The Cathedral Lakes Trail is a special trail where you can enjoy quiet Yosemite. [Can you die without walking?] Trip to American National Parks (40)]
Written by Sayaka Kato
Yosemite in autumn. Summer vacation has come to an end, and autumn has returned to silence from the bustling Yosemite Park. Yosemite is in October, when a calm and peaceful time passes before the pure white, quiet winter world begins.
The climate is just right, and the quiet, sparkling hike to the Cathedral Lakes is perfect for those who want to spend time along the lakeside. This is a place where you can see the world of Yosemite, which is different from the Yosemite Valley, which is always crowded.
There are countless hiking routes in Yosemite Park, but this trail starts along Tioga Road on Route 120, and is a recommended spot for those who want to enjoy a quiet space in the beautiful autumn season.
This is a hike that leads to two beautiful lakes: Upper Cathedral Lake and Lower Cathedral Lake.
table of contents
Mount Rose Trail Information
Access (car to the trailhead)
Trailhead Address: Cathedral Lakes Trailhead or Cathedral Lakes Trailhead (You will see this if you enter this on Google Maps.)
*As the signal conditions are poor, we recommend downloading the map in advance.
What to bring
As before, make sure to prepare the same equipment as a typical American hike.
- Drinks (a lot in summer, about 2 liters)
- Cold weather clothing that can adjust the temperature (wind-proof shells are useful)
- hat
- sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Snacks and more for eating while hiking
- If you have a regular medicine, first aid such as medicine or band-aid
- Other things you prefer with your regular hiking equipment
Trail data
- For intermediate students
- Season: Best seasons are June to October
- Round-trip distance: Approx. 15.2 km (9.5 miles)
- Elevation difference from the trailhead: Approximately 506m (1,663 ft)
- Course time: Average 5 to 6 hours
Hiking departure from the trailhead (trailhead)
Parking: Departure at 10am (Map 1)
It may be even more crowded during the busy summer season, but this parking lot in the middle of October was still available even at 10am. (With restrooms) This area is also a popular area for backpackers.
There is also a sign for Cathedral Lakes in the parking area, so walk along it towards the trailhead.
It's a little far from the parking lot to the trailhead, so take Route 120 to the right along the flat road. The trails are easy to understand, so follow them.
About 0.8km from the parking lot, the trail will deviate leftward, so walk along Route 120 to your back. Then you will finally see the trailhead sign.
This is where the trailhead becomes. (Map Trailhead)
You will follow an easy-to-walking trail surrounded by trees. Once you hit the first branch, follow the arrow on Cathedral Lakes to the right. After that, the slope gradually appears. Thanks to the slope, my body's metabolism and body warm up. The roads will become flat and you will come downhill.
And if you go further, you'll see Cathedral Peak!
A beautifully triangular rocky mountain appears in front of you. This rocky mountain is a large mountain that runs deep into the distance, but when viewed from the trail, it stands in an angle on the triangular horn shape, making it look very proud.
Let's go further.
A trail that is easy to walk around surrounded by trees.
You will also encounter hikers who walk on rare occasions. In the summer, there are especially many backpackers, so there are probably many hikers walking more.
After about 5km from the start, you will arrive at a slightly open flat area.
If you continue there, you will see a fork between Upper Cathedral Lake and Lower Cathedral Lake. (Map 2)
At this fork, the distance from the start is 5.46km and about 1.5 hours.
You can start from either side depending on the level of the hiker, or you can go only one side instead of both, but both are really beautiful, so I recommend you go both. Personally, I like the Upper Cathedral Lake.
Here, first turn right at the fork and head to Lower Cathedral Lakes. The lake will soon appear less than 10 minutes after the fork. (Map 3)
First of all, is it a puddle that looks like a small pond in front of you? will come out.
It's very beautiful with some parts of the leaves being autumn. Let's go further forward there.
Introducing a beautiful Lower Cathedral Lake. The autumn colours and blue sky are truly beautiful.
On the other side there is a river in a wetland, and the view of the deep mountain Cathedral Peak is truly beautiful. There are almost no people there, so you can enjoy the quiet atmosphere around the great outdoors.
A quiet space and autumn scenery. In front of the highly transparent lake, you can relax for a little while.
It is also recommended as a break or lunch spot here.
Here we have an altitude of 2909m. It's high but warm and sunny with a nice autumn weather, making it a perfect day for hiking.
We took a break here for about 40 minutes and then headed for another Upper Lake around 12:10.
Once you return to the fork, head to the trail in the opposite direction.
The best autumn hike. It's not too cold, not too hot, and there are very few people there.
You can have nature all to yourself.
Without walking for less than 30 minutes, we also arrived at Upper Cathedral Lake. (Map 4)
The sparkling, clear lake is a jewel of nature! I definitely swam in the summer.
This color! Art created by nature.
The lake here can circumnavigate the lakeside, so I walked along the lakeside counterclockwise.
No matter which angle you look at it, you can sigh in such a beautiful way, no matter where you look at it. The first lower was lovely, but the upper also welcomes visitors with a different beauty.
There were people who had lunch or take naps at their special locations. We took a break, surrounded by nature.
A reward for this view just after walking. It's worth working hard to fit this space with the scenery. After spending plenty of time on the lakeside, on the way back, you'll return to the trailhead.
We returned to the trailhead at 3pm so it was a total of five hours.
Depending on the time you take the break, it may be shorter or a little longer, but it was the perfect course for a relaxed day hike in autumn, not too cold or too hot.
In the summer, I think it would be great to swim.
There are so many wonderful trails along Route 120 in Yosemite, so if you want to enjoy mountain climbing in Yosemite, we hope you will stay overnight and enjoy all kinds of hiking trails starting from Route 120.
Please come in the near future.
Kato Sayaka
Leave your California hiking and travel plans, including Yosemite National Park. Due to my father's influence, I have always loved outdoor activities, and since I was in Japan, I was captivated by the great nature of America and Canada, and as a result, I arrived at the United States, which I had longed for. We currently run ANAMI TOURS, which offers local optional tours that can be created with customers, including completely private hiking tours with Japanese guides. We will introduce you to some special options that you can find out because you are a local resident. If you are interested, please visit the website below.
