10 Lakes Basin in Yosemite

Beginning at the Ten Lakes trailhead, the trail to the lakes is a moderately strenuous uphill grind to Ten Lakes pass, followed by a quick downhill into the lake basin. We met a woman at the top who made sure we didn’t miss the short side trail to a vista point on the pass that offered a sweeping panorama of the basin and the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne just to the north.

The official Ten Lakes trail passes by two of the largest lakes, but we opted to ditch the trail and head for another lake we saw from the pass. Definitely the right decision. After wandering through the basin and along lakeshores for a bit, we stumbled across a perfect campsite at the far end of one of the lake, with a perfect setup for swimming, and more importantly, a sublime spot for my hammock. Our afternoon was spent relaxing in the sun with a couple of beers, and punctuated by jumps into the freezing water.

If you're an early riser, I recommend heading back up to the top of Ten Lakes pass or scrambling up a ridgeline to catch sunrise!