Yosemite’s High Country: A Night at Evelyn Lake

Backcountry Emily contains affiliate links and I may receive compensation - at no extra cost to you! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my Privacy Policy for more information. Thank you for using these links to make your purchases - it helps me to continue making helpful content for readers like you!

Yosemite’s high country is a backpacker’s dream—alpine meadows bursting with wildflowers, glassy mountain lakes reflecting the sky, and rugged granite ridgelines that stretch for miles. With so many backcountry lakes to explore, we had no idea where we’d end up when we first set foot on the trail.

Hiking the Vogelsang Loop, most backpackers stop at Fletcher Lake, a scenic but popular camping spot. But we wanted more solitude—so we kept going, crossing an alpine tundra until we reached the stunningly remote Evelyn Lake. There, surrounded by nothing but jagged peaks and endless sky, we found the peaceful escape we had been searching for.

In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to plan your own Evelyn Lake backpacking trip, including: trail details, camping options, permit info, and a season break down. If you’re looking for a moderate Yosemite backpacking trip with incredible scenery and fewer crowds, Evelyn Lake is the perfect destination. Let’s dive in!

alpenglow lighting up the mountain peaks behind Evelyn lake

Trail Stats for Evelyn Lake – Vogelsang Loop

  • Where: Yosemite National Park, Tuolumne Meadows
  • Distance: 20 miles
  • Elevation Gain/ Loss: 2,700 ft
  • Time to complete: 2 days
  • Trail Type: Loop
  • Permits Required: YES
  • Water Availability: Limited
  • Campsite Availability: Medium, Dispered
  • Pets allowed: No
  • Trailhead Coordinates: 37°52’35.8″N 119°20’44.0″W
  • Parking & Fees: Park at wilderness center. $35 park entry fee required.
  • Cell service: Very minimal at the Wilderness Center.

Best Time to Hike to Evelyn Lake

Evelyn Lake is located in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite at an elevation of 10,300 feet above sea level. This area is not accessible by car during the winter.

Tioga road, where the trailhead for Evelyn Lake is located, closes to overnight parking on October 15th each year. It usually re-opens sometime between Memorial Day and the end of June, depending on how much snow fell over the winter and how much damage was done to the roads and structures in the area. In some heavy snow years, the road hasn’t opened until after the 4th of July! Sadly, if you reserve a permit for a date before Tioga Road opens, you will not be able to use your permit, and you will not be given an option to reschedule. You can view the chart of historical open/ close dates of Tioga Road here.

With all that said, the best time to backpack this trail is from mid-July until October 14th. Be aware though – the nights will be very cold after mid-September, so be sure you’re prepared for snow and freezing temperatures fi you decide to hike this late in the season!

a woman wearing a backpacking pack and holding trekking poles stands in front of a lake with a mountain ridge behind.
All smiles soaking in Yosemite’s beautiful high country!

Backpacking Permits for Evelyn Lake

Yosemite National Park requires wilderness permits for all overnight trips. These permits are awarded by entry trailhead based on a quota system.

Permits can be reserved on recreation.gov by a 24-week advance lottery system. You can view the 24-week planning chart here.

60% of the permits are available in advance, and the remaining 40% are available as “walk-ups” online. Online walk-up permits are released one week before the trip start date at 7:00 am PT. E.g. if you want to start your trip on a Friday, you should be on the computer, ready to book the previous Friday. Another thing to note is that unclaimed lottery permits will show up as bookable on recreation.gov after the application window closes.

There are two trailhead options for this trip. Lyell Canyon (No Donohue Pass) and Rafferty Creek. The trailhead you choose will determine which direction you hike this trail in. Permits for both of these trailheads are super popular, so be aware!

Itinerary & Trip Planning for the Vogelsang Loop

The hike up to Vogelsang High Sierra Camp is a really wonderful trip. It is very mild climbing – don’t let the above elevation profile fool you. This is the perfect trip for a beginner backpacker, because you’ll fall in love with the high country and be itching to get back out there! If you’re a runner or ambitious day hiker, this hike could definitely be done in a day as well.

