RATING |
|
 |
DISTANCE |
|
3.6 miles round-trip |
HIKING TIME |
|
2 hours |
ELEVATION GAIN |
|
500 feet |
HIGH POINT |
|
8,400 feet |
EFFORT |
|
Moderate Workout |
BEST SEASON |
|
June to October |
PERMITS/CONTACT |
|
Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center, |
MAPS |
|
USGS Mount Dana and Koip Peak |
NOTES |
|
Dogs allowed |
While most trails in the Eastern Sierra ascend mercilessly, this hike to 8,400-foot Parker Lake provides access to the steep escarpment of the mountain range via a mellow, well-graded pathway.
From Lee Vining, drive 5 miles south on U.S. 395 to the Highway 158 turnoff for the June Lake Loop (make sure you take the northern end of the loop, not the southern end, which is farther south at June Lake Junction). Turn right and drive 1.3 miles on Highway 158, then turn right on a dirt road signed for Parker and Walker Lakes. Drive 2.4 miles to the Parker Lake trailhead at the end of the road (stay straight at all junctions).
The Parker Lake Trail in the Ansel Adams Wilderness is a study in contrasts. The first part of the trip traverses open sagebrush plains, the second part winds through a shady streamside aspen forest, and the third part travels to a glacial lake where the mountain wind ricochets off the lake surface. You get a little bit of everything on this trail.
Most of the trail’s 500-foot elevation gain occurs right at the beginning, allowing no opportunity for a warm-up. You’ll climb hard for 15 to 20 minutes, but the remainder of the hike is much more gentle. As you ascend, be sure to stop, turn around, and catch your breath while you gaze at the far-off views of Mono Lake. On these slopes, the air is pungent with the smell of sage, which grows in profusion at your feet. In early summer, the sage is joined by flowering yellow mule’s ears. As you walk, you may get buzzed by a cicada, a large insect that makes its home in the sagebrush.
One of the many gems of the Eastern Sierra, dramatic Parker Lake is easily reached by a short hike.
Soon the trail levels out and your surroundings begin to change. You have been paralleling Parker Creek but now you move much closer to it. The trail enters a grove of quaking aspens, which have white bark and small, round leaves that quake in the wind. Early summer wildflowers thrive in this wetter stretch of trail. Making an appearance are yellow alpine butterweed, lavender hooker’s onion, dark blue irises, orange paintbrush, dark blue brewer’s lupine, and white mariposa lilies.
Continue walking and the forest changes again. The trail enters a grove of immense Jeffrey pines mixed in with tall and narrow lodgepole pines. Pass a trail spur on your left that leads to Silver Lake, then head into a peaceful, shady dell alongside Parker Creek. The raging stream you saw at the beginning of your hike is now tamed and quieted into small riffles and clear pools. Aspens, pines, and wildflowers abound.
The trail levels out completely for the last 0.25 mile to Parker Lake, a picturesque glacial water set in a basin below 12,861-foot-high Parker Peak. With an aspen grove at the far end of the lake completing the picture, the scene is like a postcard, too beautiful to be believed. A fisherman’s trail leads all the way around the lake, so you can circle its perimeter, if you like.
A short drive farther on the same dirt road is the trailhead for much larger Walker Lake. Although the lake is only 0.5 mile from the trailhead, the hike is nearly straight down on the way in and straight up on the way back. If you don’t object to the return climb, Walker Lake is worth a visit for summer fishing and autumn aspen-viewing.
