Loved this hike. A gorgeous short 2 mile round trip hike to 3 beautiful lakes. Can't get any better…read morethan that. The trail starts out at Lake George and is short and fairly easy, but steep in spots (however going back is all downhill). After hitting the steep spots you will hit Barrett Lake which is the smallest of the 3 lakes and not the prettiest in my opinion. A short walk from Barrett Lake is TJ Lake which is stunning and worth the extra walk. We took a picnic lunch and ate along the shores while taking in the peace and quiet before heading back. Overall takes about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours depending on pace and if you stop to take numerous pics like I did. Park in the Lake George campground.The trailhead is to the left of the parking lot as you drive in. Highly recommend this hike!

This hike was listed as easy. After the first part of climbing the equivalent 3-4 flights of stairs…read moreat 9000 ft it gets super easy. The trail leads you first to Barrett Lake. (Maybe should be renamed Barren Lake...felt very desolate there). Next lake is a quick walk over tiny hill and beautiful TJ Lake is in sight. Absolutely gorgeous! TIP: I did not return the same way I came up this hike. I veered off towards the right of where I entered in and looks to be where TJ lake turns into a creak that flows into Lake George. There were some gorgeous flowers growing next to creek and wonderful small waterfalls. This trail is not on the map that I bought at the visitor center but I took a chance anyway and followed the water hoping that the trail wouldn't end and I would have to trek back up. I found some horse poop along the trail and thought "Hey if a horse can get down here then it must be big enough for me to walk through." This trail is much easier to take going downhill. Not too many large steps and less steep then the way I came up. At the end I came up on some cabins and Lake George! I headed off to the right and came right back to the trailhead.

+ Pleasant trail. Beautiful lake scenery just like in the photo…read more . 4mi hike took 2hr. . Lotta switchbacks. + Good amount of shade throughout the trail. - Lotta mosquitos around Mammoth Lakes hikes. - Wish they carved an optional route straight up the switchbacks for a fun challenge. . 2 restrooms by the trailhead. Moderately maintained. - No hand sanitizer or sink. + Spacious parking.

Epic. Great hike. Took about 50 minutes uphill with multiple switchbacks. Beautiful lakes…read more Beautiful views. Perfect hike.

I use the all trails app to find this location. The road there can be bumpy but if a Tesla can get…read morein there you shouldn't have a problem. There is a reasonable size parking lot. 15-20 or so cars. There are bathrooms located at the parking lot. The hike from the parking lot to the actual craters is less than a mile and it's mainly flat, very little incline. The craters are awesome. One was easily seen than the other. The second one was surrounded with trees and plants. So it was hard to see. Worth a visit if your in mammoth!

Really neat place to hike to, if/when you can find it. No signs for the trail head besides a tiny…read morehand written sign you can only see from a few feet away. The protective fence around parts of the craters is torn down and some of the cement columns for the last metal fence along the cliff are fully exposed and literally floating/hanging in the air, posing a danger to anyone leaning on that fence. There's a fair amount of mosquitos, though not as bad as the Minaret Falls hike where you get swarmed and eaten alive. Great views of the craters on this hike though.

Breathtaking I…read morewent on a 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip to Ruby Lake located in the John Muir Wilderness. No permit required for day-hiking but you do need a permit to camp. The Forest Service reserves 60 percent of permits for advanced reservations and the other 40 percent are available to walk-ins 24 hours before the day of adventure. Trip Details: 3 days, 2 nights Distance from Venice, CA to Mosquito Flats Trailhead: 302 miles Money spent on gas: $128.62 Time of Year: August Weather: 80's during the day, and 30's at night Permit: no permit for day hiking but a permit is required to camp Elevation gain : 908 feet Distance to Ruby Lake from Trailhead: 2.1 miles Dogs: Dogs are allowed Water Temperature: 39 degrees Day 1: We parked in the parking lot at the beginning of the Mosquito Flats Trailhead at the end of Rock Creek Road. We started our hike around 1:00pm and arrived at Ruby lake at 3:30p. When we got to camp, we setup our tents, jumped in the water and then prepared dinner. The weather during the day was in the 80's with clear skies and a nice breeze. The temperature at night was in the high 30's low 40's with very little wind. The night was bright because of the full moon, very minimal wind noise. Day 2: Hiked to Mono Pass and hungout at summit lake before heading back to camp. Weather was also in the 80's during the day and high 30's/ low 40's at night, very little wind. Day 3: The morning before hiking out was very windy and cold in the morning, we hiked out at 9:30 am.

As the other guys wrote: amazing. A great hike with minimal people contact. I hiked up on Sept 3…read moreand there was still lots of snow leftover from last year. I kept going past Ruby Lake to a second, smaller lake. From there one has easy access to the back country. The parking was a little ugly at the trail head: the masses tend to hike to a larger lake on the valley floor. After this hike and on your way back to Mammoth stop off at one of the hot springs near the airport for a soak. This is what I did and my muscles were very grateful.

Parker lake is a little trail that's a hidden gem just off the side of June Lake. It's an easy high…read morewith just a few hundred elevation gain. It has lots of shaded area on trail, a small creek stream, once to the lake it's a beautiful site to take in. Great for a beginner overnight backpacking trip. Great fishing and a dog friendly trail.