Weather & Seasons

Vogelsang is most accessible in the summer months, when Tioga Road is open. By all means, if you are an experienced winter backcountry traveller, I’m sure this would be a fantastic spot! I would definitely love to ski tour in this area in the winter. But for the average user, June – October is the ideal time period.

In a high snow year, expect snow in the area well into July. In an average or below average year, the trail will most likely be melted out by the end of June. Vogelsang is at 10,000 feet, so high enough to keep snow lingering around longer than Tuolumne Meadows, where you begin.

July will be the best time for wildflowers and lush meadows, and the worst for mosquitoes. August should still have some greenery, but everything will start to brown by the end of the month. By September, Rafferty Creek could dry up, limiting your water sources, and meadows will be brown.

Tioga Road closes to overnight parking on October 15th each year, effectively ending quick high country backpacking trips.

Which Direction to Hike?

I went counter-clockwise and I would recommend this direction. The views of the Vogelsang area are more stunning while you are hiking up from Rafferty Creek, and just get better and better as you go!

2 large mountain ridges against a cloudy blue sky. a trail cuts through a yellow-brown meadow of dried grass.

Bears in Yosemite’s Backcountry

Bears are prevalent and active in Yosemite National Park and you must use an approved bear canister for storing all of your food and scented items. There is no other approved backcountry food storage method in the park.

Yosemite does rent bear canisters to those who don’t own one of their own. You can rent them from the ranger station when you pick up your permit for $5/ week, plus a $95 deposit. Learn more about canister rentals here.

The ranger should inform you of this when you pick up your permit, but Yosemite recommends keeping your bear canister within 50 feet of your campsite so you can hear if a bear is sniffing around or trying to get inside of the canister in the middle of the night. They ask that you attempt to shoo the bear off to help keep bears afraid of humans and the consequences of messing around with canisters.

My favorite bear canister is the BV450 – perfect for solo outings up to 4-5 days long!

Bear spray is prohibited in Yosemite. Black bears are generally pretty skittish and just want your food, so you shouldn’t really need it. Just get big and get loud and they’ll run away.

a large mountain in the distance. Clouds cast large shadows on the mountain.

The Vogelsang High Sierra Camp

Vogelsang has a High Sierra Camp, which is run by the Yosemite concessionaire, Aramark. This is a luxurious backcountry canvas tent retreat for paying guests, complete with pit toilets, wood burning fireplaces in the tent cabins, and a dining hall. Mules regularly carry supplies to the camp, and horses are common.

In recent years, the camp has been closed. Staffing, flooding, high snow years, fires, and COVID have made the opening of these camps complicated, but when it is open, you could make a reservation to eat food here. You could also just pay to stay at the cabins too. To read about the camp and how to secure a reservation, which is separate from a wilderness permit, click here.

As a backpacker, you are not allowed to camp in the High Sierra Camp area. There is a backpacker’s campground near Fletcher Lake, which is the closest you can camp to the area. If you do not camp at the designated area near Fletcher Lake, you must hike at least a mile away from the camp before setting up your tent.

1 stone hut and 1 wooden hut sit at the end of a dirt path. a large mountain is behind them.
a curved mountain ridge sits behind a lake with rocks

Highlights of the Vogelsang Loop

The Vogelsang area is truly spectacular. It is filled with tons of hidden gems and is just classic Sierra Nevada high country. Because there is so much to see here, it’s honestly a disservice to only stay for one night! If I were to come back to this area (and I will), I would set up a basecamp for a few nights and do some exploring. Or possibly move camp some nights, too. Some places you’ll definitely want to explore:

  • Evelyn Lake (this trip report)
  • Fletcher Lake
  • Vogelsang Lake
  • Vogelsang Pass
  • Emeric Lake
  • Boothe Lake
  • Ireland Lake

We chatted with a few different groups who were on their way down while we were hiking up and got different recommendations from all of them! Some people love Boothe Lake, one group loved Vogelsang Lake for camping, but one gentleman told us Evelyn was his favorite and he goes there frequently. So, we decided to camp at Evelyn Lake!

a mountain ridge of sloping humps is in the background and a blue lake sits in front.

