Hike Ten Lakes Basin

Ten Lakes Trail

To first lakes is 12.8 miles round trip with 2,100-foot elevation gain; many side trips possible

John Muir named this alpine basin in the center of Yosemite National Park “Ten Lakes.”

Scenically, some hikers rate the basin a “10.” Numerically, ten lakes may be a bit of an exaggeration. More like seven lakes are worthy of the name; however, numerous tarns dot the ice-sculpted landscape and they could swell the count to more than ten.

The walk leads to two of the lakes; the balance can be reached by use trails or cross-country routes. It’s a popular weekend backpacking trip, located at mid-level elevation (7,500 to 9,500 feet or so), meaning the trail can be hiked a bit earlier and a bit later in the seasons than higher trails on the Sierra Crest.

Directions to trailhead: From Highway 120 (Tioga Road), drive 20 miles east of Crane Flat, 27 miles west of Tioga Pass, to the signed trailhead for Ten Lakes. Park on either side of the highway.

The hike: A half-minute’s walk brings you to a trail junction. The left-forking path leads to Yosemite Valley while our Ten Lakes-bound trail heads right (north).

Ascend through Sierra juniper and Jeffrey pine forest toward the headwaters of Yosemite Creek. Emerging from the forest, the path climbs granite slopes and reaches a junction at the two-mile mark with a westbound trail leading to White Wolf Campground.

Continue your climb over forested slopes another two miles to Half Moon Meadow, seasonally sprinkled with corn lily, monkeyflower, aster and other wildflowers. Switchbacking steeply up from the meadow, you’ll climb another mile, passing a junction with a right-forking connector trail that leads to Grant Lakes just before cresting a ridge--the divided between Tuolomne and Merced rivers.

Ridgetop (9,690 feet) views are of Ten Lakes Basin, Sierra Crest peaks and, as you begin descending, of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolomne.

A fairly steep one-mile descent leads to Ten Lake’s Basin largest, another half-mile to the second largest. If you have time and topo maps, strike out cross-country for the basin’s more remote lakes and tarns.