One of my favorite "hikes" in the Sierras and the most impactful. This is what I call a parking…read morelot hike as it isnt really a hike at all. Maybe 1/2mile to the loop. 3 beautiful little lakes on this small loop but what made this impactful and different than the rest was the education I got. Small flat interpretive trail with no elevation gain at the top of Tioga Pass just before heading down into Yosemite. This explained so much to me about the area around and the valley coming up and the existence of Mono Lake. Exceptionally informative the way the signs were placed highlighting the specific mountains, animals and nature you see in front of you. If you're traveling up here it is more than worth it. For me, I drove all the way here just for this small trail. The drive is as beautiful as it gets.

Awesome trail! It was one hell of a hike going up and zig zagging but the views are absolutely…read morebreathtaking views! Worth every step! If you keep going you will head towards Upper Yosemite Falls. I believe that is what we were told. Which we will be doing next month lol fun times! You cannot beat the views on this trail. The views are spectacular--everything Yosemite is about. You shouldn't be too afraid of heights either. We made it in time to experience the Firefall phenomenon! EPIC!

We were looking for a short, moderately strenuous, and view rewarding hike…read more Found at this Columbia Rock viewpoint via Upper Yosemite Falls trail. Distance is about 2 miles round trip, all switchbacks, and about 1,000 ft elevation. Our entire hike took about 2 hours, including a long break at the famous viewpoint,180 degrees views of Yosemite Valley with Half Dome. 32 oz water required for Winter and Spring, 64 oz wafer required for Summer and Fall. We started the trail from Camp 4, bathrooms avail there. Saw lots of climbers practicing their sport. I also saw a plaque listing Camp 4 as a National Register of Historic Places for the growth and development of rock climbing. Later, I read that Camp 4 is one of 3 most famous climbing base camps on earth, along with Everest Basecamp, and Chamonix by Mont Blanc. Look for Midnight Lightning, a chalk lightning bolt drawn on a super difficult concave shaped boulder.

Activity Type: Hiking Nearby City: Lee Vining…read moreLength: 15.1 total miles Elevation Gain: Minimal Trail Type: Loop Skill Level: Moderate Duration: 1 day Season: Early July - Early October Trailhead Elevation: 8,584 feet Top Elevation: 10,300 feet The three Young Lakes, cupped under soaring Ragged Peak, offer a large selection of campsites, some in heavy woods and some at timberline. These camps provide a base for exciting excursions into the headwaters of Conness Creek and for climbing Mt. Conness itself.

5 stars for the view, it was absolutely gorgeous. My buddies and I took at 3 days backpacking and…read morecamping trip up in Yosemite this past summer, good times. After over 10 years of friendship it gets better and sweeter every year. On to the review. First night we slept up in Toulome Meadows campground in order to get adjusted to the elevation, that's always a good idea. Next day we parked at the Lembert Dome Trailhead lot and headed up towards Dog Lake. So on the way up to the Young Lakes we passed Dog Lake where we rested and continued on. Scenery in Yosemite is just incredible, ill leave it at that. It's pretty impressive when you hit the lowest of the 3 Young lakes. You walk up a slight incline, looking at Ragged peak to the right and all of a sudden the lake is right there in front of you. Just incredible. My buddies and I didn't want to stop there, we wanted to make it up to the highest of the 3 lakes and camp there for the night. Here's where things got a bit tough since we couldn't find a clearly marked trail we basically headed in the direction we felt would get us to the 2nd lake. Took us half hour but we made it to the 2nd lake. From the 2nd lake we found a slightly worn trail which led us up to the third lake and that trail was pretty tough. I mean we basically were climbing up the side of a small waterfall here with 30 pound packs. But when we finally crested that waterfall the view at the highest lake took my breath away. it's like one of those scenes from those pictures you can buy to frame for your home or that you see on flickr. I mean the lake was pristine, the mountains in the back perfectly reflecting off of it, it was just incredible. We camped right up there that night and had a great time of fellowship together. Overall, this hike was really awesome and totally worth it. We were pretty tired after that first day 8 miles up but you know what if you are thinking of going here you should definitely do it.

