Hiking Project Logo

Hiking to Lukens Lake provides great opportunities for fishing, swimming, and wildflower viewing.


Your Rating: Rating Rating Rating Rating Rating      Clear Rating
Your Difficulty:
Your Favorites: Add To-Do · Your List
Zoom in to see details
Map Key

1.7

Miles

2.8

KM

Point to Point

8,346' 2,544 m

High

8,029' 2,447 m

Low

179' 54 m

Up

341' 104 m

Down

6%

Avg Grade (3°)

17%

Max Grade (10°)

Dogs No Dogs

Features Lake · Swimming · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Family Friendly An easy trail from Tioga Road, and a shallow, warmer, grassy lake provides great opportunities for swimming and fishing. The lake doesn't drain much during the summer, so it's always full.

Tioga Road east of Crane Flat and west of Tioga Pass Entrance Station is closed in the winter and spring until the road is cleared of snow. You can check road conditions at nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/… or by dialing 1-209-372-0200, dialing extensions 1/1.

Description

The trailhead is 16.5 miles east of Crane Flat on Tioga Road (Highway 120).

Starting from Tioga Road, you begin climbing uphill through red fir, white pine, and mountain hemlocks. The sun shines through the trees in this part of the trail, allowing for smaller plants to flourish in area, especially where water runs. The trail tops a saddle, and then begins its descent to a creek and meadow. The meadow is full of corn lilies, willows, and other wildflowers, making this a great hike in the spring.

Due to meadow restoration, the trail that use to run northwest (right) side of Lukens Lake, shown on many maps, is closed now. Follow the trail to the southeast (left) side of Lukens Lake, hugging the treelike and meadow until you get to the lake. The lake is fairly shallow and warmer than most Sierra lakes, so it is great for swimming and fishing. There are good views of the lake and surrounding meadow from the far side of the lake.

Once you have enjoyed what the lake has to offer, you can return to your car or continue on the trail for another .5 mile as it descends to the White Wolf Trail. You'll pass through several glacial moraines as you descend toward the Middle Tuolumne River, which you'll need to rock hop, before reaching the end of the trail. From here you can turn left to go to White Wolf, or right to the Tens Lake region.

Due to all of the moisture and wildflowers in the area, mosquitoes can be plentiful, so make sure you bring mosquito repellent.

Camping is prohibited at Lukens Lake due to its proximity to Tioga Road.

Flora & Fauna

Rainbow, brook, and brown trout populate the lake. Deer, coyotes, great gray owls, and ground squirrels have been seen in the area.

Wildflowers are plentiful in the meadow that surrounds the lake in the late spring or early summer.

Contacts

Land Manager: NPS - Yosemite

Shared By:

David Hitchcock

Trail Ratings

  3.0 from 1 vote

#29873

Overall
  3.0 from 1 vote
5 Star
0%
4 Star
0%
3 Star
100%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Trail Rankings

#3,291

in California

#29,873

Overall
2 Views Last Month
902 Since Sep 2, 2015
Intermediate Intermediate

0%
0%
100%
0%
0%
0%

Photos

View of Lukens Lake from the far side of the lake.
Jan 21, 2016 near Yosemit…, CA
Meadow and Lukens Lake approaching the lake.
Jan 21, 2016 near Yosemit…, CA
Flowers blooming as you approach Lukens Lake.
Jan 21, 2016 near Yosemit…, CA
Trees in the lake.
Jan 21, 2016 near Yosemit…, CA
Trail winding through the trees on the way to the lake.
Jan 21, 2016 near Yosemit…, CA
One of the trees alongside the lake.
Jan 21, 2016 near Yosemit…, CA

0 Comments

Weather


Current Trail Conditions

Unknown
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Join the Community

Create your FREE account today!
Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started.