Ostrander Lake

Ostrander Lake is a nice challenge for most hikers though it may be a bit much for beginners. It's a little over 12 miles up and back from the trailhead in Yosemite National Park and has a brisk uphill section starting about half way in. The first few miles can be misleading as it is relatively flat and a quick and easy enjoyable trek. The next few miles is a nice little hike at about a 10% incline to get the blood pumping. I would not recommend this hike in the hottest months of the year.. plan your trip either before May or after September as there is a section about 4-5 miles in that is all rock and no trees. The heat radiating off of the granite can be pretty intense,so prepare hydration properly. Even in the milder temperatures, I would recommend an early start and carrying plenty of water as there won't be opportunities to replenish until the end. Some of the views are amazing and well worth the hike on the way up. Ostrander Lake itself is gorgeous any time of year and late or early in the season you may find solitude as well. For those that like to hike with their canine friends, sorry but dogs are not permitted on the trail. You will need a permit to camp overnight so you should plan your trip at least a month in advance. And, because it is within the Yosemite National Park system, the is an entry fee as you drive into the park. Overnight permits can be obtained from the National Park Service at NPS.gov #Yosemite #Hike #Backpacking #Lake #Trail

This is a fun walk in the woods. I spent two nights on the lake and had a very relaxing time. The trek is about 3.4 hours / 6.2 miles. Takes about the same time going out as coming in. Good for backpackers learning to backpack. Lots of nice camp sites around the lake most of them located on the south west side. Fishing was good with most trout averaging about 8 inches in length. I would recommend this on a week day trip for lowest almost nil crowd factor. Update…visited OL again 9/10/24. Spent three nights there without another person in sight. I love this time of year ☮️

Spectacular. If you've managed to snag a wilderness permit to go backpacking to Ostrander lake- you've basically hit the jackpot! The lake is amazing for camping, stargazing with the whole view of the milky way, hammocking with light breezes, and exploring. Check out Hart lake too, close hike. Don't forget your bear can though!

This was a hard hike. A lot of the trees were fallen or burned from the 2020 fire. The hike in total from the trailhead is 12 miles so be ready for a lot of waking. I enjoyed the wind through the trees. There are so many crowded trails in Yosemite it's nice to do one tucked away ending at crystal clear waters :)

Great hike! Lots of trees down but it made the hike more fun! Incredible views as you get closer to Ostrander Lake!

Nice little pond with Horseridge in the background makes it seem as quarry site but beautiful and full of hungry brook trout. 8 mile hike is fairly level and use in summer is moderate. Explore here for incredible views to the north.

Great for beginner backpackers like myself. Trail is nice but not astonishing but once you get to the lake it’s a piece of heaven Water is very refreshing and the views of the snowy peaks of the Sierra is priceless

Super clear, secluded spot. Challenging hike to get there, but a super relaxing and out of the way place.

Cannot recommend enough! It was a long one and pieces of the hike did require a bit of effort with the elevation gain but, worth every step. Highly recommend during the late spring or early summer. The flowers are stunning that time of year.

