23 Free Swimming Holes near Lyell Canyon
first prev 1 2 next lastShowing Swimming Holes within 50 miles Distance miles of Sierra High Rte, Wawona, CA 95389, USA City, Zip, or Address
Dog Lake and Lembert Dome
Yosemite Valley, CA
2.8 miles NWA 4-mile round-trip hike through Tuolumne Meadows wildflowers to a serene evergreen lake and a granite dome with sweeping views — doable in 1.5 to 3 hours.
Hike, Swim 4.0 mi
Mono Pass
Yosemite Valley, CA
2.8 miles NEAn 8-mile high-Sierra hike at 10,600 feet crossing meadows and several lakes, climbing through Bloody Canyon to sweeping views of Mono Valley and Mono Lake.
Hike, Swim 1.8 mi
Gaylor Lakes
Yosemite Valley, CA
3.8 miles NEA 2-mile Yosemite hike with views the entire way — Dana Meadows, mountain peaks, and a high valley holding five separate lakes, with a mostly flat valley to wander once you top the pass.
Hike, Swim
Elizabeth Lake
Wawona, California
4.0 miles WA 4.8-mile hike with a 1,000-foot gain to a quiet alpine lake tucked between Cockscomb, Unicorn Peak, and Johnson's Peak in Yosemite's Tuolumne Meadows backcountry.
Hike, Swim 0.9-3.2 mi
Cathedral Lakes
Wawona, California
6.8 miles WA gorgeous 7-mile High Sierra hike along the John Muir Trail to twin lakes at 10,000 feet, framed by Cathedral, Echo, and Tressider Peaks with sweeping views of Tenaya Lake from a rock shelf.
Hike, Swim
Glen Aulin
Glen Aulin, California
7.1 miles NWA popular introductory Yosemite High Country backcountry hike following the Tuolumne River to a High Sierra Camp beside the White Cascade waterfall, with further options to Waterwheel Falls.
Backpack, Camp, Hike, Swim
Tenaya Lake
Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park
9.1 miles WTenaya Lake's glacier-carved granite shoreline offers a spacious east-beach for swimming, canoeing, and kayaking with stunning Yosemite dome views all around.
Canoe, Hike, Kayak, Swim 1.3-1.6 mi
May Lake
Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park
10.5 miles WA 2.5-mile roundtrip hike to a scenic 9,270-foot lake at the base of Mt. Hoffmann — with views of Clouds Rest, Half Dome, and Teyana Lake, plus the option to summit the peak for even grander panoramas.
Hike, Swim
Mirror Lake
Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park
15.7 miles SWA paved, car-free trail winds to this seasonal lake at the base of Half Dome, offering a still mirror reflection and a popular summer swimming hole.
Backpack, Hike, Swim
Devil's Bathtub
Yosemite Valley, California
16.8 miles SWA warm, off-the-beaten-path pool fed by the Royal Arches Cascade just above Yosemite's Ahwanhee Hotel — great for families or a picnic near world-class climbing walls.
Swim 0.7 mi
Lukens Lake
Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park
17.1 miles WA short 1.6-mile forest walk to a secluded lake famous for the luminescent shooting stars visible while you swim, plus a wildflower meadow that peaks in July.
Hike, Swim
Merced River
Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park
17.6 miles SWThe Merced River circles Yosemite Valley with whitewater, swimming holes, gold-panning spots, and unbeatable views of Yosemite Falls and Glacier Point at every bend.
Camp, Swim, Whitewater 5.5 mi
Ostrander Lake
Wawona, California
21.4 miles SWAn 11.4-mile Yosemite hike to a semi-secluded swim lake surrounded by granite mountains — wildflowers, streams, and meadows in summer; open for cross-country skiing in winter via Ostrander Lodge.
Hike, Swim
Hot Creek
Mammoth Lakes, California
27.9 miles SECLOSED. Entering the water is now prohibited at this location. A striking hot-spring creek where cold water meets hydrothermal vents — a geological spectacle worth photographing from shore, but fenced off for swimming due to dangerous temperature swings and past fatalities.
Swim
Hite Cove Trail
El Portal, California
35.2 miles SWOne of Yosemite's earliest wildflower blooms lights up the Hite Cove Trail in spring, with the added bonus of watching the South and Central Fork Merced rivers merge.
Hike, Swim
Crowley Lake
Mammoth Lakes, California
35.3 miles SEA reservoir famed for ancient volcanic columns rising from the lakebed, along with trout fishing, and stunning Eastern Sierra scenery near Mammoth Lakes.
Hike, Swim
Salinas Area
Lakeshore, California
40.3 miles SSwim near Lakeshore, California
Swim
Smith River Area
Lakeshore, California
40.3 miles SSwim near Lakeshore, California
Swim
Standish Hickey Area
Lakeshore, California
40.3 miles SA two-mile stretch of the south fork of the Eel River inside a redwood canyon 180 miles from San Francisco — swim, kayak, fish, or hike, then camp near the 1,200-year-old Captain Miles Standish Tree.
Backpack, Camp, Hike, Kayak, Swim
Mono Hot Springs
Lakeshore, California
40.3 miles SMono Hot Springs is a magical high-Sierra retreat in California's Sierra National Forest, where natural hot springs bubble up along the South Fork of the San Joaquin River deep in the mountains...
Hot Springs, Swim
