Is there a trail to Obelisk Lake Peak?

No. There is no maintained trail to either the peak or the lake below it. Every documented route is cross-country travel through talus and granite slabs, best suited to experienced backcountry navigators.

Where does the name come from?

Both the lake and peak take their name from Mount Clark's original 19th-century name, "Mount Obelisk," before the peak was renamed in honor of Galen Clark, Yosemite's first guardian.

Can you fish at Obelisk Lake?

No. Backcountry trip reports consistently describe it as fishless, despite the U.S. Cavalry's history of stocking many of Yosemite's high lakes with trout in the park's early years.

What's the most common way in?

Most documented approaches start at Merced Lake High Sierra Camp, crossing the Merced River (often via a fallen log) and climbing open granite slabs south into the hanging valley that holds the lake.

Obelisk Lake Peak, Yosemite: Off-Trail Backcountry Guide

Obelisk Lake Peak rises above a hanging valley in Yosemite's Clark Range, and there's no trail to either the peak or the lake below it — reaching this spot means real off-trail navigation, sheer granite, extensive talus, and manzanita thickets standing between you and the water. The peak and lake both trace their names back to Mount Clark's original title, "Mount Obelisk," before the mountain was renamed for pioneering Yosemite guardian Galen Clark.

What You're Getting Into

This is backcountry travel for experienced route-finders, not a maintained day hike. The nearest trail sits roughly two miles and 2,500 vertical feet away, and parties reaching Obelisk Lake typically approach cross-country from Merced Lake High Sierra Camp — crossing the Merced River on a fallen log, then climbing open granite slabs south into the hanging valley. Trip reports describe class 2-3 scrambling, route-finding through talus fields, and terrain steep enough that some parties have carried rope for the descent.

Why Come at All

The payoff is a quiet, fishless alpine lake with flat, sheltered camping and a smaller lake perched about 500 feet above it, looking out over Yosemite's eastern peaks. The route is a known stretch of the Yosemite High Route, the off-trail traverse popularized by long-distance backpacker Andrew Skurka, and it echoes an older path: accounts describe a 19th-century cavalry route once linking Mount Starr King to Obelisk Lake and on to Merced Lake, from the era when U.S. Army troops patrolled and stocked Yosemite's high country.

Access: Cross-country only — no maintained trail to the peak or lake
Typical approach: Via Merced Lake High Sierra Camp, crossing the Merced River and climbing granite slabs south into the hanging valley
Skills needed: Off-trail navigation, class 2-3 scrambling, and a wilderness permit for overnight travel
Fishing: None — the lake is fishless

Obelisk Lake Peak

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