Clouds Rest, Yosemite
An iconic, challenging trek through Yosemite’s high country
Essentials
- Type of trip: Weekender
- Drive time from San Francisco: ~3.5–4 hours
- Difficulty and total mileage: 14.5 miles roundtrip, very difficult. There are multiple stretches of uphill climbs, one of which lasts for an entire mile of relentless switchbacks.
- Crowds: Moderate. Yosemite always has crowds, and this is one of the more popular trails off of Tioga Road.
- Temperatures: Varies with the season; we recommend visiting June–September. Temps can range from 70°F daytime to nighttime lows near 30°F. Check the current forecast here.
- Permits: Required for all overnight backpacking trips. For Clouds Rest, you need a permit for Sunrise Lakes, and we highly recommend reserving this one, as it’s a very popular route. You can apply to reserve a permit in advance online through the National Park Service (NPS). You can also see which trailheads still have permits available here. Yosemite does reserve about 40% of the trail permits for first-come, first-served visitors… which means you need to show up at the permit issuing station early on the day you want to hike (before 9am for this trail).
- Bears/threatening wildlife: Bears are active in the area, so be sure to bring a bear canister and properly store your food.
- Water situation: Limited water availability. You’ll cross over a small creek a few miles before reaching Clouds Rest. There is NO water on Clouds Rest so it’s essential to pack in the water you’ll need.
- Fire situation: Fires and camp stoves are allowed; check current fire restrictions before your trip.
Prep
Gear: Check out my temperate climate backpacking checklist for a recommended set of stuff to bring for this trip.
Food: For this hike, we opted for real food (breakfast burritos and carne asada) rather than freeze-dried. However, this hike does have a lot of elevation gain, so it’s worth considering freeze-dried meals if you’re concerned about pack weight.
Campground accommodations: If you leave Friday night, try your luck at one of the campgrounds outside Yosemite, like Hodgden Meadow or Crane Flat. Otherwise, it’s best to leave around dawn on Saturday and make the drive early in the day.
Trip Details
Saturday
We left San Francisco around 6am, speeding across the Bay Bridge in the golden morning sun. The drive was fairly uneventful, so we tuned into our favorite podcasts, Hidden Brain and 99% Invisible, to pass the time.
For this particular trek, we reserved trail permits for Sunrise Lake 6 months in advance, as this is one of the more popular trailheads off Tioga Road. We set off around noon from the trailhead, which starts at the gorgeous Tenaya Lake. The first 2–3 miles are fairly uneventful as the trail meanders through a densely wooded forest.
Then, around mile 3, the switchbacks begin. This stretch will be the most difficult of the entire hike, so take your time. For nearly a mile, you’ll climb up a brutally steep slope with relentless switchbacks. Luckily, the trail evens out once you reach the top, though you’re far from the end of the uphill segments.
After the trail splits towards Sunrise Lakes, you’ll descend briefly and pass a few small lakes. Shortly past the lakes, you’ll cross a stream, and that will be your last chance for water, so be sure to pause here and refill your water packs. You’ll also want a moment to recharge before starting on the final ascent of the hike.
The last mile of the hike climbs steadily uphill, opening up into sweeping vistas of the larger Yosemite Valley. In the last half mile of the hike, the trail climbs up onto a narrow granite ridge with sheer drop-offs on either side.
We dropped our packs before hiking this portion, just to make things easier. It’s doable with your pack, but the camping opportunities past this point are pretty much non-existent, so why carry the weight if you won’t need it?
From the ridge, you’ll get amazing 360 views of the entire valley, and most importantly, the picturesque view from Clouds Rest.
As with all backcountry trails in Yosemite, you can camp anywhere, so long as you’re 100 feet off the trail. Camping is not allowed on Clouds Rest itself, which makes sense since there’s almost no open ground space to pitch a tent anyway. Campsites in the immediately surrounding area are pretty scarce; there is very little even, level ground to pitch a tent. We were able to snag a spot just before the trail climbs onto the narrow ridge.
After setting up camp, we hiked about 5 minutes back out to Clouds Rest to enjoy the sunset and a little bit of whiskey. There were about 6–10 other hikers enjoying the view. The scene is pretty hard to beat.
Back at camp, we built a fire and warmed our burritos in the fire. We hiked in mid-October, bringing chilly weather and nighttime lows of 18 degrees. The chilly autumn air sunk into our bones, making the warmth of the fire even more welcome. With full bellies and the sweet taste of whiskey, we drifted off to sleep.
Sunday
The next day we trekked about 3–4 hours back to the car, but thankfully it was mostly downhill.
Since the hike starts and ends at the serene Tenaya Lake, we recommend having a post-hike picnic and beer at the lakeside.
