garnet lake

I have been trekking for more than 2 decades. This is the most beautiful trek ever. The route we took was from Agnew Meadows then up the Shadow Creek trail to Shadow Lake. From there we went to beautiful Garnet Lake. The trail to Garnet Lake was the hardest because of the elevation gain and a 9 mile total. For one day that is not for the fainted hearted. It pays to train before any climb, this proved it to be. Perhaps it would be easier to overnight around Shadow Lake before continuing to Garnet Lake. But once there, I forgot all the hardship going up. The still waters of the lake reflected the mountains and the sky.

The Garnet lake is a beautiful body of water located seven miles from the Agnew Meadows trailhead in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, just a short drive from the Mammoth Mountain village. You can only hike to the lake, so this is a review for summer hikers. It is by far my favorite summer attraction in the Mammoth Lakes area. Having done many of the "ultimate" hikes in the Sierra, including Mt. Whitney and Half Dome, I consider the hike to Garnet and Thousand Islands lakes as the most scenic. This review is not only for Garnet lake, but for the entire loop that I took on a sunny day in mid-August. However, Garnet lake is in my opinion the best spot of the loop. I have heard that many experienced hikers considered the lake as the most beautiful place in the John Muir trail and the Sierra.To access the trailhead you can drive all the way to the Agnew Meadows camp site, just a few miles from the Mammoth Mountain village. In summer you can't drive to Agnew Meadows after 7am, so you are forced to take a shuttle ($7/ adult). The alternative is to beat the clock and get to Agnew Meadows earlier than 7am, which I strongly recommend. I always prefer to have my car waiting for me at the end of a long walk. Agnew Meadows is at an elevation of about 8,400 feet. From there, hikers can take the "River trail", which takes them to the edges of a canyon with majestic bristlecone pines and a rugged landscape. The trail follows all the way down to the river (bottom of the canyon). The Olaine lake in the river trail is the first lake of the hike at an elevation of 8,100 feet. It’s nice, but nothing like what you will see in a bit.Once you pass the Olaine lake you will see a fork. If you take the left of the fork, the Shadow Creek trail will take you to the Shadow lake, the John Muir trail and the Garnet lake. The right of the fork takes you directly to the Thousand Islands lake. I took the left of the fork. The Shadow creek trail is a steep but beautiful section of the loop. You will enjoy great views of the canyon, of the Mammoth Mountain and of the waterfall that is formed by the Shadow lake outlet. The hiker is accompanied by water in the last section of this trail. The Shadow lake is beautiful. The water is clear with green and turquoise tones. Once you are in the Shadow lake shore you are surrounded by the spectacular Ritter range, which is in my opinion one of the most beautiful places in California. From the lake shore you will have a nice direct view towards the Minarets, beautiful needle-like formations that are the dream of more than one rock climber. At any time of the year you will see snowcapped mountains around the lake. The Shadow lake is at an elevation of 8,770 feet, about 600 feet over the river bed and the canyon. At this point you have walked about 3.5 miles.The second section of the trail will take you to elevations of over 10,000 feet. Continue the Shadow Creek trail until you meet the John Muir trail. Turn right. The climb has a slight inclination at first, but it’s going to get steeper. You will see several backpackers whose travel got started in Yosemite Valley and whose ultimate destination is Mt. Whitney... they are walking the entire John Muir trail (220 miles). Continue your climb through amazing views of some of the mountains in the Ritter range. After 7.5 miles of walking (measured from the trailhead, about 3.5-4 miles from the Shadow lake) you will finally see the Garnet lake from a high point. The lake has azure waters, a lot of small islands and a beautiful backdrop where Mt. Ritter and the Banner Peak stand out. I wouldn’t be able to tell you how beautiful it is, there are simply no words. The trail continues around the lake periphery. You will get down to the water level and then you will climb again. If you continue in the John Muir trail, you will pass through the Ruby lake, the Emerald lake and you will finally get to the Thousand Islands lake. All are beautiful, but Garnet is in my opinion the best. From the Thousand Islands lake you can initiate your return to Agnew Meadows on the Pacific Crest trail. If you are walking in the middle of summer, you will see the most spectacular display of wildflowers in the entire Sierra. Better yet, you will see the wildflowers in a first plane and the snowcapped mountains of the Ritter range in the distance. A paradise for photography.Okay, here the issue. What I just described is a 19-mile hike with more than 3,000 feet of elevation gain. It’s not a leg killer though, like Half Dome or Mt. Whitney are. It’s just a long hike. A lot of people do the loop in in one day, like I did. But in order to appreciate better the nature around and have a blast, I would have preferred to backpack and sleep in the Garnet lake campsite (or Thousand Islands campsite, both lakes are close to each other).Next time I will get on the Pacific Crest trail for the incoming trip, so I can get better pictures with the sun in the opposite side of the flowers and the snowcapped mountains. I will try to get to the lakes early, so I still have the sun in the East… or I may backpack. Whatever you decide, this is an extraordinary hike and best of all, not very well known.