Upper Sunrise Lake

Upper Sunrise Lake is the highest of the three Sunrise Lakes tucked beneath Sunrise Mountain in Yosemite's high country — the trio is named Lower, Middle, and Upper for elevation, not size — and it's reached by the Sunrise Trail from the west end of Tenaya Lake on Tioga Road. The first mile and a half rolls along easy and mostly level, then the trail throws a steep run of switchbacks at you, gaining close to a thousand feet in about a mile, before easing off again on the approach to the lakes.

Distance and difficulty

Plan on 6.4 miles round trip to reach the first lake, or 8.8 miles round trip to see all three Sunrise Lakes. Total elevation gain from the Tenaya Lake trailhead (8,150 feet) runs around 1,300 feet, and most hikers treat it as a hard half-day outing — figure 4 to 4.5 hours out and back.

What's at the lake

Sitting around 9,400 feet, Upper Sunrise Lake is bordered by grassy meadow and mudflats, with open granite slopes rising beyond. It's a quieter stop than Tenaya Lake below, with clear water and a real sense of being up in the range rather than just passing through it.

Good to know before you go

Tioga Road — the only way to the trailhead — is a seasonal high-elevation road that closes with the first heavy snow and doesn't reopen until late spring or early summer depending on conditions, so check current status before planning a trip. Mosquitoes are heavy through midsummer, and wildflowers peak earlier in the season, before August.