I hiked almost 4 miles on Parker lake trail with 640 feet elevation gain and it was a beautiful…read morehike! You have to drive a few miles on a dirt road to get to the trailhead but it's passable for a sedan. No fees or recreation passes needed. The hike starts uphill for a bit with great views of the mountains, then you hike along a creek amongst apsen trees, and at the end you get to Parker lake where it was super windy.

This really is an easy trail going up to some gorgeous views. It doesn't have switchbacks, but it…read morealso doesn't go straight up the hill (contrary to the other review). Instead, it gradually goes up at a cross slope. It was windy when we went here, so we nearly got blown away. A hint it to park by the Old Mammoth Lakes Rd, walk up the road for the water tower to where the trail veers off to the left. Nice little hike.

My family loved this short hike. There appears to be two trails; one for hikers and the other for…read morebikes. The trail is shady and easy to hike. Great views once you get to the top. We saw deer along the way up! The trailhead is located near the road and there isn't much parking near the trailhead. We parked at twin lakes and walked to the trailhead. Great for kids and photo ops !

I entered the Ansel Adams Wilderness to reach 1000 Island Lake…read more Start the 16-mile roundtrip hike with almost 4000' elevation gain at the Silver Lake Campground on the June Lake Loop. Take the trail towards Agnew and Gem Lakes that transverses a cable-pulled rail line. Just before reaching the dam at Agnew Lake, follow signs to Clark Lakes by diverting left to the toughest part of the hike that goes up a rock scree. Enjoy the Clark Lakes and then follow the signs to 1000 Island Lake where the terrain rolls up and down. When approaching 1000 Island from the east, a climatic build up occurs as the trail skirts along a cascading river to one of best lakes imaginable. It's impossible to oversell the beauty of this large mountain lake dotted with vegetated islands and backed by towering granite crags. Although a long hike, plenty of stuff to see along the way maintains interest. Not monotonous (like hikes with only dense forest where every tree stump looks the same), the beginning has great views of Silver Lake followed by the industrial dams and rail tracks, and then the lushly green Clark Lakes - a worthwhile visit of their own. The busiest area was near 1000 Island Lake despite being the furthest from civilization. Consequently, my day-hiker self was in the minority amid the overnight backpackers and the trailhead parking lot was only half full. In late June 2022 during a drought, the lakes were full of water and patches of snow existed but never across the trail.

Activity type: Backpacking Elevation gain at start: 7280…read moreLength: 36 miles total Trail type: out and back Skill level: moderate to strenuous Duration: 3 nights/4 days Top Elevation: 11,500 Total elevation gain: 7882 This hike will start you at the Rush Creek Trail at 7,280. Having climbed this trail so many times It still doesn't get old. It's the Labor Day w/e so the campground was packed with RV's . Although there were a couple of spots left for us backpackers. It was the perfect weather to hike in at 78 degrees. First Man made lake you will encounter will be Gem Lake at 9058 ft. The condition for this lake was appalling. The water level was low and the shore around it was dry. Expect to gain 1778 ft in 5 miles to get to Gem Lake. Alger Lakes is 7.5 miles from the intersection of Gem/Waugh/1000 Island. You start at 9160 ft and expect to gain 1840 ft the the very last of the three lakes. To get to the third Alger Lake you traverse a very scenic and relatively easy narrow trail surrounded by Donohue Peak at 11000 and Koip Peak at 12000. We scrambled up a class 2 nameless pass to get to a lake just below Koip Peak. It was merely a bowl of alpine lake not as big as the first Alger Lake but it was beautiful with dark rocks and nobody but us. No sign of snow since it's facing north. Although there's plenty of sign that the lake was once big and full. Rocks were exposed. Shores were much bigger. On the climb up we saw a not so visible waterfall form the lower lakes and followed it all the way up. At 11,500 the three Alger Lakes were fully exposed. What a scene! Alger Lakes are considered one of the most beautiful area to backpack. It boasts of one of the most beautiful canyon. Colors of green, blue, purple, red and yellow will play a trick on youR mind. I could swear I was in the Grand Canyon. Between the two canyons you will be able to get a glimpse of June lake resort. This is a very difficult hike with a lot of steep switchback climbs for miles and miles. Although the reward in the end and on the way in is worth it's weight in whatever precious metal you can think of. This is a very windy area. It may run 78-80 degrees during the day but the wind is chilled ice at 15-20 miles an hour. You. Will. Get. Cold! At night the wind is even worse. So pack some warm but light clothing and secure your tent. But this is one of my most rewarding trip. Awesome! #backpacking rocks # getoffyourbutt #getoffmybutt #11500 #koip peak12000.

I've been coming up to the Eastern Sierras for over 25 years. However I have only been coming to…read moreRock Creek lake for only a few years. Great shore fishing and very clean facilities. I was there on a father-daughter fishing trip and we both caught our fair share of trout. I landed a nice girthy fish on this trip. We will definitely keep coming up.

2023 - Camped three nights during late July. The surrounding mountains still had snow, and the…read morewater in the lake was freezing. But it was the mosquitoes that I'll never forget. Pros - Beautiful location. - They've leveled out the area where you put your tent. - Lots of things to do in the area. - Nice trail around the lake. - The little lakes trail, just up the road, was really fun. - Quiet, with the exception of the noise from the raging creeks. Cons - Internet is 9 miles away. So plan day trips way in advance. - Some walk-in sites are poorly identified and are located far from the parking lot and bathrooms. - This is a fishing lake, not a swimming lake. - Mosquitoes. - No on-site showers.