Cancel

Open app

Search

Shirley Lake Trailhead

4.7 (9 reviews)

Shirley Lake Trailhead Photos

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - Shirley Lake Trailhead

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Some fall color.
Jan W.

We did this yesterday and got a great workout. We did the out and back to Shirley Lake. During summer you can hike to the lake and then hike to the tram at Squaw Valley and take that back down for no cost. It is closed now. Be aware on this hike that it is not clearly marked in areas where the trail is primarily granite. Look for boulders that have a blue painted stripe. In areas where the trail is more forest look for blue painted rocks. You really have to be aware of where you are. We met up with other hikers who also looked for markers. The granite sections are physically demanding. Take your time and enjoy the views. Your reward at the lake is worth it.

Waterfall

See all

9 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of vix t.
2
59
160

5 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Jan W.
13
83
10

12 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 1

16 years ago

Helpful 11
Thanks 0
Love this 4
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

14 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 2

14 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Ask the Community - Shirley Lake Trailhead

You might also consider

Verify this business for free

People searched for Hiking 494 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

Verify this business

Panoramic Point

Panoramic Point

4.0(5 reviews)
181.3 mi

The panoramic point was closed in last April and finally we could check it out this time. My hubby…read morehas been there before so he wanted to take me there. This place is hidden gem! You can choose to hike start from the trailhead at the end of Panoramic Point Road, 2 miles up from the park visitor center and market at Grant Village. We chose to drive up to the parking lot instead. It was about a 10 minute drive up on a narrow road from the John Muir Lodge. Gorgeous overlook and amazing views from the top. Highly recommended!

Panoramic Point maybe previously had the potential to be a worthwhile attraction right in the heart…read moreof Kings Canyon National Park. Before I discuss why I was a little frustrated with my experience, let me just give a few details and background about coming here. For my journey exploring Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP's...I stayed in this Grant Grove Village area right in between the border of both parks. I actually rented a tent cabin for a couple of evenings. Panoramic Point was situated just behind Grant Grove and the John Muir Lodge. It was relatively easy to find as there was a sign for it right along the road. If you have any difficulty locating it, the Kings Canyon Visitor Center is situated on the grounds of Grant Grove Village. Just go inside and ask a park ranger and they'll know exactly what you're talking about. Getting here....it was a straightforward drive of 1 - 2 miles up the mountain. Once I arrived, the parking lot was relatively empty around 9am as this was one of the first sights of the day I decided to uncover since it was in the vicinity of my cabin. Getting out of the car, I found the Panoramic Point Trailhead and a description of what the area was all about with what to expect along a short hike. Well, the hike was so quick....it was a 0.5 mile round trip walk. That's how short.... There were 2 main reasons why I was disappointed with Panoramic Point.... 1. Well, I could sense this area could have once been great for panoramic views of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.....now it looked like over due time the natural skyline appearance had been tainted by trees. To clarify....during my visit a lot of random protruding trees and forest shrubbery appeared in my sightline from the overlook, which ultimately disturbed the scenic aspects of the landscape and beyond. These "unannounced" trees sort of hindered the entire background. I was left puzzled as to what was so special about this spot? I thought in my head...."well, had these trees not been in the way...the potential was there for Panoramic Point to be memorable". Continuing with this idea.....the views were just okay at best. And...the reason I'm convinced Panoramic Point was mediocre was because.....later on in the day I drove fabled 30-mile Generals Highway throughout Kings Canyon which ended at Zumwalt Meadow. Along this parkway I discovered magnificent views and majestic terrain much more inspiring than the short walk up here. In comparison some people may say Panoramic Point is recommended, but for me it was an afterthought especially after stopping at the many beautiful roadside pullovers on Generals Highway like.....Junction View, Yucca Point and Hotel Creek Overlook. My 2nd letdown about Panoramic Point (but this can be easily remedied, lol) was I visited here first thing in the morning over the summer time and I had the sun facing directly into my eyes. Grrrr....this made for picture taking to be difficult especially with the mountainous setting in the distance appearing fuzzy and hazy. So....if you do decide to visit here, I'd certainly suggest stopping on by in the afternoon time with the sun at your back to enhance photographic opportunities. Overall, Panoramic Point could have been momentous back in the day, but with all the new growths of trees rising high into the skyline....it interfered with the whole ambiance and made for a deflating experience. But hey, it's a part of nature. I was in acceptance of it and better to see growth of the forest rather than any wildfires destroying the land.....even if it's at the expense of a place aptly named Panoramic Point.

