Ellery Lake
Ellery Lake sits just outside the eastern entrance to Yosemite at nearly 9,500 feet elevation, offering a compact alpine scene where deep blue-green water reflects the surrounding granite peaks and talus slopes. The lake is small enough that you can walk its perimeter and find multiple strong compositions, from foreground rocks and shoreline detail to wide establishing shots with the mountains filling the background. A wide-angle lens works well here to capture both the water and the dramatic ridgeline above. Early morning light is ideal, when the peaks catch the first warm tones and the surface is calm enough for clean reflections before afternoon wind picks up. The lake sits right along Tioga Road (Highway 120), so access is effortless with parking just steps from the water. Late September into early October can bring dusting of snow on the peaks, adding even more visual contrast against the dark water. (Lee Vining, California, United States)
