Parking
Use the Sunrise Lakes lot at the west end of Tenaya Lake, accessed from Tioga Road. The small lot holds roughly a dozen cars; if it fills, use only signed roadside spaces. Vault toilets are at the trailhead.
Overview
About Sunrise Lakes Trail
Why go
- Three alpine lakes on one high-country outing
- A mostly level first stretch before the main climb
Heads up
- A rocky climb of about 1,000 feet in roughly a mile
- The middle lake is an easy-to-miss detour about 100 meters off the trail
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yosemite map
Full mapElevation8,166–9,446 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
“You're nearing Sunrise Lakes Trailhead, the start of the long hike to Clouds Rest. The reward is a full-circle summit view with Half Dome below you and Tenaya Canyon dropping away beneath the ridge.”
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
Clouds Rest from Sunrise Lakes Trailhead0:00 / 0:27
“You're nearing Sunrise Lakes Trailhead, the start of the long hike to Clouds Rest. The reward is a full-circle summit view with Half Dome below you and Tenaya Canyon dropping away beneath the ridge.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Tenaya Lake
- May Lake and Mount Hoffmann
- Olmsted Point
- The Beak That Opens Cones
- 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 Sunrise Lakes Trail
A string of lakes in high countrySunrise Lakes Trail is an out-and-back from the west end of Tenaya Lake to three alpine lakes…
Sunrise Lakes Trail is an out-and-back from the west end of Tenaya Lake to three alpine lakes below rounded granite peaks. The mapped corridor is about 7 miles round trip, with roughly 1,300 feet of climbing; allow five to six hours. Mileage is unsettled: one route map gives 8.8 miles for all three lakes, while the corridor mapped here is about 7 miles. Leave extra time and check your route before setting out. Turning back at the first lake makes the hike about 6.4 miles round trip.
The climb and the turnThe first 1.5 miles are mostly level.
The first 1.5 miles are mostly level. Then rocky switchbacks climb about 1,000 feet in roughly a mile, a tough stretch from a trailhead already above 8,000 feet. At the junction about 2.7 miles in, turn left for Sunrise Lakes; the straight-ahead trail continues toward Clouds Rest. The lakes aren't clearly named at the fork, so watch for the turn.
Three lakes, and one easy to missThe trail passes the first and last lakes.
The trail passes the first and last lakes. The middle one sits about 100 meters south of the main tread and is easy to miss; allow a short detour to its shore, then return to the trail. The lakes sit among conifers, shoreline granite, and rounded peaks. If the water is calm, frame a peak behind the lake so the reflection gives the picture a sense of place.
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.