Photos
Panoramic Point
Panoramic Point
Panoramic Point

See all

Sequoia And Kings Canyon National Parks - Giant Tree Museum - also has restrooms and exhibits.

Sequoia And Kings Canyon National Parks

4.6(555 reviews)
202.1 mi

My first time visiting…read more If you love nature, you will love this park. It's just breathtaking and deserves to be seen. I only spent a few hours there as I drove from San Francisco, which is about 4.5 hours. $35 a car. One thing I didn't like, when paying to get in, the Ranger asked if I was a legal resident. He asked that because he said it's $100 for a non-resident. Trump at his finest because the Ranger said it was an Executive Order. There are so many beautiful sites. Definitely worth visiting. Oh, I almost forgot. They have gas stations, and when I saw the price, I filled my tank. $6.19 for regular.

Before I visited the place, I had heard of the Sequoia National Park several times throughout my…read morelife and all these mentions amounted to me believing one large fact: that the place was a sprawling, maybe never ending, sea of deep forest pageantry. And do not get me wrong, the place is in fact miles and miles and cubic centimeters of forest as commonly imagined. It had tall trees, meadows, dirt paths with twigs and shrubs all around and views so expansive the word majestic comes to mind. But after walking the same scenery for hours the beauty in green became a dull brown motif. Wood sprites might have heard my words or seen my unimpressed and tired face because Sequoia stopped being a forest of trees and green and it started to become a land of different weathers that not only gave me new challenges and vistas to experience but it also gave me beauty I had to endure. As I saw my friend Denise walk into a spherical cloud of fog, I realized that this place oscillated between being both proof of nature's magic and her jagged disposition. The fog seemed like a portal to Avalon where Pulk waited with prose, but it was also a reminder of all the sailors and drivers lost when the thickness of mist impairs good visual choices. The fog sphere was seen after Denise and I walked for hours, uphill, to see Morro Rock. As we walked up, we first passed mist that seem to have broken from a cloud. This was a sensational moment. She and. had both skydove but this is the first time where we felt like we walked through cloud veils, insetad of zooming past them with the hope of gravitiy abandon. I do not think I will ever re-feel the sensation of walking on cloud air, literally. She and I got separated. I thought I could follow the signs. But the signs were tricksters. As I walked toward the museum I saw a sign that said this way to Crescent Meadow. I did not see a sign that said this way to Crescent Meadow (pointing to the left) and this way to the Museum (pointing ahead). I assumed that because I no longer saw signs assuring me that I was on the right path, I must have gotten into the wrong one. I share this as the biggest piece of advice that I wish to give: Stay the trail, despite not having signs of reassurance that you are still in the right direction. The signs, and my broken internal compass, are both valid reasons as to why I eventually left the designated path and got lost. Like legit lost in the wilderness of Sequoia. I was not in an episode of Naked and Afraid but I did feel scared, disoriented and like I would not see my life tomorrow. Before I got to this point of panic, I arrived at a bluff of a white mountain that saw me greet miles of green pines that streched as far as the eye could see. It was a Rocky-like-triumph moment, except that I had to drag myself, as I sat, down this white mountain, but that was my survival experience that I am proud to have endured. After sliding down, I searched for paths that seemed walked on before, and found several that I had to follow and eliminae. I climbed over trees by hugging their fallen bark, and almost lost my shoe. I continued and eventually found a path and others humans. I was save for now. I got lost again but this time my survival was quicker as I walked down to the road. Rangers told me that I was not able to ride in the truck after I explained I was scared and unable to find my way twice. One of them told me to follow the road and eventually I would hit the museum. I did just that and I found my friend Denise waiting in the museum. After hugs laced with relief, she and I continued our trek to Sherman. But we got hit by rain. I had a hoodie. She did not. Her face looked beautiful covered with the remains of heavy rain. We walked and the sleet followed. We were wet, damp, and we were scared. What could be next? We could not find our path to Sherman. We waved people down, hoping that someone would take us to our car near Sherman. Eventually, we met Chester and he let us both into his car. The snow now was falling hard. She and I did not expect snow. We did not expect white to fall from the sky not when we were promised green on top of green all around. We got to the car and she drove in Snow for the first time. It was both scary and and beuatiful. I imagined that I was in snow caped mountains seeing frozen giants walk around. The night was gray. The monsters were there. She worried about us not having snow tired but still we drove down the snow covered pines, in a pilgramage to safety. Before we left the park we saw mist contrasted in the dark of the knight. It was a spooky evening, yes, the one that frames scary stories. But for us the night mist was further proof that Sequoia offers weather that is cyclical within a day. With space from the experience, I am only happythat I visited the place and was ensconsed by its many seasons. And, grateful that I survived the beauty of it all.