Tioga Pass and the road across the alpine country is always a blessing. To have the altitude and be…read moreat the Timberline, and see the clear lake, and the expanses of rock, well for me it is always breathtaking and jaw dropping. I guess I really like the altitude and clean air. May the thin air takes away all the other thought processes, or maybe it is just the grandeur of it all. This is always part of a memorable day to be at the Tioga Pass

So this lake is one that very few people know about. However it is a super easy hike to say the…read moreabsolute least. Once you get to the lake, you will be at a place that very few people know about, let alone have ever seen. It is a great pristine lake that is fun to fish at, swim at if you are open to super cold water. It is mostly filled with mountain run off. I have never had a bad time at this lake. Heck as a kid I would come here with my parents and grand parents to get out of town and into nature. The only way up here is basically mountain bike, horseback, or afoot. I have always come here on foot and loved it. A lot of the Mammoth locals come here as a nice way to get out of town and be completely in nature while being a short hike away. This particular lake is filled with great memories for me. I took my daughter here for the first time this summer. She loved it. Heck we even found a trio of deer in the brush on the way down the hill. She was super excited about it. We even made it within bowshot of the deer but were just there to trek. Regardless, nature abounds in this close but remote spot. ;) I dare you to hit it up if you can find it and you dare... Hint: park at the Horseshoe Lake lot and head up the hill a mile or mile and a half and boom... there it is ;)

+ Pleasant trail. Beautiful lake scenery just like in the photo…read more . 4mi hike took 2hr. . Lotta switchbacks. + Good amount of shade throughout the trail. - Lotta mosquitos around Mammoth Lakes hikes. - Wish they carved an optional route straight up the switchbacks for a fun challenge. . 2 restrooms by the trailhead. Moderately maintained. - No hand sanitizer or sink. + Spacious parking.

Epic. Great hike. Took about 50 minutes uphill with multiple switchbacks. Beautiful lakes…read more Beautiful views. Perfect hike.

This review is for Panum Crater Trail which was a ~2.5 miles round trip that took ~1.5 hour to…read morecomplete. This was an unique hike that takes you to the rim of the crater overlooking Mono Lake as well as to the center of the crater filled with obsidian rocks! The trail was mostly sandy and a little rocky closer to the summit. The best views of Mono Lake are on the rim trail! AllTrails GPX route doesn't take you to the summit. Follow the trail for another ~0.2 miles to reach the summit for a brief view of Mono Lake. Required to drive ~0.5 miles on dirt road. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/VurvIs-_Cnw

STEPH JUDGEMENT: One of my favorite hikes in Mono County…read more I've been back several times now, and my appreciation for this place grows each time. And I've finally managed to remember "Bitch Hill" (a term I coined) on my last visit. For some reason I totally blocked it out from my first visit--maybe because I was trying hard not to be blown off the trail by a freak spring storm--but it's a section on the Rim Trail that's quite steep that'll definitely elevate your heart rate. I always start out with the Plug Trail to see all the rocks, and then go back down and do the Rim Trail for the views of the lake. It's not a long hike, but there is that "hill", lol.

Parker lake is a little trail that's a hidden gem just off the side of June Lake. It's an easy high…read morewith just a few hundred elevation gain. It has lots of shaded area on trail, a small creek stream, once to the lake it's a beautiful site to take in. Great for a beginner overnight backpacking trip. Great fishing and a dog friendly trail.

I hiked almost 4 miles on Parker lake trail with 640 feet elevation gain and it was a beautiful…read morehike! You have to drive a few miles on a dirt road to get to the trailhead but it's passable for a sedan. No fees or recreation passes needed. The hike starts uphill for a bit with great views of the mountains, then you hike along a creek amongst apsen trees, and at the end you get to Parker lake where it was super windy.