Parker Lake Trail

This is one of my favorite hikes. The first half mile or so is straight up with no shade, so that is a little rough. After though it levels out to a beautiful meadow with breathtaking mountain views. Keep walking and you will be along a creek and well shaded Forrest. This opens up to one of the most beautiful and secluded lakes in area. Clean, clear water.

Hubby picked this trail for us as I am still a beginner hiker and have a bad fear of heights, so steep climbs/​cliffs aren’t really my thing. The trail is rated as «very easy» and going up to 600 ft., but it seemed steeper to me. I was glad to have my trekking poles on the way down. The trail starts out very desert-​like, but then goes through the Ansel Adams Wilderness. After you get through the first ¹⁄₃ of the trail from the parking lot, it levels out and it’s a nice hike through beautiful scenery. There is a lovely creek which eventually leads to Parker Lake, which is a lake that’s inaccessible by car– you have to hike up to it. We took fishing gear, but these fish aren’t dumb. They haven’t survived that long by being easy to catch! No one caught any that we saw, the day we were there. This is a «leave no trace» site, so family who left the dirty diaper there by the lake– you’re gross and we saw you!
If you’re in the area and would like a nice 2 – 3 hr round trip hike, check it out.
The dirt road in was really bumpy so unless you have 4 wheel drive, it’s an jostling ride in.