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We started this hike after an early dinner, at about 6pm. This rare evening hike was
reminiscent of a hike around Manzanita Lake at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Hiking around
the lake in the evening has the advantage of it being less crowded, there's less road noise
coming from nearby Highway 120 (Tioga Pass Road), and the light is beautiful. One
disadvantage of hiking at this time of day is that the mosquitoes are out in force. So be prepared
with bug repellent.
Mount Dana over Tioga Lake
Tioga Lake
Our first order of business was crossing the inlet stream next to the campground. We rock
hopped to get across, then followed the sometimes faint trail along the shore. The trail is
a mix of forest and open grassy areas, with a few rocky sections here and there. While the
trail is hard to follow once in a while, it is easy to pick it up again later since it just follows
the shore.
Trail along the shore
The peak of Mount Dana peeks over a lesser summit that rises from the southeastern shore of
the lake. The mountain reflects nicely in the still waters at this time of day. We encountered
hardly anyone else on this hike, although we did see a few people fishing.
Rocky section of shore
We stopped on one rocky section to skip rocks in the water before moving on. We eventually
came to a large patch of snow at the southern end of the lake. Despite the elevation (nearly
10,000 feet), this was the only snow along the shore, and it looked like it would be gone within
about two weeks.
Mount Dana reflecting in Tioga Lake
Mount Dana reflecting in Tioga Lake
We saw another inlet stream on the opposite (eastern) shore, near where two people were fishing.
The trail looks like it goes all the way around the lake. However, it was getting late, so
we decided to turn around just past the snow patch. If we didn't stop, it would probably be
easy to circumnavigate the lake after dinner. I think it's about 2 miles around.
Two people fly-fishing at Tioga Lake
Probably Tioga Peak rising over Tioga Lake
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