The Complete Guide

I've lost count of how many lakes I've actually fished up here versus how many I've just walked past feeling vaguely guilty about not stopping, because there are genuinely so many of them that even a full day only scratches the surface. Twenty Lakes Basin is one of those places that sounds like marketing exaggeration until you're standing there looking at yet another impossibly blue alpine lake you didn't even know was on the map. It's a little bit outside the usual Mammoth radius, up near Tioga Pass, and it's worth every minute of the extra drive.

Quick Stats

• Location: Just outside Yosemite's eastern entrance, near Lee Vining, off Highway 120 (Tioga Pass Road)
• Trailhead elevation: About 10,000 feet
• Distance: Roughly 7.7 to 8.8 miles for the full loop, depending on route and side trips
• Elevation gain: Modest by Sierra standards, generally under 1,500 feet spread across the whole loop
• Difficulty: Easy to moderate — the altitude matters more than the terrain does
• Fishing: Golden-rainbow hybrids, wild brook trout, and rainbows depending on the lake
• Camping: Both car camping near Saddlebag Lake and backcountry camping throughout the basin, permit required for overnight
• Season: Late spring through fall, whenever Tioga Road is open

Why This Basin Is Worth the Drive

This whole area sits above 10,000 feet the entire time you're in it, which means cooler air, thinner crowds than you'd expect for how good it is, and some of the most striking alpine scenery in the Eastern Sierra. You're ringed by jagged peaks including North Peak and Mount Conness, and the basin itself is genuinely studded with more small lakes than you can reasonably fish in a single visit. Because the National Park Service stopped stocking fish in Yosemite decades ago, a lot of the water just across the boundary here has developed into genuine wild trout fisheries, which is part of what makes this such a serious destination for fly fishing rather than just a scenic walk.

Getting There

From the west entrance to Yosemite on Tioga Road, head east toward Lee Vining. About 2.2 miles past the entrance station, Saddlebag Lake Road branches off to the north — it's clearly signed, gravel, and short, dropping you at Saddlebag Lake Resort and the trailhead. There's a hiker parking lot plus a separate day-use lot near the lodge if the first one's full. This road typically opens whenever Tioga Road does for the season, though high water, wet meadows, and lingering snow can make travel slow early in the summer.

Day Hike or Backpack — Both Work Here

This is one of the rare places where a rushed day trip and a slow overnight both feel like completely legitimate ways to do it, and I've done both.

As a day hike, the full loop around the basin takes most people somewhere between three and five hours depending on pace and how many side trips you take, and no permit is required at all. The Saddlebag Lake Resort also runs a boat taxi across the lake itself, which saves about a mile and a half of walking on each end if you'd rather spend that time actually fishing the interior lakes instead of getting to them.

As a backpacking trip, this becomes a completely different, much richer experience, since you can actually fish more of the twenty-some lakes instead of walking past most of them. Camping is allowed throughout much of the basin, just not within 200 feet of a lakeshore or an alpine meadow, so plan on finding a legal spot back from the water. You will need a wilderness permit for any overnight stay, and — this trips people up — you cannot get one from the Saddlebag Lake Resort itself. Permits come from the Mono County Visitors Center in Lee Vining or the Tuolumne Meadows Ranger Station in Yosemite, so plan that stop into your drive up.

The Lakes and Where to Fish Them

This is really the whole draw of the basin — you're not committing to one lake, you're choosing from a whole network of them, and they don't all fish the same.

Odell Lake and the Twin Lakes hold golden-rainbow hybrids, which is a genuinely special fish to catch in this range and one of the bigger reasons serious fly anglers make the trip up here specifically.

Most of the other lakes in the basin hold healthy wild brook trout, generally willing and often visible cruising the shallows on a calm day, which makes for some of the more forgiving sight-fishing you'll find at this elevation.

Steelhead Lake is the one to target if you specifically want rainbows.

Ellery Lake and Tioga Lake, both easily visible right from Highway 120 on the drive in, are heavily stocked with hatchery rainbows and worth a quick stop if you want a more guaranteed, lower-effort session before or after the main basin.

Gardinsky Lake, a short side hike of just over a mile with about 800 feet of gain off the road to Saddlebag, is a nice add-on if you want one more genuinely secluded spot with hungry brook trout and nobody else around.

Don't sleep on the small connecting streams either, including Mill Creek — the inlets and outlets between lakes hold fish too, and they're often less pressured than the lakes themselves simply because most people walk right past them toward the next big blue view.

Camping Near and In the Basin

Saddlebag Lake Campground sits right at the trailhead at 10,000 feet, with 20 individual sites plus one larger group site. This is bear country, and bear boxes are provided, so use them. Reservations are limited, so don't assume you'll roll up and get a spot on a summer weekend without planning ahead.

Backcountry camping within the basin is an option for permitted overnight trips, with the 200-foot setback from lakes and meadows mentioned above. Shamrock Lake tends to be a popular spot for tents if the trip reports are any indication, so expect some company there even in the backcountry.

Fire Restrictions — This One's Different From Most of My Other Posts

I need to flag something specific here, because it's not the usual "check current conditions" caveat — it's a standing, year-round rule. Campfires are permanently prohibited within the defined boundary of the Twenty Lakes Basin in the Hoover Wilderness, under a specific Forest Service order that isn't tied to seasonal fire danger the way most restrictions in this region are. This applies regardless of season or current conditions, and violating it carries a real fine, up to $5,000 for an individual. If you're backpacking in here, plan on a stove for cooking, not a fire, full stop. This isn't a "probably restricted, check before you go" situation like some of my other posts — it's a permanent order specific to this exact basin.

Getting Your Fishing License

Pick one up before you head up here if you can, since the trailhead itself has no services for this. Lee Vining has options right on your way in, or grab one in Mammoth before you make the drive north — most of the sporting goods shops in town sell California fishing licenses, and CDFW also sells them online if you want to handle it before you even leave home. Anyone 16 or older needs one, and given how specifically good the golden-rainbow hybrid fishing is up here, this is not a spot to risk getting caught without one.

Gear Recommendations

A lightweight fly rod, 3 to 5 weight. These are small, clear, high-alpine lakes with wild, often spooky fish. Delicate presentations matter more than distance or power here.

A varied fly box. Small attractor dries, midges, and basic nymph patterns cover most situations. The brookies especially aren't too picky, but the golden-rainbow hybrids in Odell and the Twin Lakes can be genuinely selective.

Light tippet, similar logic to Hot Creek — these are clear, undisturbed waters, and heavier tippet shows.

Real layers. You're above 10,000 feet the entire time, and even a warm summer day can turn cold fast with any wind or cloud cover moving through.

Plenty of water. Dehydration hits faster at this elevation than people expect, even on a hike this relatively gentle.

A stove, not firewood, if you're camping overnight, per the fire restriction above.

Solid, broken-in footwear. The trail itself is manageable, but there's enough loose rock and a few stream crossings that flimsy shoes will wear on you by the end of a full loop.

A Few Things I've Learned the Hard Way

• Give yourself real time to acclimate before pushing hard. Starting at 10,000 feet means altitude, not distance, is usually what slows people down here.
• Don't count on getting a wilderness permit at the trailhead. Stop in Lee Vining or at Tuolumne Meadows ahead of time.
• The section of trail between Shamrock Lake and Lake Helen can hold snow well into midsummer some years, so don't assume the whole loop is clear just because it's July.
• Fish the connecting streams, not just the lakes. Some of my best takes up here have come from water most people walk straight past.
• Remember the fire rule is permanent, not seasonal. I'd rather over-warn you on this one than have you find out the hard way.