Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park is a beautiful hike that is pretty easy and hikes through forests and next to big granite rocks. Upper and Lower Mirror Lake live up to their name where the reflections in the water of the landscape around them can be gorgeous.
There are several places you can start the hike from, and we jumped on the Yosemite Valley Loop Trail off of Ahwahnee Drive about .34 miles short of the Ahwahnee Hotel. The Mirror Lake hike itself is about a 2.4 mile loop, but we wanted to make a longer hike out of it, so we ended up hiking 7.2 miles.
We first got to the lake from the North Side after hiking nearly two miles from where we started. When you look back to the north, you can see granite cliffs as they tower from both sides of the Tenaya Creek in the distance, and the view can be beautiful.
We continued on the north side hiking on an easy climb through the forest until you come to the Tenaya Creek Bridge, where it crosses over to the trail on the south side of the creek.
Once you admire the creek as it flows under you on the bridge, the south trail is a little different. It was much more green and lush. We were there in the spring, and there were parts of the trail in certain places that were cakey sticky with mud and shallow standing water.
As we hiked, we came to open areas, and we hiked looking straight up at Half Dome as we passed it. As we continued on, we found ourselves back under canopy, and the hike turned really pleasant. There were areas where you could leave that trail and picnic by the creek, which could be quite enjoyable.
The trail came to a bridge and a paved road, and we crossed it. We followed the road back toward the direction we came in from where there was a restroom, and then we hiked backup on the trail we came in on and headed back to Yosemite Valley.
This is a great easy hike for anybody who wants to stay in the valley without climbing up to the higher elevations.
The Skinny
Trail: Hike to Mirror Lake
Trailhead Coordinates: 37.748650, -119.580270 – where we jumped on the trail
Trailhead Elevation: 4040 Feet
Distance: 7.2 Miles
Level Of Difficulty: 🟢
Average Grade: 1%
Steepest Grade: 8.3% Over .10 Miles
Ascension: 944 Feet
Trail Condition: 🟢🟢🟢
Scenery: 🟢🟢🟢
Nearest Civilization: Yosemite Valley
Challenges: Heat, Temperatures Above 85 Degrees
Traffic: 🥾🥾
Highlights: Scenery
Best Time: Spring, Summer, Fall
Hazards: Cakey, Slippery Mud
Wildlife Concerns: Bears, Mosquitoes, Mountain Lions, Rattlesnakes
Cell Service: 📵 Once You’re Out Of The Valley
Would I Do This Hike Again?: Yes
Parking: $35 Entrance Fee At The Time Of This Writing Good For Seven Days To Yosemite National Park
Restrooms: Near The Lakes