The hike to Sunrise lakes meanders through pine trees, granite, and wildflowers and ends at a lake filled with decent size Brookies. This is a typical hike in the Cathedral Range in the Yosemite backcountry.
The Sunrise Lakes trailhead is one of the busiest in the Tuolumne area because it’s the shortest way to Clouds Rest, and close to the shore of Tenaya Lake, a popular stopping point on Highway 120. In the first 100 yards of the trail we crossed over Tenaya Creek, the only major creek crossing on this trail.
The first half of the hike is easy walking through pine trees and clumps of granite because there is very little elevation gain. The whole time we could see a pretty tall ridge in front of us and the trail was heading directly towards it. We could even see the outlets from two of the Sunrise Lakes glistening in the morning sun while they trickled over the granite steep granite headed for Yosemite Valley.
At the 1.5 mile mark, the trail begins to ascend this ridge gaining nearly 1,000 ft in a mile. It was definitely up hill, but it was very nicely graded with quite a few switchbacks. The trail winded its way up the hill through patches of wild flowers. The views northwest towards Tenaya were incredible. The valley below us was full of glacially carved granite including Tenaya Peak and Polly Dome.
At the top of the ridge was a sign that points north towards sunrise lakes, while the Clouds Rest trail continues south. We followed the trail north for a half mile and the first Sunrise Lake emerged through the trees. It was a little smokey from the Empire Fire near Yosemite Valley, but it blew out as the day went on.
We had heard that Sunrise Lakes held some decent Brookies so upon arrival we strung up our fly rods and hit the water. We got a few hits on some Simi Seal Leeches, but nothing stuck. I began to work my way around the lake sight fishing for cruisers, but noticed that a lot of fish were holding still on the bottom of the lake being extremely lazy. I dipped my hand in the water and it was quite warm – which was probably the reason for the fish being so lethargic. I made an adjustment and put on my sinking line with a Simi Seal Leech on the end and that did the trick. The fish were sitting very deep, trying to get in as cool of water as possible.
These fish were not stunted Brookies either. Most of them were 12-14″ and the males had particularly large mouths. My guess is early and late in the year, when the water temperature is a bit cooler, are much better times to fish this lake.
As we were circumnavigating the lake, we came across a huge patch of wildflowers just back from the shore of the lake. We took our time walking through them, appreciating nature’s show.
The outlet of the lake was the last bit before we completed our loop. I casted a few more times and managed a couple fish, before we headed back down the trail. The fishing combined with the unexpected wildflower display made this a memorable day hike.
