Best part of this trip! Please wear shoes as the rocks and…read moregravel can be slippery. Must take your time getting to this area but worth it. There's a rope section to get up/down to the waterfall. Kids had a blast jumping off the rocks. Water was cold but the kids had too much fun. Plenty of parking Not crowded which is always a plus.

To get there: You can turn from CA-89 onto Johnsville Rd. and it is approximately 4.6 miles to…read moreJamison Mine Rd on the left. The trailhead parking area is 1.3 miles from the turnoff. The trail: From the parking area you'll see the trail and you'll go up to an old mine building and the trail goes to the left. The climb is moderate but partially shaded. If you go to Jamison and Rock Lakes you'll have an elevation gain of about 1100' to 1400' depending if you make it a loop and check out Wades Lake. We ended up exploring different areas and clocked 9.15 miles. This trail is extremely rewarding with a good workout, beautiful views, excellent cool lakes to swim in, and friendly people.

A diamond in the rough for Sierra lakes. If you want to get away from tons of people, you'll love…read morethis place. Purchase rental cabin from Bucks Marina or Bucks Lake Shore Lodge. Also, Lake Shore lodge has a full bar and restaurant with outstanding food and drinks. Get the tree smacker for the full effect....LOL Enjoy this lake, it's one of kind. I've been going there since 1967...It's the real deal for a mountain experience!!!!! Cools down at night, so you sleep great....Hank D. Sr.

wonderful place! wonderful staff and wonderful people! Bucks Lake is a must visit if you have not…read morebeen yet what a wonderful secret/ destination spot!

Visited Portola for the first time last fall and walked this river trail every single morning while…read moreI was in town. It's quiet, scenic, and peaceful. Not strenuous, and it's paved so folks of all abilities could probably enjoy it. If you like exploring the flora and fauna of new places like I do, there's a lot of 'splorin you can do just in this small area. There's an abundance of mountain bird specialities including Clark's Nutcrackers, Steller's Jays, Pygmy Nuthatches, Hairy Woodpeckers, and more! Wildflowers and interesting insects can be found all around too. And keep an eye out for evidence of bears!

Coming back from a day in the Lakes Basin, we stopped in the town of Portola. We thought we would…read morecheck out the Riverwalk and enjoy the river. As we drove into town we saw signs directing us to it, or at least we thought that would happen. Instead, the signs ended but instead of being near the river we were in the middle of what seemed an industrial part of town. My wife flagged down a local citizen, who knew exactly what we wanted, and directed us back over a bridge and a few turns to finally get there. You would think after investing a decent amount in a Riverwalk, you could find a sign or two identifying it. But no, as the helpful local citizen pointed out, there are no signs! But we did find it, and parked on the street along Riverside Avenue. To find it more easily than we did, point your GPS to Riverside Avenue and Beckwith Street where it officially begins. The walk is paved and follows the Middle Fork of the Feather River. A very pleasant way to stretch your legs and get some exercise. Unfortunately for us, it was in the 90s when we stopped by, the reflecting pavement amplifying the heat, and we had to stop partway through. The path goes on until the Forest Service picnic stop off Hwy 70, and then on to Rocky Point Rd where you can go even further along the river. The Riverwalk is a nice feature of Portola - albeit one that would benefit from some additional signage for visitors.

Heavy snowmelt runoff on 5/5/2012…read more Elevation ~5,130 ft. Difficulty: Moderate. Hiking season: May through October. Accessible from the Johnsville cemetery parking lot.

Thanks to previous reviewer whose info made us check this out. A slippery beginning down a steep…read morelittle trail then levels off to an easy 1/4 mile walk to the falls. Water level is pretty low, so a lot of rocks to jump around on, but not so low that there was no swimming hole. It was so much fun to try to get down to the swimming hole - someone tied a rope line, and our 9 y.o. was able to "rappel" down to the area, as were many other kids. They all had a blast swimming in the icy cold water, and jumping off the rocks. If it was 20 degrees warmer in the water, it would have been filled with adults, too. Nice crowd, too, not rednecky, just families from the nearby campground. Check out the local cemetery while you're here, just don't leave any trash -- people do, and it's just too annoying to pick up after them. Leave no trace, please.

My husband and I love this easy walking trail! It's the Garden of Eden of Pines and Ferns - a very…read morelush and dense forest of towering pines and thousands of ferns. A babbling brook accompanies the trail for a short time. Although the lake is not as spectacular as others in the area, it is still a rewarding water feature to walk to. We arrived around 10:00am on a warm June morning and were glad to see so much shade along the gravel path. A fellow walker told us that when the tiger Lillie's are in bloom (maybe mid-to-late summer?) that there is an abundance of butterflies. We will be back soon to hopefully see this spectacle.

