38 |
ELIZABETH |
DISTANCE: 4.6 miles round-trip
HIKING TIME: 2.5 hours
SEASON: June–October
DIFFICULTY: moderate
For a great introduction to the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite, make the trek to Elizabeth Lake. The only hard part is finding the trailhead, which is tucked into the back of Tuolumne Meadows Campground; get directions at the entrance kiosk. Once you’re on the trail, you’ll climb steeply for a mile through a forest of lodgepole pines. When you near Unicorn Creek at 1.5 miles, your climb is almost over. Emerge at a meadow, where a right spur trail leads to Elizabeth Lake’s edge, at elevation 9,487 feet.
Elizabeth Lake lies in a glacier-carved basin at the foot of white granite Unicorn Peak. The lake is horseshoe shaped, with marshy, grassy edges. A path leads around its shoreline. The brave can swim; the water is relatively warm in late summer, although the lake bottom is marshy and muddy. The best views of Unicorn Peak (10,781 feet) and the neighboring Cathedral Range are from the lake’s northeast side. Head back on the same path to the campground.
From the Arch Rock entrance to Yosemite National Park, drive east 4.5 miles to the turnoff for Tioga Rd./Hwy. 120, which is Big Oak Flat Rd. Turn left onto Big Oak Flat Rd. and drive 9.3 miles to Crane Flat. Turn right onto Tioga Rd./Hwy. 120 and drive 39 miles to Tuolumne Meadows Campground. Turn right and follow the signs to the group camp. The trail begins across from the restrooms, near group site number B49; hiker parking is signed.
