukens Lake sits at about 8,200 feet. Shooting stars and many other wildflowers often bloom around the meadow through July, though timing shifts from year to year. The trail is commonly muddy until early August. Walk through puddles instead of widening the path around them, and stay on the marked tread to protect the meadow. From the trail, frame the lake with its grasses and conifers rather than stepping into the plants for a photo.
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.
