Barring the trip to the Smoky Mountains when I was a little kid, my trip to Yosemite after my high school graduation was my first time in the mountains.  On that first visit to Yosemite, I didn’t know much of anything about hiking, didn’t have the right gear or clothes, and I definitely didn’t know how to pronounce Yosemite right!

One hike I did on that first visit was the hike to Cathedral Lake, and it was a pretty life changing experience.  I later did Half Dome that week, but when I hiked to Cathedral Lake, it was by far the best hike I had ever done.  Now, eight years later, I decided to do it again!

Miles/Elevation:

9 miles

1,571 feet vertical gain

About Yosemite:

Located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, Yosemite National Park is one of the largest and most popular parks in the entire National Park System.  

Steeped in history, Yosemite has played a major role in the development of environmentalism and conservation in the United States since the late 1800’s.  In 1864, President Lincoln created the Yosemite Grant, which did not make Yosemite a national park, but did set the precedent that would lead to the creation of Yellowstone National Park.

Yosemite was ceded to the State of California and ran by the state for much of the late 1800’s.  Eventually, in 1890, Yosemite National Park was created, and stronger protections were put in place to preserve the park.

The Young Lakes Loop Is Another Great Hike At Tuolumne Meadows!

Beyond the National Park Service, the legendary naturalist John Muir is perhaps best known for his advocacy in favor of preserving Yosemite National Park.  A giant in the history of conservation, Muir, who fell in love with the mountains after a serious industrial accident, became arguably the most influential figure in preserving the natural landscapes of the west.  His relationship with President Theodore Roosevelt and the expansion of federally protected lands may be the greatest achievement of this era of conservation!

Getting To Yosemite:

Be Sure To Check Out Our Full 7 Day Yosemite Itinerary Too!

Located in Central California, Yosemite is fairly remote, but can be reached from a number of major cities.  The closest large city is Fresno, and Fresno’s airport is the best choice if you are flying in.  Other cities located within a three hour or so drive with major airports include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Sacramento.

From these cities or any others, you’ll then likely need to drive to the park.  There is a regional public transit system called YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transit System), and can be useful if you are trying to get to Yosemite Valley.  However, I generally advocate having your own car when exploring the mountains.  It just makes it easier to explore and get around.

Once you’re in Yosemite, there is a transit system that can get you around the park, however it is not running in 2021.  Go to the Yosemite NPS website for more information on public transit in Yosemite.  When it is running, the public transit can get you to many of the major trailheads in the park. 

Getting To The Trailhead:

The trailhead for Cathedral Lakes is in the Tuolumne Meadows area of the park.  Located along Tioga Road in the Yosemite high country, Tuolmne is probably the second most visited region of the park after the valley.

The trailhead is located right on Tioga Road (highway 120) in Tuolumne Meadows.  There is no parking lot, but there is a large amount of street parking along the road.  Tuolumne Meadows is 54 miles from Yosemite Valley and about an hour and twenty minute drive.

Cathedral Lake Trail:

To Lower Cathedral Lake:

After parking along Tioga Road, find the trailhead and head out!  This trail has a bunch of different sections, and actually is broken up really nicely.  You’ll start climbing right off the bat, and if you aren’t acclimated, it’ll definitely leave you huffing and puffing!

The first short section of this trail is a fairly steep climb that lasts about ¾’s of a mile.  It’s not a super long climb, but you will ascend about 600 feet in less than a mile.  Nothing crazy, but it will leave you breathing pretty hard.  The trail here is very wooded in a Yosemite high elevation kind of way.  It’s not dense forest by any means, but you won’t have much for views to start.

Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!

After the initial climb, the trail flattens for another roughly ¾’s of a mile.  The scenery doesn’t really change much, and you’ll still be walking through the same sort of forest.  It’s really nice to get this break from climbing.  I really love how this trail is basically broken up into different parts and alternates between flat sections and inclines; it always is presenting you with something different!

After your nice flat section, the trail again kicks up and continues climbing.  Shockingly, the next climb is also about ¾’s of a mile, and this part of the trail brings you to the high point of the climb.  Here you should start getting some decent views.  There are some large rock formations near the trail, and you should be able to see some mountains ahead of you as well.

Consider purchasing the America the Beautiful Pass if you’re visiting Yosemite!

From this high point, the trail begins descending and quickly reaches a fork in the trail.  Going right takes you to Lower Cathedral Lake.  Going left takes you to Upper Cathedral Lake and the backcountry beyond.  If you do the entire hike, you’ll go both ways, but if you can only do one I would recommend Lower Cathedral.

You’re in bear country, so be sure to always be bear safe!

We turned right to see Lower Cathedral Lake first.  The trail continues descending mildly through the woods, and after a stream crossing which can be a little confusing (it’s easy to lose the trail), you’ll enter into high altitude open meadows.  Here is where the views really start to be nice.

Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!

Once you’re in the meadows, the lake is close.  Basically you just need to walk across them, and you’ll be there.  The lake is hidden from view by a stone embankment, so you won’t see the water until you’re there.  Lower Cathedral Lake is a pretty big lake by alpine standards, and makes for a beautiful place to relax!  Enjoy your time, and definitely have a snack by the water!

