Crescent Lake Trail

Crescent Lake sits at roughly 8,300 feet in the backcountry above Wawona, a few miles up the road from Fish Camp, and getting there is not a casual afternoon errand. The route starts at the Chilnualna Falls Trailhead and covers about 19.3 miles round trip with roughly 4,570 feet of elevation gain — AllTrails rates it hard and estimates 10.5 to 11.5 hours to complete, which is why most hikers split it into an overnight rather than trying it in a single push.

The route

From the trailhead you climb past Chilnualna Falls before the trail continues east into higher country, eventually reaching the lake basin. The same stretch of trail network also connects to Buena Vista Lake, Johnson Lake, and Buck Camp, so parties heading this way often treat Crescent Lake as one stop on a longer loop rather than a fixed destination.

Permits and logistics

Because most visits involve camping overnight in Yosemite's wilderness, you'll need a wilderness permit before you go — check current Yosemite wilderness permit rules before finalizing dates. The area also sees stock (horse) traffic; Yosemite's backcountry stock-use planning materials list a Crescent Lake camp with its own stock capacity, so expect to share the trail with pack strings on occasion.

This is a trip for hikers who are comfortable with a full backpacking day and a long return, not a stroll from the parking lot. Fish Camp and Wawona both make sensible staging points the night before you start.