California's 'Jewel Of The High Country' Is An Alpine Lake Tucked In Yosemite's Sierra Nevada Mountains

There are quite a few "jewels" with sparkle enough to draw the eye of would-be travelers to the Golden State. From the scuba coves and world-class trails of Point Lobos, hailed as the "crown jewel of the state park system", all the way to the art, wine, and scenery of Sutter Creek, the fabled "Jewel of the Motherlode," it's wanderlust-inducing stuff to say the least. And here's another one: Tenaya Lake, which, according to Yosemite.com, is often called the "Jewel of the High Country."

It sits up on the stunning yet underrated scenic route of the Tioga Road, a 59-mile highway that can take you all the way from the giant sequoias of the Tuolumne Grove to the iconic high-desert highway 395 on the eastern haunch of the Sierra Nevada. According to the official National Park Service website, the spot is prime territory for some mountain R&R, offering lakeside picnics, beach lazing, and on-water activities. You could also linger for a while, since Tenaya is a haven for kayaking and hiking, paving the way for a web of trails that delve ever deeper into Yosemite.

The aforementioned Tioga Road is your ticket to Tenaya Lake from either the east or the west. Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH) provides air access from the east. It can be reached in just over an hour, going via the small town of Lee Vining. Fresno-Yosemite International (FAT) offers flight arrivals on the western side of the Sierra Nevada, around three-and-a-half hours' drive from the lake itself. One word of warning: The Tioga Road is highly seasonal, usually opening sometime in May before closing again around November.

Anna from the West Coast-focused travel blog Pacific Coast Quest says that Tenaya Lake is just about the perfect place to break up a drive over the mountains. She talks of the array of waterside picnic locations and little beaches, all of which come with jaw-dropping views of the surrounding granitic peaks. The folks over at Sierra Rec Magazine go one step further — they say that Tenaya is the single most alluring pitstop on the whole Tioga Road drive, beckoning with swims in crystal-clear water beneath the tops of the Cathedral Range.

Tempted? A poster on the r/Yosemite subreddit offers a helpful outline of the lay of the land: "East shore of the lake has a big sandy beach. North shore is a a [sic] smaller sandy beach. West shore is rock slabs going into the water. All three are suitable for swimming or wading." The best views tend to be from those rock slabs out west, though, where you'll gaze back at the summits of the Tresidder Peak and the Polly Dome, to name just two.

More epic views are on offer to kayakers, who can paddle a whole mile from end to end gazing up at mountains in all directions. There's no designated launch area; just a series of accessible coves and inlets strung out along the Tioga Road. And Tenaya Lake is a doozy for swimmers, too. Be warned: Past visitors say the water here is pretty darn cold, though that could be just what you've been searching for after a long hike on a hot day in the Yosemite high country.

If you prefer putting miles under your feet over enjoying those sandy beachfronts, there's plenty of hiking to be done in these parts. In fact, Tenaya Lake is the beginning point for what backpacking aficionado Tristan Schuler from the Trizzle Travels adventure blog calls "one of the premiere multi-day hikes in the United States." That route can take up to three days, and links the uncrowded Little Yosemite Valley with the soul-satisfying hike up Half Dome.

Those who want something a little easier will be pleased to find a much more accessible and doable route looping the whole of Tenaya Lake, clocking up just 2.5 miles on flat paths that wiggle through pockets of scented pine forest. You can join that at either of the lake's parking lots, and enjoy sweeping views of the high mountains to the west and east as you cross from one end of the water to the other. And that's just one of many.

The hike-tracking app AllTrails lists a whole hodgepodge of other hiking paths that start or end at Tenaya Lake. Among them is the hard-rated Cloud Rest Trail, a 12.6-miler that lifts you some 9,926 feet above sea level up to one of the most iconic summits within Yosemite. It's a real journey, scaling steep steps through the evergreen woods before emerging onto a granite ridge where you'll see the mighty Half Dome rising right next door.