What To Pack For Your Yosemite Backpacking Trip

When backpacking, gear can be an important factor to happiness on the trail. Check out my post: Ultimate Lightweight Backpacking Gear List for the items I always bring backpacking and my favorite pieces of gear!

  • bear canister. You can rent one for a small deposit in Yosemite Valley, but I find it easier to have my own and pack it at home. With so many places requiring them now, you might consider having your own. Plus, this one is much lighter than the rental one at the park.
  • Water filter. You always want to filter backcountry water! No reason to get Giardia or crypto.
  • A puffy jacket. You might be backpacking this trail in the summer, but nights 10,000 feet above sea level get cold quickly!
  • You’re going to want a bug net and bug spray if you’re doing this hike in July. This entire area, especially Lyell Canyon, can be incredibly buggy and full of mosquitoes.

Getting to the Lyell Canyon & Rafferty Creek Trailhead

The trailhead for Evelyn Lake is in Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. The easiest way to get here is to drive yourself. You’ll either enter the park from CA-120 in the west or CA-120 at the eastern Tioga Pass entrance, coming from Highway 395.

Remember that you have to pay the entrance fee of $35 per car for entry into Yosemite. I prefer to use the America the Beautiful Pass – it’s $80 for a full year of access to national parks, monuments, forests, and BLM land!

You are able to take public transportation via YARTS to the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center from Yosemite Valley, Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, and Lee Vining. Learn more about YARTS here.

There is a twice-daily hiker shuttle that runs in Yosemite during the summer season between Yosemite Valley and the trailheads along Tioga Road. It does cost money and it is run by the concessionaire. You can learn more about that bus here.

There are a couple of trailheads for this hike: Lyell Canyon and Rafferty Creek. The Rafferty Creek trailhead actually begins along the John Muir Trail, same as the Lyell Canyon trailhead! The Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center is where you’ll want to park for the easiest access to both of these trailheads.

Where To Stay Before & After Your Hike

Yosemite operates backpacker’s campgrounds in a few locations specifically for backpackers to have a place to stay the night before and after their wilderness trip. It costs $8/person/night. There is a backpacker’s campground in the Tuolumne Meadows Campground, super close to both trailheads. It’s about 1 more mile of walking.

The Tuolumne Meadows Campground has been closed for renovations, and we don’t know if it will open in 2025 yet. Learn more about that here.

If you’re looking to sleep in a bed after your hike, the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge is an option for rustic tent cabin sleeping. Otherwise, Lee Vining is the closest town with lodging and food, but Mammoth Lakes will have more variety. Wherever you stay, you must visit the Mobil Mart and get a nice big meal after your trip. It’s one of my all-time favorite places to eat on Highway 395!

Check out the interactive map below to find what works best for you!

Trip Report of Evelyn Lake

Day One: Rafferty Creek to Evelyn Lake

Day one Trail Info

  • Distance: 9.2 miles
  • Elevation Gain: 1,930 feet
  • Elevation Loss: 230 feet
  • Water Availability: The trail follows Rafferty Creek, which dries up by the fall
  • Highlights: High Sierra mountain views!
  • Need to know: Best campsites at Evelyn Lake are on the east side of the lake.
a mountain ridge with the tip yellow from sunrise. A glassy still lake sits below the mountain

We woke up bright and early at the Tuolumne Meadows backpackers campground, feeling pretty tired since there were groups that arrived very late at night and were kinda loud. But, we soldiered on, eating breakfast and packing our things up. To reduce the length of the hike a bit, we drove over to the wilderness center near the lodge and parked on the street over there. We immediately started on the John Muir Trail and walked through the woods, crossing the Dana Fork Bridge, then the Lyell Fork Bridge, and then the trail junction back to the campground. The Lyell Fork water level was so low, I had never seen the creek so empty!

gentle mountains with a tree covered slope in foreground
The first views on the Rafferty Creek Trail.