Photos
Sequoia And Kings Canyon National Parks - To the top of Moro Rock

To the top of Moro Rock

Sequoia And Kings Canyon National Parks - Patty & Levi

Patty & Levi

Sequoia And Kings Canyon National Parks - Giant Forest

See all

Giant Forest

Mountain Trekking Adventures

Mountain Trekking Adventures

5.0(3 reviews)
203.9 mi

Pani was our guide for our visit to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks in June of 2025. It was…read moreour first visit to the area, and we wanted a guide to help us experience the parks in the most fun and educational way, so we could get the most out of our time. Pani was incredibly communicative and was flexible with us when we decided to split our visit across two days instead of just one. Pani was easy to talk with, knowledgeable about the parks, and passionate about the history and ecology. We learned so much on our adventure, and Pani was always willing to take pics for us everywhere we went. Thank you Pani for making our vacation so special and memorable!

An awesome family tour of Sequoia National Park enriched with an excellent tour guide, Pani of…read moremountain trekking adventures! We all learned so much about the history and geology of this vast Park. Having a knowledgeable tour guide really eliminates any stress of searching for features you want to see! Our party of 10 agreed we had the best park trip ever with Pani guiding us through the exceptional features of Sequoia national park. We are spoiled now and highly recommend mountain trekking adventures for anyone going to the Sequoia national Park or Kings Canyon national parks.

Photos
Mountain Trekking Adventures - Fun can always be found on our hikes

Fun can always be found on our hikes

Mountain Trekking Adventures - Kings Canyon is over 8000ft deep in some spots, we will take you through it with special stops all along the way.

Kings Canyon is over 8000ft deep in some spots, we will take you through it with special stops all along the way.

Mountain Trekking Adventures - Baby's first Park trip.

See all

Baby's first Park trip.

Big Trees Tours - Scott, our tour guide, amongst the giant trees!

Big Trees Tours

5.0(3 reviews)
204.8 mi

If you're visiting Sequoia, book the Big Trees Telescope Tour with Scott. It was one of the…read morehighlights of our trip. Scott is a former park ranger, and his knowledge is incredible. He shared fascinating stories and facts about the park (including black bears!), and you can tell he genuinely loves what he does. He's kind, patient, and made the whole experience feel personal and special. The telescope tour was amazing -- seeing the planets under Sequoia's dark skies was unforgettable. He explained everything in a way that was engaging and easy to understand. His company may be new, but it won't stay a hidden gem for long. Highly recommend.

I had the pleasure of two private tours with Scott, one focused on hiking in the Sequoias and one…read morefocused on his astronomy tours. Both experiences far exceeded what I thought we were going to experience! On the hike, Scott was so knowledgeable about the park, its history, the trees, and the unique facts + areas that most don't know about. We also booked a photography session with him that was the PERFECT way to capture our time there! We'll be framing a few of the shots for our home. We also had the astronomy tour at night, where Scott walked us through the different constellations in the sky and the varying origin stories for them - from Greek, to Roman, to Viking. It was so mind-blowing to really stare at the stars and learn their stories. Thank you, Scott, for such a great first experience out in Sequoia National Park!! We can't wait to come back.

Photos
Big Trees Tours - Friends hold hands as they walk among the sequoia trees.

Friends hold hands as they walk among the sequoia trees.

Big Trees Tours - Seven friends dressed for cold weather stand in front of a cloudy mountain view.

Seven friends dressed for cold weather stand in front of a cloudy mountain view.

Big Trees Tours

See all

Shirley Lake Trailhead - hiking - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...