We all know the iconic valley of Yosemite National Park. Hell, Mac even based an entire OS release on it. But the other side of Yosemite never gets the credit it is due. You can drive through Yosemite to get there, although that’s not how we came to find ourselves on the shores of Tenaya Lake that beautiful summer day.

We had just finished a two-day hike up Mt Whitney in the high sierras and were hanging out in Mammoth Lakes, recovering…

The Lee Vining entrance for Yosemite is 30 minutes north of Mammoth Lakes and is a stunning drive along the 395.

Sidenote: If you don’t turn west into the park you can find the Mono Lake Tufa State National Reserve on the east side of the road which is pretty epic on its own!

Tenaya Lake

Tenaya Lake is about 30 minutes into the park on the south side of the road and you can pull almost right up to the lake.I know how people talk about these hidden gems at the end of 20 mile hikes. Prestine places that no one knows about. Despite the fact that Yosemite gets around 4 million visitors annually, when we pulled up to Tenaya Lake there was only one other family there having a picnic near their car. We rolled up our pants and waded out into the shallow waters.

And peace decended upon us.