Clouds Rest Trail Map


View Clouds Rest Terrain in a larger map

Note: if you're on a cell phone, you'll probably need to zoom the map out a bit to see the whole trail.

Distance:  14.5 miles (23.3 km) round trip
Trailhead Elevation:  8,150 feet (2,450 meters)
Clouds Rest Elevation:  9,926 feet (3,025 meters)
Elevation Gain:  1,775 feet (540 meters)

The red line marks the Clouds Rest trail, and the blue line marks the fork that leads you to the Sunrise Lakes (and just beyond them, though it's not shown, the Sunrise High Sierra Camp). Your arrival at this fork will herald the end of a punishing stretch that climbs around a thousand feet in a mile via what seems like an endless series of switchbacks, though in reality there are probably less than five hundred of them.

This section might have you reassessing the wisdom of hiking to Clouds Rest, especially considering that you parked only a mile away from a serviceable beach at the east end of Tenaya Lake and you could be back there in less than an hour. Rest assured, though, that things get considerably easier after this point. Following a brief descent, you'll get a couple miles of mostly flat hiking before starting up the slopes of Clouds Rest itself. This final ascent climbs steadily to a challenging elevation, but isn't as steep as the climb you conquered to reach the Sunrise Lakes fork. The final hundred meters or so across the ridge of Clouds Rest requires care and an ability to face heights, but is really more mentally than physically taxing.