Picture of the Day - Mirror Lake

Mirror Lake is a well known landmark in Yosemite Valley. It is located at the end of the valley, just below the famous Half Dome. It is fed by Tenaya Creek which comes down Tenaya Canyon, hits a wide spot that forms Mirror Lake, then continues on for another mile until it merges with the Merced River.

Much of the time, Mirror Lake reflects its name...it is calm and peacefully reflects the surrounding mountains, sky and clouds. On this day, there was just enough wind to disturb the lake's surface so I did not get a perfect reflection. None-the-less, it is still a good image, especially in the late afternoon light. The mountain you see reflected is Mt. Watkins. Half Dome is located to the right of this image.

Many years ago, it was discovered that the silt coming down Tenaya Creek was slowly filling in Mirror Lake. Many efforts were made over the years to keep that from happening. But, in recent years, with the new-thinking method of conservation, all those efforts have come to a halt and Mirror Lake is slowly fading away. It eventually will become a bog and later another meadow in this beautiful national park.

For many years you could drive directly to the lake as their was a parking lot along its banks. Now, you take the shuttle bus to the Mirror Lake stop and hike roughly 1/2 mile to the lake.