Cathedral Lakes Gear Checklist
Cathedral Lakes is a short climb to two granite basins near 9,600 feet, so the pack is built around three park rules and one climate fact. Every scrap of food, trash and toiletry goes in an approved bear canister, no campfires or stick stoves are allowed in the lake basins, and bear spray is banned. Meanwhile the nights get cold fast, the mosquitoes are worst in July, and the ridge above the lake is bare rock that will not hold a tent stake.
What shapes your gear on Cathedral Lakes
- Trailhead and quota
- The Cathedral Lakes trailhead, one of the Tuolumne Meadows trailheads, has a daily quota of 15 people by lottery 24 weeks ahead and 10 more released a week before. The park lists no toilet there. Reservations run June 18 to October 14 in 2026, and Tioga Road trailheads close to overnight parking from October 15.
- The climb
- The route is roughly four miles one way to Upper Cathedral Lake. It climbs a little over 500 feet in the first mile, flattens for a stretch, then climbs about 500 feet more in another mile before a fork. Lower Cathedral Lake is about half a mile to the right and Upper Cathedral Lake a little over half a mile past it.
From Backcountry Emily
- Cold nights
- A hiker who camped twice at Upper Cathedral Lake, near 9,600 feet, says nights can be cold even in midsummer. She calls a sleep system good to 20 F usually enough and warns that ice on the tent is not a surprise by September. The best months, she says, are mid-July to October 14.
From Backcountry Emily
- Mosquitoes
- Two writers say summer mosquitoes are heavy around the lakes, with the worst of it in July. One group skipped Lower Cathedral Lake because of bad mosquito runs there in earlier years and camped higher.
From Backcountry Emily and Somewhere Sierra
- Water
- The lakes are the main water. One trail stream crosses at about mile 1.5, but the hiker who wrote the guide sees no need to count on it and suggests starting with two liters. At Upper Cathedral Lake the inlet is hard to reach from camp and the outlet is on the approach side.
From Backcountry Emily
- Weather
- Thunderstorms are possible in the high country from July to September. One hiker heard thunder on the granite rise above the lakes, and a party camped above the lake weighed reports of storm clouds near the peak before a climb.
From Backcountry Emily and Somewhere Sierra
What the agency requires on Cathedral Lakes
An allowed bear canister for all food, trash and toiletries
Yosemite requires an approved container for everything scented, including sunscreen, soap, medicines and drinks. Overnight it must stay within sight and hearing of where you sleep, and hanging or guarding food is illegal.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Wilderness Regulations and Yosemite National Park (NPS): Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking
No bear spray
The park bans carrying or using bear spray.
A stove, not a fire
Campfires are banned in the Upper and Lower Cathedral Lake basins and everywhere above 9,600 feet. Stick stoves are banned above that elevation too.
A way to bury waste and pack out paper
Human waste goes in a hole 4 to 6 inches deep, at least 100 feet from water, trails and camps. Used toilet paper and hygiene products are packed out, not buried or burned.
A wilderness permit for the night
An overnight permit is required year-round. From late April through October, trailhead permits are reserved, with 60 percent through a lottery 24 weeks ahead and the rest a week ahead.
What hikers carry on Cathedral Lakes
A bear canister you have packed at home
The park rents only one model. A hiker who has camped here twice prefers her own, because it is lighter than the loaner. A 1999 climbing pair found that one partner could not fit his own food in his canister even unwrapped. The park says most people pack canisters poorly.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking, Backcountry Emily and Climber.Org
Permethrin-treated clothing and repellent
One hiker says the meadowy start of the trail teems with mosquitoes in early season, then gnats later in summer. She treats clothes with permethrin and carries bug spray. Another guide calls the mosquitoes rampant at both lakes in summer.
From Backcountry Emily and Somewhere Sierra
A sleep system good to 20 F and a puffy jacket
At nearly 10,000 feet the nights cool fast. The hiker who camped twice says a 20 F system is usually enough for the Sierra summer and wants an insulated jacket even in July.
From Backcountry Emily
A freestanding tent and the rain fly
Ground above Upper Cathedral Lake is solid rock, so a tent that stands without stakes is easier. The same writer says to keep the fly because thunderstorms come through in summer.
