Trip Report: Backpacking Ten Lakes, Yosemite — CA
Trip Date: July 24–25, 2021
Trip Details
John Muir once described these lakes as “a glacier basin with ten glassy lakes set all near together like eggs in a nest.”
Crystal and I were looking for a quick backpacking trip in preparation for Mt. Baker in August. There was a last minute cancellation for Ten Lakes and we swooped them up with quickness.
Yosemite sent out a notice via email that our trail was affected by fires but might not be an issue by the time of our trip. During wildfire season, it’s important to keep an eye out for fire closures and air quality! Here are the resources we used from the Yosemite website:
Wilderness Conditions: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildcond.htm
Fire Activity: https://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/fireinfo.htm
At the time, there were a total of twenty-two fires across Yosemite. Two fires were within proximity of our hiking trip. We monitored conditions up until the day of the trip and spoke to a ranger who said many groups had been out and about with no issues. We felt reassured by this and decided to go ahead with our plans.
Permit: Wilderness permit required for overnight stays. $5 per person + $5 reservation fee, no refunds. Permit comes with overnight parking permit and ability to stay overnight at the backpackers camp the day before and one day after. Entrance fee into Yosemite park required in addition to permit costs.
Getting There: Tioga Road (check for seasonal closures). During fire season, traffic could be reduced to one line to move fire equipment throughout the park.
Parking: There are two small lots on either side of the road at the trailhead. In the parking lot there are food lockers, bathrooms, and trash cans available.
Trail Length:
Trail length: 12.4 miles
Elevation Change: 3,021 ft
Weather: Mid-80s during the day, mid-40s at night. 5–10MPH winds during the daytime, calm at night.
Other things to note: We just missed peak mosquito season, but blackberry season was in full swing and the chance of seeing bears would be especially high. The ranger emphasized the importance of bear canister use, and when uncovered, to keep it no more than an arm’s length away.
Day 1: Saturday, July 24, 2021
We left from the Bay Area at 7:00 AM and headed straight to the trail. About half a mile away from the Big Oak Flat Entrance, a line of cars began and a friendly sign informed us the wait would be approximately 30 minutes.
We arrived at the trailhead close to 12:00PM. By this time, all of the designated spots in the lot were filled, but parking was still available along the road. It was HOT. We donned our matching GG Mariposa packs (❤) and made our way to the trailhead accessible from the parking lot.
The trail started off gently. We walked through a controlled-burn portion of a canopied forest and it felt eerie, like we were walking towards the witch’s house from Hansel and Gretel.
Not long after that, the incline started and we were left exposed to the sun walking up granite rocks and slabs. There was no time to acclimate to the elevation, so despite the gradual incline, we were breathing heavily and walking at a snail’s pace.
Just little shy of four miles, we stopped before reaching Half Moon Meadow to eat lunch, which comprised of kimbap from a local Korean shop!
As we approached Half Moon Meadow, we could see smoke from the fire slowly billowing through the trees. I imagined we would walk the trail and the fire would be off in the distance. We would marvel at it from afar and continue on our way. I was not expecting it to be right next to the trail. It certainly looked like it was tampering down, with small fires remaining on top of charred embers. We walked right past it, feeling the heat of the smoldering flames on our sweaty cheeks.
Rather abruptly past the meadow, a steep ascent up to Ten Lakes Pass began. As Crystal described, it felt like we were falling forward up the trail until we reached the top. Upon reaching the plateau, we were rewarded with an alpine meadow flecked with corn lilies, baby lupines, alpine buttercups, and a gorgeous vista point of Yosemite high country.
After a short jaunt across the pass, we descended 693 ft into Ten Lakes Basin via switchbacks down rocky granite.
We found a fair amount of people already set up around the lake as searched for a place to set up camp. Eventually, we found an opening far enough from the lake with a nice rock for cooking and lounging.
As we quietly went about our business, a pair of curious mule elk sauntered straight through our camp and made their way to the edge of the lake to graze.
The lake was peaceful and the water was at a perfect temperature for swimming! Someone on the other side of the lake was fishing and shouted excitedly when a baby fish bit. He released it back and I cheered internally for him from my side of the lake.
For dinner, I finished the rest of my kimbap and Crystal nommed on SHIN ramen with spam. It smelled so good! For dessert, we munched on lychee jelly. I only wished there were about ten more for me to eat.
We struggled to stay awake as the sun slowly set over the mountains. A raft of ducks paddled across the lake at top speed, and we watched wondering how fast they were going. Surely it was like 30MPH right?! A quick Google told me I was way off, and they can swim at about 0.6MPH. Lol.
Though we couldn’t feel it, we could see soft droplets of water fall into the lake. I panicked, because of all things I forgot to bring a rain jacket. There were thunderstorms forecasted for the next day, so I thought perhaps they came early…I hastily made my way into my tent and went to sleep hoping for the best. It turned out just fine, there were no thunderstorms and the rain went away rather quickly, so maybe we overreacted a little, hehe. We recalled everyone else still going about their business outside when the rain started.
I woke up and my whole tent was glowing from the brightness outside. I thought it was daytime already and looked at the clock: it read 12:19AM. It was so freaking bright! The looming, waxing gibbous moon was out in full force and I covered my face with my quilt, wishing I brought an eye mask.
Day 2: Sunday, July 25, 2021
After tossing and turning for the next couple of hours (maybe I fell asleep at some point?) I woke up at 5:30AM. I unzipped my tent to peek outside and asked myself “should I come out to watch the sunrise?” It was hazy and gloomy, the sky was filled with clouds. I promptly zipped my tent back up and closed my eyes for another hour.
We leisurely got up and made breakfast on our cooking rock before heading out: a nutritious helping of oatmeal and green tea!
Even at 8:00AM it was already heating up. The hike back felt much better after a full day of acclimating, though. On our way back to the trailhead, we saw others hiking in who were huffing and puffing like us the previous day. We felt their pain.
As a reward for ourselves, we stopped by Mountain Sage in Groveland for celebratory ginger jasmine sparklers and McDonald’s on the way home! I’m usually open to sharing but I draw the line at fries. Everyone is happier when they have their own portion of fries. Extra large, please.
Hope you found this helpful, until next time!
Trek on! — ❤ Em
