High Country Lakes

The Tioga Road passes several beautiful lakes, including tiny Siesta Lake, Tenaya Lake, and, just outside the park, Tioga and Ellery Lakes. Short hikes can bring you to May Lake, Elizabeth Lake, Dog Lake, Gaylor Lakes, or Granite Lakes. East of Tioga Pass you can hike to Shell and Fantail Lakes, or take a boat taxi across manmade Saddlebag Lake to Greenstone Lake, Steelhead Lake, and all the other bodies that comprise the Twenty Lakes Basin.

Out of this long list, Middle Gaylor is one of my favorites, along with Shell and Fantail. Another great spot is Greenstone Lake, shown above in mid-July 2006, at the east end of the Saddlebag Lake taxi. But all these places provide great photo opportunities, and relief from the summer heat in the lowlands.