Trail description of Little Lakes Basin from the Hiking & Walking website: A wonderful hike visiting a series of scenic lakes nestled in a gorgeous valley surrounded by 13,000-ft peaks. Side trips lead to Morgan and Mono Passes along with a number of other lakes.
Map and profile of the Little Lakes hike copied from the Hiking and Walking website
This was an excellent hike through the Little Lakes Basin up to the pristine Gem Lakes. The trail is a non-stop scenic wonderland - before reaching the Gem Lakes, the trail takes hikers past Heart Lake, Box Lake and Long Lake. There is also a very short detour off of the main path that leads to Chickenfoot Lake. With the weather so nice - sunny but not hot - each stop seemed like an idyllic alpine place to stop and admire the setting; stopping for plenty of photographs. We started at 9 AM and sauntered to the shore of the largest of the Gem Lakes at noon. Along the way we talked to a couple of hikers who told us they were 81 years old, and returned to hike this marvelous trail every year. We had a leisurely lunch there, admiring the mountains and the clear water of the lake. We spent at least an hour hanging out there.
After lunch, we decided to hike to the very end of the trail. The trail winds around to the eastern shore of the largest Gem Lake before it disappears. That was the point where we stopped, and took some more pictures. Apparently John and Eric didn't hear us say we were heading for the end of the trail - they thought we had already started back. In actuality, we were behind them. Both groups did the side jaunt to see Chickenfoot Lake on the way back. We eventually all met up back at the parking lot at 2:45 PM.
Eric had to leave this evening to head back, so he headed out at about 5 PM.
Ramone grilled one of his specialities: Coke can chicken - for dinner. That evening we strolled down to the jacuzzi that is available to everyone staying in the condo complex. We ended up talking to a young man, who explained that he was up at Mammoth as part of training for high school track team. It seems that many California high school track teams spend a week in Mammoth each summer so as to train at high altitude. We did see a lot of young people on the rest of our hikes on this trip.
To see this hike on the All Trails Website, click here.
