Getting There

We chose the Mono Meadow trailhead to begin our journey to Upper Merced Pass Lake, deep in the Yosemite back country. Mono Meadow is located on Glacier Point Rd. It has a spacious parking area. This is not the only access point to Upper Merced Pass Lake, but we had other destinations in the area.

The Hike

From Mono Meadow you will reach two more trail junctions along the way to Upper Merced Pass Lake. Continue towards Mono Pass and Ottoway Lakes when you reach the signs. It's about 11 miles until you reach Upper Merced Pass Lake. The hike is somewhat grueling. It is almost all uphill for the last 8 miles. The hike to Upper Merced Pass Lake is not for the faint of heart. After following Illilouette Canyon south and uphill you eventually reach a trail junction for Ottoway Lakes and Mono Pass. From this sign, travel along the creek (stay to the left there is a trail) for about 100 yards until you reach Upper Merced Pass Lake.

The Fishing

The fishing is NOT good at Upper Merced Pass Lake! Upper Merced Pass Lake is really picturesque as it is walled by granite around the south end. There are excellent campsites at Upper Merced Pass Lake as well. There is, however, many Yellow-Legged Frogs living at this lake. We ran into USGS scientists who were there to study the frogs. Frog lovers - enjoy! Fish Lovers move on.