Date Hiked: 7/2022
Rating: 10
Distance: 6 miles round trip to Blue Lake
Difficulty: Moderate
Best Season: Summer
Of all the lakes I’ve visited in the Sierra Nevada Blue Lake in the John Muir Wilderness ranks up there as one of the most stunningly beautiful. And what makes it isn’t just the lake but the grand panorama that surrounds it, with mountain peaks visible near and far. When I visited I also ventured beyond it to Donkey Lake, which was also pretty incredible. But something about the backdrop of Blue Lake set it apart from any other I’ve seen (though I fully admit I haven’t seen a lot of the classics). And it’s also an extremely accessible lake, with a relatively short trail making it easy to achieve on a day hike.
The trail starts from Lake Sabrina, itself no slouch in the beauty department, though when I was there the water level was pretty low. I recommend an early start, as the trail is fairly steep and mostly exposed, which would make for a hot climb (I left in the shade of the morning but my descent was pretty toasty). On the way up you get a wildflower show in season, and of course increasingly expansive views of Lake Sabrina and surrounding peaks. The only junction to worry about is a little over halfway, where a trail cuts off to the left to George and Tyee Lakes. Other than that it’s straightforward all the way to Blue Lake.
When you arrive at the outlet of the lake you’ll find a nice shallow pool before the main body of the lake, and when I was there it was full of brook trout, which were a lot of fun to watch. And the lake panorama even from here is spectacular.
After tearing yourself away from this spot, cross the outlet creek and follow the trail along the lake shore, which for a good stretch cuts well inland. If you’re up here on a day hike I would recommend cutting over to the lake often for its ever-changing vistas, or just for a fine place to chill. Eventually you reach a junction, with the trail straight ahead leading to Donkey and Baboon Lakes, right to Hungry Packer and many other lakes. The right fork would be a longer trek and better for backpacking unless you have excellent stamina. Mine wasn’t quite so excellent so I went straight to Donkey Lake. But I intend to make a return trip to backpack the other direction.
I did lots of exploring off trail from this point, winding around the upper end of Blue Lake to explore its cliffs and shoreline. If you’re backpacking here on a crowded weekend and are feeling adventurous this might be a good area to shoot for, as you may have to scramble around to find a good spot but I didn’t see any other people in this part of the lake. Eventually I got back on the trail to Donkey Lake, much of which follows near a gorgeous creek through lush vegetation. And not surprisingly this section was the most mosquito-infested of the trip, the one place I busted out my head net.
Eventually you reach a junction with left leading to Donkey Lake, right to Baboon Lakes. A fellow hiker told me the Baboon Lake trail was overgrown and almost impassable so I’m glad I made the choice I did, to Donkey Lake. It was very pretty and had no other people while I was there, until just as I was leaving. I did take a dunk in the lake, which ended up very brief due to its mega frigidity. It was a perfect spot for a little solitude and lunch before heading back.
From there you’re basically just retracing your steps back to the trailhead, though my return journey also meant a lot of exploring off trail, both along the creek and along Blue Lake’s shoreline. I was actually able to make my way around to the side of the lake to the left of the outlet area, which also looked like it would be a more secluded spot than the overused area along the right shore. But any way you want to do it this trail is fantastic, and one of the best day hikes or backpacks in California.
