Tenaya Lake is an alpine lake in Yosemite National Park, located between Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows. The surface of Tenaya Lake has an elevation of . The lake basin was formed by glacial action, which left a backdrop of light granite rocks, whose beauty was known to the Native Americans. Today, Tenaya Lake is easily accessible by State Route 120 and is a popular lake for water activities. History Tenaya Lake is named after Chief Tenaya, who was the chief of the native people who lived in Yosemite Valley before being driven out by the Mariposa Battalion. Tenaya protested that the lake already had a name: Pie-we-ack, or "Lake of the Shining Rocks." This original name is now attached to Pywiack Dome, a granite dome to the east of the lake. As part of the 1864 Yosemite grant, the area became the first park land to be federally protected for preservation and public use. Yosemite became a national park in 1916 with the advent of the National Park Service. In 1868, John Muir wrote about the Tenaya Lake's beauty and timelessness in My First Summer in the Sierra. Geology Tenaya Lake was created by the Tenaya Glacier, which flowed out of the vast Tuolumne Ice Sheet and down to Yosemite Valley. This same glacier created Half Dome. The Tenaya Glacier was lightly loaded with debris, and did not leave a large amount of moraine material near Tenaya Lake. Hydrology The lake is supplied by a network of creeks and springs including Murphy Creek to the northwest and Tenaya Creek. Tenaya Creek is an outflow of Cathedral Lakes and serves as both the principal inlet and outlet of Tenaya Lake. Tenaya Creek also runs through Tenaya Canyon into Yosemite Valley. Access and use Tenaya Lake can be accessed by car via Tioga Pass Road, which is called California State Route 120 outside the park. Visitors from the east must pass through the Tioga Pass Entrance on the eastern border of Yosemite National Park. Tioga Pass Road starts at the town Lee Vining on U.S. Route 395 south of Reno and north of Los Angeles. Tioga Pass Road is closed by National Park Service during the winter months due to heavy snows. The connecting section to the east is closed by Caltrans when the park closes the entrance station for the winter. The lake can be accessed by automobile from the