Colby Mountain

Colby Mountain climbs to 9,640 feet on the rim of Ten Lakes Basin, one of the classic backcountry destinations reached from Tioga Road. It's named for William Edward Colby, the Sierra Club's first secretary and a close ally of John Muir in the park's early conservation fights, and it stands across the basin from Grand Mountain as the two peaks that frame the area's cluster of alpine lakes.

Getting There

The route starts at the Ten Lakes Trailhead, about 20 miles east of Crane Flat on Tioga Road. The trail climbs gradually to Half Moon Meadow, then steeply to Ten Lakes Pass at roughly 9,500 feet, before dropping into the basin — a round trip of about 12.6 miles with 2,200 feet of elevation gain just to reach the lakes themselves. Colby Mountain's actual summit lies beyond the maintained trail; getting there means leaving the path at the basin and route-finding cross-country over open granite, which calls for real off-trail hiking experience, not a casual add-on to the lake hike.

Before You Go

• Wilderness permit required for any overnight stay in the Ten Lakes backcountry.
• Tioga Road — the only way in — is typically open late May/June through October and closes for the season once significant snow arrives.
• Treat this as a full day just to reach the basin; if the summit itself is the goal, plan on an overnight.