Sword Lake and Lost Lake

7/25/11 - Very nice hike, short uphill start to nice overlook, then all downhill to the lakes – which of course means all uphill on the return. Both lakes are beautiful and Spicer Reservoir looks like it’s only a stone throw away from Lost Lake. This is a great hike and can be done fairly quickly (although if you get stuck behind some cow truck the drive there or back can be ong). The books say it is very busy on the weekends. I was there mid-week and saw only a few people. The lakes look like great swimming, but I didn't jump in.

Lane Lake, Roosevelt Lake and Secret Lake

8/5/12 - This is a very nice and fairly easy hike on the east side of Sonora Pass. There is a large parking area, but make sure you head through the campground to get to the trail head. It is a pretty level walk for a large portion, but you may encounter some horses as there is a large pack station nearby.  There is a little bit of elevation change getting into the lakes, but not much. Roosevelt and Lane Lake are next to each other. This could be a great place for a lunchtime picnic. After finishing up at Lane lake I decided to head to Secret Lake, which on this day held up to its name. I''m not sure what went wrong as I headed towards Secret lake according to the sign and my map/GPS I had a lot of troubles finding it. Eventually, after some off trail exploration I made my way to the lake and then to the trail on the eastern side of the lake which, after a bit of up and down, led back to the trail right near the main trail head. Total miles  were right at 9.0, but could be shorter if just heading to Lane Lake. Well worth it though if you are in the area.

Chain Lakes, Emmigrant Wilderness, CA

7/13 – 5.3 miles - Chain Lakes – Box Spring Trailhead – Not the easiest trailhead to get to. It is about 1 hour from 108 (although the it is paved for about 12 miles). The trail itself is over grown in many areas and much of the hike is through a previous fire area (with one small area seemingly being very recent). The trail was occasionally hard to stay on. There are two lakes, the first you arrive to is a beautiful lake, hiking on to the nearby second lake yields mostly a grassy lake.

Burst Rock, Powell Lake, Chewing Gum Lake - Emmigrant Wilderness, CA

7/6/12 - Burst Rock, Powell Lake and Chewing Gum Lake – Nice hike, although I did not actually find the trailhead, just started up the side of the first hill which was a bit of a tough climb (found the trail on the way back which probably would have been a lot easier - its off to the left. The views from Burst Rock are wonderful. There is a lot of up and down on this hike. Up to Burst Rock, down to Powell Lake, up to another stunning view and then down to Chewing Gum Lake and then the return. The 2nd pic is from Burst Rock of the Dardanelles. The third is of Powell Lake. The fourth is an spectacular overlook with Chewing Gum lake in the bottom left of the pic. The last three are different parts of Chewing Gum lake. Definitely a place to go back and spend the night. Total trip was about 10 miles. I did miss the sign for the trail to Chewing Gum lake. Went a bit by, then returning I saw the sign and all was good.

Waterhouse Lake, Emmigrant Wilderness, CA

6/28/12 –  Waterhouse Lake – Hike starts off with an easy slightly downhill path. Once you hit the teh steeper section, keeping track of the trail is the hard part (note: the lake is off to the left as you are descending) and it is pretty steep in some parts, but it is short. Lake is very nice, good size. But of course, if you go down, you must go up to return. Finding the trail proved challenging, (as I seemed to miss the cairns), but well worth the effort. Total hike was right about 5 miles by my GPS (although guide books say it's under 4 miles).