After a little over a mile of easy hiking, we reached the junction for Rafferty Creek, and began our initial ascent. The trail climbed nicely graded switchbacks for a little bit until it eventually leveled out after about a half mile. Here is where we had some more views of the peaks in northern Yosemite and some smaller rock formations next to us.

The trail closely follows Rafferty Creek here, but it was completely dry by early September. We wouldn’t be able to get water until Fletcher Lake. The trail continues very gradually climbing for the next few miles. We took in the views of Fletcher Peak as we approached Tuolumne Pass, which is barely a noticeable pass. It was a beautiful area, and I look forward to seeing it lush, instead of dry and dead, next time.

a backpacker wearing a large pack walks toward a mountain peak
a woman wearing a backpacking pack stand on the trail with a mountain ridge behind.

We passed the junction to detour to Boothe Lake, and decided to bypass the area, wanting to go to the high sierra camp area to eat lunch. That last mile seemed to drag on forever, as we were very hungry and so looking forward to sitting down and eating. We found a nice rock on the outskirts of camp and plopped down.

A few other groups came up from behind us, and we chatted about our itineraries. After eating, we continued on towards Fletcher Lake, and walked over to the shores to take in the view of Fletcher Peak. It was super pretty, and I wish we ate our lunch over here instead! After taking some photos, we continued on, hiking through very gentle, but slightly uphill terrain towards Evelyn Lake. The views of the northern mountains were super gorgeous as we made our way over.

Once Evelyn Lake was in view, we searched the western area of the lake for a campsite, but didn’t see anything very nice or protected, so we walked back to the trail and continued to the east side. We were much more successful here, with plentiful camping in the stunted trees, with nice views of the peaks behind the lake. Evelyn Lake had such an inviting, sandy shore on this side, and we spent time hanging out and filtering water while another large group hiked up and claimed their spot. After socializing, admiring the sunset, and eating dinner, it was time to turn in for the night.

a mountain range with the sky glowing pink-orange. A yellow meadow in the foreground, filled with dried grasses.
Sunrise at Evelyn Lake

Day Two: Evelyn Lake to Lyell Canyon Trailhead

Day Two Trail Info

  • Distance: 10.5 miles
  • Elevation Gain: 460 feet
  • Elevation Loss: 2,170 feet
  • Water Availability: Ireland Creek is seasonal, Lyell Creek is a year-round source but only accessible in certain parts of the trail.
  • Highlights: Lyell Canyon is really beautiful – and flat!
  • Need to know: Lyell Canyon can be really buggy in the early summer season.
a creek winds through a meadow

The next morning, we packed our things up and continued hiking toward Lyell Canyon. There was a tiny bit of climbing at the beginning of the day, but then we steeply descended through the woods down to the Lyell Fork and the JMT.

On our descent, we saw a mother deer and her two sweet, spotted fawns, which were so dang cute! Once we got down to the canyon, it was basically a flat hike out along the creek back to the car.

a small tan deer with white spots stands in front of trees, looking at the camera

Final Thoughts

The Vogelsang Loop is a really great hike in Yosemite’s high country. Camping at Evelyn Lake almost felt like being on another planet since it was so vast on the plateau. I do think this would be a much better trip if you can extend it a few days and explore more of the lakes in the area.

Overall, I think this is a great trip for in-shape beginner and intermediate backpackers who are looking to experience higher altitude backpacking.

Have any questions, comments, or memories about the Evelyn Lake or the Vogelsang area that you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments below!

Pin For Later!

pinterest pin reading "Evelyn Lake yosemite national park"

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.