I didn't swim here, and that's a tragedy. Oh, it was a conscious choice. My hiking partner sure did, but I had just made the 6-plus mile hike up 1500 feet and was ready for a snack, which turned into a photo stop, which turned into some great shots of the scenery, the lake, the ski hut, and the incredible granite cliffs through the haze of wildfire smoke. So I still had a great visit, but I didn't swim. Not that I didn't swim in any alpine lakes on this trip. Don't worry, I made up for it the next morning. But if I go to Ostrander again, you best believe we're going to stand on the shore, take a deep breath, and jump in those icy waters. It's so so refreshing! It's life! It's living! It's being IN nature and letting the water surround you, and for a brief moment being a part of that ecosystem. There are two trailheads that make the most sense to reach here. Ostrander Lake is the obvious choice, but you could start from Buena Vista and it wouldn't add a ton of distance. But since Glacier Point Road is on a shuttle, it probably doesn't really matter if you just hop on and head up to the Ostrander Lake Trailhead proper. The trail is very lovely. It starts at 7000ft and wanders through some meadowy terrain for a while, and then you get to the little creek and trail fork. From there, you're going to go up. The views are stellar. But let's just talk about this lake some more, shall we? This is not Yosemite Falls. This is not Half Dome, or El Cap. This is very much an off the beaten path adventure, and while I was on the entire hike I only saw maybe a half dozen other parties. At the lake, there was a family there when we arrived, but after a short time, we had the entire thing to ourselves. It was getting a little later in the day (maybe 4pm) and we were pressing on a little to find a place to camp. You can reach the lake as a day hike, but I think it makes a spectacular backpaking destination. Cross-country skiers love this lake, too. In the winter, you can ski in and rent the ski cabin. It's very spartan, but does have a wood fire stove, and fresh water (that needs to be filtered) that comes in from the lake. I don't ski, but I do wonder if you could reach it snow shoeing. They say that it's not for the faint of heart, but just think of that adventure! To come to the snowy, iced over lake and stay in the old stone cabin, look out the windows from the warmth of an historic building, over the vast Yosemite wilderness. Let's put that on the hope and dream list, ya? And then let's take the steps (literally and figuratively) to make it happen! My summer visit, though, was really special. The scenery here is incredible, and you can look up at the massive granite cliffs that surround the back half of the lake and just be boggled at the scale of it all. I'm so glad I took the time to get out of the valley and see this obscure but gorgeous scene. I just wish I would have gone swimming. Let's add it to the list!

I went on a backpacking trip with Boy Scout Troop in mid Aug. Started at the trailhead located between Bridalveil Creek Camp and Equestrian Camp. Temp was 48 F at mid morning. There was a Bear Box at trailhead for us to store our excess food that could not fit into our Bear Cans. It took us 5.5 hours to reach the lake. First 4 miles were mostly shaded and relatively level along the creek, scattered with wild flowers even in Aug. Last 3 miles were steady incline along various terrains in partially exposed sun. Temperature warmed up to 75 F when we arrived to lake in late afternoon. The stone hut sat beautifully next to the alpine lake. Water was cool but it felt nice to soak our tired feet. Some swam, some fished. You can see trouts jumping, we caught and released one. The lighting at sunset was beautiful. No problems with mosquitoes during this time of year. Next day, it took us only 3.5 hours to hike the 7 miles down to trailhead.

12.4 miles. Out and back. The lake is the destination. Until the lake, it is dry and wondered if there was a lake. But suddenly lake showed up...sooooo beautiful. Rewarding! must visit.

I can't rate beautiful nature below 5 stars. Unless the people have ruined them! Some people do day hikes here, we backpacked during 4th of july and spent on the lake for couple of days. You're starting at about 7,000 ft and will end up around 8500 ft when you get to the lake. The first 3 miles was flat and passing by the meadow. It's beautiful. Then after you enjoy all that beauty, you meet the the hard part of the trail... 3 miles of uphill where the 1500ft elevation gain happens. For some people it might be easy, for some it might be hard like me. I saw some people were just cruising up and I saw some people struggling. Props to the folks who do roundtrip. All of our friends were spent after we arrived to the lake. I was about 12 weeks pregnant when I backpacked here so it was doable but prepare for elevation gain. Water was kinda cold for swimming but the view was really nice. Most people camped on the right facing the lake, but we chose to camp on the left side where there were a lot of rocks. We got a good spot though. Our 4th of July didn't fireworks coz we got natural fireworks. Beautify sky at night.

July 1983. I was 23 and decided I would hitch-hike to Alaska from San Diego. Well, that goal was a little unrealistic; however, along the way I stopped in Yosemite and discovered Ostrander Lake. In the company of a new friend we hiked from Glacier Pt to the lake discovering many bears along the way. Out of makeshift fishing poles, string and bait we caught enough for us and of course, the bears, who eventually liberated us from the task of packing them down. After being awaken from the brush of bear against our tents and spending the next two hours wondering who was going to be the first to stir and peak outside, I finally did and to my amazement I didn't see bears .... what I saw was about three feet of snow ... in July. Thankfully, the rangers showed up along with a troop of boyscouts and allowed us to warm up in the cabin after which we packed it down. Best Trip Ever !!!!!