After being frustrated in the lack of access for our sedan to many of the lakes in the Lakes Basin,…read morewe looked forward to the easy access and hike to Madora Lake. The trailhead is marked by a sign on the Graeagle-Johnston Road (A-14), and is hard to miss if you are coming from Blairsden in the East. But if you are coming from the main part of the park, the sign faces the opposite way, and it's easy to miss (the trailhead sign is on the north side of the road, about 2 miles east of Park headquarters). There is a short, paved road to the trailhead, and we appreciated the lack of potholes after struggling through many of the forest service's access roads. No formal parking lot, but lots of room to park on the side of the road near the trailhead. A vault toilet is at the trailhead. The trail is 1.5 miles long, a loop around the lake. They are in the process of converting the trail to make it ADA accessible, and in the summer of 2017 parts of the trail could be closed depending upon construction. The whole trail was open when we were there in late August, parts of the trail now flattened and hardened, other parts still the original dusty dirt. Much of the trail goes through pine forest, a beautiful, peaceful setting. A small creek and an unexpected abundance of ferns can be found a small ways past the trailhead. However, if like us, you were expecting to see a beautiful mountain lake, this trail can be a bit of a disappointment. For most of the hike you can't see the lake at all, you are separated from it by the forest. But it turns out you aren't missing much: the lake is more like a large pond, and is rapidly being subsumed by an explosion of water-loving plants. A large number of willows along the lake edge shield the hiker from many lake views, and most views of the lake yield more plants than water. The best views of the lake are halfway through the trail along the north bank. A decent hike, and a good choice for those not prepared for anything strenuous - just maintain modest expectations for the "lake".

This is a challenging, strenuous hike but with some absolutely incredible views of 4 alpine lakes -…read morethe spectacular Upper Salmon Lake, . . . then, Horse Lake . . . the pristine, Deer Lake . . . and if you make it to the top, you will also be rewarded with a scenic view of Summit Lake. It is 7 3/4 miles out and back if you go all the way to Summit Lake. Be prepared as this requires a 1,200 foot elevation gain hike, so you will have some very challenging climbs up the mountains. You can, of course, cut the hike short, as I have done twice, and consider Deer Lake the return point. Elevation: ~7,400 ft. Difficulty: Trail around Upper Salmon Lake is Moderate . . . Climbs to Deer and Summit Lakes are stenuous Hiking Season: June to October Gold Lake Highway intersects with Highway 89 approximately 48 miles North of Truckee (1 1/2 miles South of Graeagle). Take Gold Lake Highway for 11.3 miles to the turnoff to the right for the Salmon Lakes. This road will dead end in ~1 mile at a parking lot adjacent to Upper Salmon Lake, from which the trailhead is accessible. Don't start your hike along the lakeside. Rather, from the parking lot, walk back up the road approximately 100 yards to the trailhead, which is marked "Upper Salmon Lake Trail".

Well leave it to me and my friends for trying to go snowmobiling when there wasn't enough snow in…read morethe general Lake Tahoe area. Luckily we were directed to Scott at Explore! Sierra Touring Company to go ATV riding! We chose a 3 hour ATV tour, and had a blast! Beautiful views, terrain and an all around good time! Whether you're an experienced rider, or never been on an ATV before - they work with you and you will have a great time! The ATVs are well maintained and have enough power to have a blast, even while climbing up the mountain! They also can do team building and corporate events! So whether you have 5 or 50 people, they can accommodate your group! If there's enough snow, they can also do snowmobiling! I highly recommend them and especially Scott as a guide! I can't wait until he next time!

My 4 year old son and I had a blast renting snowmobiles. The staff was very friendly and made you…read morefeel at home. The owner Ken was very responsive via yelp and text. The two hour tour went through a very beautiful part of the sierras. My son sat in front of me and had a grab handle to hold on to. He had so much fun! He talked about the trip for the next two days. Highly recommend!

Best place to ride ... scenery is amazing .. horses are well behaved.. employees love what they do!…read moreI wrote an article about my experience.. Returning to Heaven by Sierra Rec Magazine

Great ride with Pat. I highly recommend Gold Lake Stables to anyone that likes to ride horses. A…read morehuge plus is the ride takes place in the mountains with lakes and pine trees all around you. Pat is a great teacher when it comes to riding and will answer any questions you might have.