From Backcountry Emily and Somewhere Sierra
A water filter and two liters for the climb
Lake water is the supply, so people filter it. One writer starts with two liters, enough for the roughly four miles to the lake, and notes that swimmers should wash off sunscreen and bug spray 300 feet away before getting in.
From Backcountry Emily
A stove and a freeze-dried dinner
There are no fires in the basins, so a camper who stayed at Lower Cathedral Lake cooked spaghetti from a freeze-dried pouch and made tea. A solo hiker also pitched on the west shore of Lower Cathedral Lake.
From Outdoor Aunties on Medium, Fun Life Crisis and Yosemite National Park (NPS): Wilderness Regulations
Your permit in hand, on paper or on the phone
Rangers patrol the lakes and ask to see permits. Two groups were checked, one at camp and one at the lake. Another writer says to keep a screenshot, since there is no cell service at the entrance gates.
From Outdoor Aunties on Medium, Somewhere Sierra and Backcountry Emily
Sun cover for the climb
The trail mixes forest with open granite. One hiker recommends UPF clothing or sunscreen, and a group who started unacclimatized said the heat and 550 foot first climb had their hearts pumping.
An offline map on the phone
The trail follows the John Muir Trail and is well signed, but one solo hiker found the first stretch rocky with several side trails and used an offline app to stay on route.
From Backcountry Emily and Fun Life Crisis
15 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Cathedral Lakes
Bear spray
The park bans it, and the hiker who wrote the guide says black bears here are skittish and mainly want food, so a loud voice and a canister do the job.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Wilderness Regulations and Backcountry Emily
Tent stakes you cannot use on rock
The flat spots on the ridge above the lake are solid rock, which is a poor place to stake a tent. The writer who camped higher recommends a shelter that stands without stakes.
From Backcountry Emily
A plan that leans on the trailside stream
The only stream on the trail is at mile 1.5, and the guide writer judges it unneeded on a four mile hike, since the lake is where the water is.
From Backcountry Emily
A canister you have not test-packed
On the 1999 trip one partner's food would not fit his canister even after unwrapping, and what did fit was six bagels, six apples and a jumbo bag of fig cookies. Test-pack the canister at home first.
From Climber.Org
Driving up from sea level and hiking the same day
One hiker did exactly that and felt the altitude. She advises arriving a day early, drinking a lot of water and eating salty snacks.
From Backcountry Emily
Gear questions for Cathedral Lakes
Do you need a bear canister at Cathedral Lakes?
Yes. Yosemite requires an allowed bear canister for all food, trash and toiletries, and overnight it must stay within sight and hearing of your camp. You can bring your own or rent one in the park.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Wilderness Regulations and Yosemite National Park (NPS): Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking
Are campfires allowed at Cathedral Lakes?
No. Fires are banned in both lake basins and everywhere above 9,600 feet, and so are stick stoves, so bring a stove.
Can you carry bear spray at Cathedral Lakes?
No. Bear spray is not allowed in Yosemite, so leave it at home.
How cold do the nights get at Cathedral Lakes?
Cold enough for a hiker who camped twice at Upper Cathedral Lake near 9,600 feet to call a bag good to 20 F usually enough. By September, she says, you may wake to ice on your tent.
From Backcountry Emily
Where do you get water at Cathedral Lakes?
From the lakes, which you should filter. One stream crosses the trail at about mile 1.5, but a hiker who has done the trip twice sees no reason to depend on it.
From Backcountry Emily
Sources
- Wilderness Regulations · Yosemite National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking · Yosemite National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Trailhead Information · Yosemite National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Wilderness Permits · Yosemite National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Backpacking to Upper Cathedral Lake: A Complete Guide · Backcountry Emily, Emily · Blog
- Backpacking to Cathedral Lake in Yosemite · Somewhere Sierra · Blog
- Trip Report: Backpacking Cathedral Lakes, Yosemite - CA · Outdoor Aunties on Medium, Outdoor Aunties · Trip report
- Hiking & Backpacking The Cathedral Lakes Trail In Yosemite · Fun Life Crisis · Trip report
- The Cathedral Range · Climber.Org, Chris Gould · Trip report