For the interactive 360° virtual reality experience, go to:
https://www.virtualyosemite.org/virtual-tour/#node254
The hike to Lukens Lake is a relatively easy one by Yosemite standards, in spite of the 8,200′ elevation. The trail extends about 0.8 miles from Tioga Road, and only climbs about 200 feet. This is a good trail for young kids (not too long and not too steep.)
As always, be sure to bring plenty of water and some snacks.
Wildflowers can be abundant here in late June and July, but as with most lakes in Yosemite during the summer, so can mosquitoes. Enjoy the pleasant hike through the forest, but be prepared, just in case.
As you arrive at the lake, you’ll encounter a large marsh filled with corn lilies with their large, strongly-ribbed green leaves. Giant red paintbrush (the orange flowers shown in abundance here), arrowleaf groundsel (yellow), and Brewer’s lupine (purple) are among a half dozen other common wildflowers also found here.
Recent improvements to this trail and lake access, as well as many other projects supporting the park, have been funded by the non-profit Yosemite Conservancy, which welcomes your support.
Abundant details about the hike itself can be found here, provided by our friends at Yosemite Hikes.
©2020 Photography by Scott Highton.
