Road Trip - Yosemite Day 2

Day 7: 8th September 2016, the day we depart for Las Vegas, but not without spending the day in Yosemite first, of course! 

We decided to take the Tioga/Toulumne route, suggested by two local guys we met yesterday at Glacier Point. They seemed quite knowledgeable and have been to Yosemite since childhood. They recommended we check out the Cathedral Lakes trail which is part of the John Muir trail.

Olmsted Point

And so we did... on the way to the Cathedral Lakes trail we stopped at Olmsted Point for some photos. It is a viewing area off of the Tioga Road which offers a view into Tenaya Canyon.

Visitors at Olmsted Point

Alex pointing to the Half Dome

This viewpoint looks southwest into the valley, in particular, a view of the northern side of Half Dome and a view of Tenaya Lake to the east.

View of the northern side of Half Dome (middle far end)

If you zoom in, you could just see the Tenaya Lake in the middle far end of this photo

Breathtaking views

More photos from Olmsted Point

Fascinated by this open bark tree

Wonders of Nature

Tenaya Lake is an alpine lake located between Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows

The surface of Tenaya Lake has an elevation of 8,150 feet (2,484 m). The lake basin was formed by glacial action, which left a backdrop of light granite rocks. Very picturesque and peaceful.

Today, the lake is easily accessible by State Route 120

13.8 km from Olmsted Point, we parked the car opposite of Cathedral Lakes trail-head. There are two Cathedral lakes - the lower lake is located at an elevation of 9,288 feet (2,831 m), while the upper lake is located at 9,585 feet (2,922 m). These lakes are situated southwest of Cathedral Peak and east-northeast of Tenaya Lake.

Bears don't like seaweed right? That's about all we had in the car

The distance of the Cathedral Lakes trail is 5.6 km (3.5 miles). A short trail, should be an easy hike, I thought {but boy, was I wrong}. The distance may be short, but the lake was at an elevation of over 9,000 feet! Needless to say, it was a steady uphill climb most of the way.

Alex up ahead

Rocky & sandy terrain

The high country

Sneak peek of the Peak

Alex decides to climb up a granite rock for photos while I take a break and have some chips!

Alex on the rock

More uphill climb

Taking in the beauty of nature

Tall trees

Cathedral Peak - formed by glacial activity

Nothing but clear blue skies

The Lower Cathedral Lake with Cathedral Peak in the background

Having my late lunch

Another view of the lake and peak, spectacular isn't it?

Wish we had more time to soak in the beautiful scenery. Even though we encountered other hikers on the main trail, this place is so vast, the hikers head off in different directions at the lake. So it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves (unlike in Yosemite Valley).

We got back to the car just before the sunset (stayed too long taking photos, ran about half way, easy going downhill) and continued on the Tioga Road (Highway 120) then onto US-395-S, CA-168-S, CA-266-S and US-95-S headed for Las Vegas.

Note: Tioga Road (Highway 120) climbs above the Valley, transporting you to breathtaking views and pristine lakes.  After sweeping across enchanting Tuolumne Meadows, it cuts through the mountains at Tioga Pass. A very scenic drive, so glad we made it.

Goodbye Yosemite!