Mirror Lake — Attraction in Oakhurst

Clocking in at 2.4 miles (3.8 km) round trip from the trailhead to Mirror Lake; and 4 miles (6.4 km) to go all the way to the end of the trail in Tenaya Canyon and loop around. If you're hiking from Curry Village instead of riding the bus to the trailhead, add an extra 1.5 miles (2.4 km) round trip.

Why visit Mirror Lake?  Not to see a lake, that's for sure. Mirror Lake is in fact just a big pool in Tenaya Creek. It is a pleasant walk, and about as close as you can get to the base of Half Dome, whose crown you can see reflected in the lake's waters from some locations. Mirror Lake is also one of Yosemite's most popular swimming holes.

It's a pretty hike. Like the cheapest house in an exclusive neighborhood, this hike gets overvalued (and over visited) because it's in Yosemite Valley. This is not to say the hike isn't worth it but the large Summer crowds turn me away for almost half the year. The pool at Mirror Lake and the view of Mt. Watkins (8,500 feet/2,600 meters), which rises above the far north end of Tenaya Canyon, are the scenic highlights. Although you get very close to the base of Half Dome here which is breathtaking in itself. The best time to visit to see the most amazing views and the least crowds is in the...

Getting to this "lake" can be done a few ways. You can walk on the road (easiest), which is usually closed to main traffic. You can hike the actual trail, which takes longer but feels more like a journey. Or you can take the public transit bus halfway up, and then walk the rest of the way either on the road or cut into the trail.

It was hot, in the dead of August, so we elected to do a bit of the trail first and then do the rest on the road. We didn't do enough research ahead of time, because the actual "lake" was a huge letdown. The area is beautiful, but we wasted 2 hours round-trip of walking to see what was essentially a stagnant stream. The furthest it could possibly be from a lake, or even a river.

With that said, the views you get of half-dome and surrounding mountains are beautiful, and the walk itself is beautiful.

My recommendation would be to do this in spring or early summer, and probably mid-fall due to the trees changing color and more water. In the middle of the summer, I would not recommend taking the time to visit Mirror Lake, unless you are in Yosemite for 2-3 days +.

Lastly, parking is a nightmare. The lot that is listed on Google isn't actually open, so you have to park...

My family (one husband and two teenage boys) and I hiked the Mirror Lake Trail loop today, 4/11/2023. It was spectacular. We started at Curry Village and followed the trail along the south side of the river. The south side of the lake was more traditional hiking with uneven terrain and obstacles in the tail. During our hike, there was a lot of water and snow on the trail, so waterproof shoes with good traction are recommended. About a mile before the bridge, the trail is flooded so rock scrambling is required or like my older son, a path can creatively be forged thru the flooded path. After the flooded path, the trail gains elevation, and there are about a dozen trees down across the trail. To say the trail is ungroomed is an understatement, but my boys had a blast scrambling over and under the downed trees. The bridge has a spectacular view and made all the challenges worth it. The path after the bridge is easy breezy. Those looking for less of an adventure should stick to north of...