Little Lakes Valley

This is a series from a 3 day trip to Little Lakes Valley on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The first and third days were primarily travel and setting up/breaking down camp. We reserved a small campsite at the East Fork Campground located up the Rock Creek Road about 45 minutes north of Bishop, CA.

The site was very small nestled on the mountainside among a younger aspen grove and required carrying all camp supplies down a short trail. It was fairly cramped but provided a small spot for the tent, a picnic table, and a bear proof food locker… It would do for a couple of nights.

The little Lakes Valley trail is very popular for day hikers as well as backpackers heading deeper into the John Muir Wilderness. Trailhead parking can fill up fairly early in the morning, forcing you to park further down the road and walk back up the road to reach the trailhead. So we chose to get up before dawn to secure a parking spot.

After a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal, coffee and a protein bar we were at the Mosquito Flat Trailhead before any chance of crowds showing up. We loaded up our packs with food supplies and extra clothing and started up the trail in the cool mountain air.

The trail up Little Lakes Valley is extremely beautiful and fairly easy as it starts at an elevation of 10,000 feet and only gains 1,000+ over 5 miles or so. The views are dramatic of the 13,000+ foot peaks of Bear Creek Spire, Mt. Dade, Mt. Abbot and Mt. Mills towering over the valley to the west. The appropriately named valley has many very beautiful little lakes every half mile or so. And the soft morning light made for some very painterly images!

We stopped at Box Lake, which we had hike to in the fall of 2019, for a short break and allowing me time to capture some photos. This time we had hoped to make it up to Gem Lakes at the head of the valley if my feet would hold up.

We continued up the trail to Long Lake and took another break on the eastern shore to snack and take some more photos. Continuing about 3/4 the way along the southern shore, we stopped again for more photos as Harmony laid down and relaxed with a backpack as her pillow. I could see the clouds starting to build up over the peaks and had anticipated an afternoon thunderstorm to blow through later in the day. But it was only mid-morning and didn’t expect what was about to happen…

At the first crackling sound of thunder, we decided we had better turn back. The storm came in fast and with great fury. The lightning began to strike close by on the peaks above and a torrential rain began to soak us. We donned our rain gear and I put my pack cover on to protect my camera gear. The deafening thunder was constant as it echoed down the valley. I was surprised that our dog Dakoda didn’t seem to be phased by magnitude of the storm. He just trotted along with us, darting back and forth to chase critters and occasionally shake all the water out of his fur! It had been a very long time since I had experienced a storm like this. Pretty scary but invigorating at the same time!

We spent most of the afternoon and evening hiding out inside our tent playing dominoes and napping, as one thunderstorm after another pummeled down the canyon well into the night.

Maybe on our next trip to this incredible place we can finally make it to Gem Lakes…