California · Hiking · Owens River Headwaters Wilderness · Near Mammoth Lakes

Yost Lake

Yost LakePhoto: Eric T Gunther, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
0.4 mi
round trip
75 ft
climb
9,073 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Jun–Sep
best months

Is Yost Lake open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Inyo National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Inyo National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Yost Lake is a short, easy hike in the Owens River Headwaters Wilderness, part of the Mono Lake Ranger District of Inyo National Forest in California. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is about 0.44 miles long with a one-way climb of 75 feet, from a low point of about 8,980 feet to a high of about 9,073 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Tuolumne Meadows show July highs around 71°F with lows near 38°F, while winter highs stay in the low 40s and lows drop to about 12°F. The trail is natural-surface and not accessible. Bikes are not allowed. Fern Lake Trail lies about 0.9 miles away, and Yost Creek Trail is about 1.4 miles off. Climbers can head to Sasquatch Patch, about 1.3 miles away, and Reversed Creek Campground is about 1.7 miles away.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Reversed Creek Campground

    Campground

    Campground · 1.7 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    Stew Pot Slim's

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 1 mi

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in Mammoth Lakes

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · Jun–Sep

    Best time to visit Yost Lake

    Best months: June–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      41° / 13°

    2. Feb

      38° / 12°

    3. Mar

      42° / 15°

    4. Apr

      45° / 22°

    5. May

      54° / 27°

    6. Jun

      65° / 33°

    7. Jul

      71° / 38°

    8. Aug

      70° / 36°

    9. Sep

      65° / 32°

    10. Oct

      57° / 26°

    11. Nov

      47° / 20°

    12. Dec

      40° / 12°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tuolumne Meadows Rs, CA, 16.2 mi away at 8,694 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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