To Upper Cathedral Lake:

Once you’ve taken in Lower Cathedral Lake, backtrack to the fork in the trail.  Cross the meadows, cross the stream, and hike back uphill into the forest.  If you want to just head out because of weather or fatigue, simply retrace your steps back from here.  If you have it in you, take the trail to Upper Cathedral Lake!

From the fork, the lake is a bit over half a mile with 200 or so feet of climbing.  The trail travels through forest for basically the entire way to the lake.  It kind of snuck up on me to be honest, but once you see it, it’s maybe 50 feet off the main trail.

Upper Cathedral Lake is nice, but I don’t think it’s a remarkable alpine lake by any means.  Worth seeing since you’re almost there at the fork anyway, but the lower lake is prettier.  Cathedral Pass and the John Muir Trail lie beyond Upper Cathedral Lake, so if you’re looking for a backpacking trip, this could be a good launching point.

Read Our Complete Guide To All Things Yosemite!

Hiking Out:

After you’ve seen Upper Cathedral, it’s time to hike out (unless you’re backpacking).  It’s a pretty straightforward hike out; it’s just an out and back trail.  You’ll have a bit of descending back to the fork, then a little climbing to the trail crest, then a couple miles of descending back to the trailhead.

As you’ve already seen, the trail is mostly wooded, so there aren’t too many huge views, but you may be able to catch glimpses looking north that you may not have seen on the way up.  

The best moment for me on this hike was near the end, maybe a couple hundred yards from the road.  We were hiking, and took a quick break.  I looked to my right into the trees because I noticed some movement, and maybe 100 feet off the trail was the biggest black bear I had ever seen.

It’s fur was more of a deep brown than black, but Yosemite doesn’t have any grizzlies, so I knew it was a black bear.  I was pretty surprised to see a massive bear, so I let out a bit of a yelp, and it took off running after it heard me!  Unfortunately, Loralei was looking the opposite way and didn’t see it at all!

We actually tried to find it and looked around for a few minutes, but once it ran off it was gone.  It’s always cool to see wildlife on trail, and to me that’s about the perfect bear encounter: you see it at a distance, and once you make some noise it goes running off!

After that it was a couple minute walk back to the car, and we were done for the day!

Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 8/10

When I first started hiking, I truly loved this trail.  It was the first alpine lake I ever saw in person, and it was during my first adult visit to a national park, Yosemite at that!  

I think I probably overhyped this trail in my head, and after years of hiking and seeing all sorts of incredible places, this hike didn’t live up to the image I had of it in my head.  It is still a really nice trail, but now that I have more context and more trails to compare it too, it’s not as amazing as I remember.

It was kind of a bummer to realize that, but all in all it was an enjoyable day!  The climbing makes you work, but comes in short and manageable doses.  There are two nice alpine lakes to see.  You get excellent views of some beautiful white granite Yosemite peaks.  This is a really good hike, but it didn’t live up to my idealized memory of it.  

Long story short, if you get the chance, do it.  If not, it’s not the end of the world.

Pros:

• Alpine lakes
• Big Yosemite views
• Very nice trail to hike on

Cons:

• No “wow” moments or views
• Lots of forest hiking

Alternative Hikes:

Sentinel Dome and Taft Point Loop

Porcupine Creek Trail to Indian Ridge Natural Arch to North Dome

Vernal and Nevada Falls via the Mist Trail

Clouds Rest Trail via Tenaya Lake – California

When To Visit Yosemite:

See The Rest Of Yosemite’s Best Moderate Hikes!

Hiking in Yosemite is a three season activity.  Winter usually brings quite a bit of snow, and the entire park is liable to experience winter storms.  While lower elevation areas of the park may be hikable in winter, Cathedral Lake’s cannot be hiked all year.

Purely in terms of weather, summer and fall are the best times of year to hike in Yosemite at high elevation.  Summer can get hot, but at this elevation it shouldn’t be too bad.  The one issue with fall is that fire season can either close down areas of the park, or more likely will blanket the park with smoke.  In good years, it’s hardly an issue, but some years it’s harmful to even be outside.

It is also worth considering when Yosemite is busiest.  This is one of the busiest parks in the country, so be ready for crowds if you visit in peak season, namely summer.  Some people are really turned off by the crowds, and I agree if you only visit the valley, but Tuolumne usually isn’t too bad.  This can cause issues with finding campsites in the park though.

Overall, I would say that early fall is the best time to visit the Yosemite high country.  The temperatures are comfortable, rain is rare, and the crowds are lighter than summer.  Early autumn is also a great time to visit as Tioga Road can be closed into July some years.

The last thing to consider when planning your visit is that the high elevation roads through the park close for snow.  Tioga Pass and Glacier Point Road both close from winter to whenever the snow melts (usually May or June but it varies).  Spring will limit where you can go in the park, so if you really want to explore the high country, wait at least until late June!

Links For Further Reading:

Best trails in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park (US National Park Service)

Yosemite National Park | Lodging & Year Round Activities | TravelYosemite.com

Yosemite National Park | Lodging, Camping, Attractions | Yosemite.com