Parking
Several lots and roadside spaces sit at either end and midway along the lake. Use the west-end lakeside parking near the Clouds Rest/Sunrise Lakes access for this route. Vault toilets are near both ends and at some lots.
Overview
About Tenaya Lake Trail
Why go
- Mostly level shoreline path with close lake views
- An easy out-and-back with a clear turnaround
Heads up
- This route does not circle the lake
- Rocky patches make footing less smooth than the beach path
From the west shore, look east along the lake toward the granite skyline. On a calm day the water can reflect the surrounding slopes; rocks and driftwood at the waterline make a more grounded foreground than a wide, empty-water frame.
Parkwolf’s verdictA view worth stopping forMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Yosemite map
Full mapElevation8,150–8,192 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
“You're approaching Tenaya Lake, where clear water sits among pale granite peaks. I'd stop for a picnic or some time by the shore, even if you aren't planning 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
Tenaya Lake0:00 / 0:27
“You're approaching Tenaya Lake, where clear water sits among pale granite peaks. I'd stop for a picnic or some time by the shore, even if you aren't planning a hike.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Clouds Rest from Sunrise Lakes Trailhead
- Olmsted Point
- May Lake and Mount Hoffmann
- 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 Tenaya Lake Trail
The south-shore walkTenaya Lake Trail is a 2.
Tenaya Lake Trail is a 2.24-mile out-and-back along the south shore, from a west-end access to the path’s eastern end and back. The tread stays close to the water and has very little overall climbing. Allow about an hour to walk, plus time to stop at the shore. This is a short, low-effort way to spend time beside the lake without committing to a circuit.
Underfoot and across the waterExpect a natural path with rocky patches, gentle rises and dips, and occasional shade.
Expect a natural path with rocky patches, gentle rises and dips, and occasional shade. The south shore lies beneath Tenaya Peak; across the water, Stately Pleasure Dome and other pale granite formations frame the view. The shoreline is open in places, so you can see the lake lengthwise and back toward the peaks rather than walking under continuous forest.
Keep the route variants straightThis version turns around at the eastern end of the south-shore path and returns the same way.
This version turns around at the eastern end of the south-shore path and returns the same way. Other descriptions give a longer, roughly 3.4-mile south-shore out-and-back, or a 2.5-mile circuit. The circuit crosses the lake's inlet and outlet and uses the Tioga Road shoulder along the north side, where there is no official trail. The western outlet has no bridge and can be deep and cold early in the season. Treat that circuit as a separate undertaking; do not wade if the water or footing is unsafe.
Granite shaped by iceTenaya Lake sits among granite domes and peaks shaped by glacial ice.
Tenaya Lake sits among granite domes and peaks shaped by glacial ice. The park places the peak of Tioga glaciation around 20,000 years ago. The lake is named for Chief Tenaya, an Indigenous leader who lived in Yosemite Valley during the Mariposa Battalion invasion.
Access and facilitiesTioga Road is the only vehicle access and generally opens in late spring or early summer,…
Tioga Road is the only vehicle access and generally opens in late spring or early summer, closing after significant snow in fall; the exact dates vary, so check the road status before driving. Several parking areas sit at either end and along the shore. Vault toilets are near both ends and at some lots, not every pullout. The East Beach area has a separate accessible paved path and parking; it is a separate, hard-surface lakeside option rather than part of the south-shore walk. Pets are not allowed on the unpaved trail.
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.
