Hello everyone! This is a friendly reminder that any of these fun places we may visit, we are a guest at. Please treat both businesses and trails with the utmost respect. We here at Hidden California follow the 'Leave no Trace' mantra, meaning whatever you bring with you comes back with you. If you see trash on a trail, please do your part to help remove it. Remember, we are not picking up trash from another person but instead cleaning up for Mother Nature. Happy adventures!
9001 Rock Creek Rd
Bishop, CA 93514
37.4348, -118.74600
760-935-4493
Hike: 3.5 miles 1-way Level: Easy-mild
Dog-Friendly: Yes Kid-Friendly: Yes
About the Little Lakes Valley Trail
Located in the Inyo National Forest, what makes the Little Lakes Valley Trail so special is that it is both little in elevation and will wind you along 6 “little lakes”. You will have glacial backdrops making this feel right out of a beautiful landscape painting.
Every second of this hike was filled with astounding beauty. We hiked in mid July when the snow was melting, giving a raging river beside us the entire time.
There are two trails here: one that takes you up to Ruby Lake and a lower trail that takes you next to lake after lake after lake. We took both trails but this specific page is for the Little Lakes Valley Trail which is the lower trail. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the fork in the road and take the left side.
Looking at Google Maps, you can see the names of the lakes you will hike by which are: Mack Lake, Marsh Lake, Heart Lake, Box Lake, Long Lake & Chicken Foot Lake.
Parking is at the Mosquito Flats Campground (which is free to camp here btw). Mosquito Flats really lives up to its name so beware! We must have each gotten bitten 20 times! They are no joke around here! Bring bug spray, cover up and even buy a mosquito-netting hat if you can.
While you’re in the area, hike Lake Sabrina to Blue Lake nearby!
There are lovely wildflower blooms framed by the 13,000 ft. Bear Creek Spire, Mt. Dade, Mt. Abbot and Mt. Mills peaks. Please note that this is active bear territory although we did not see any during our trip.
You start the hike off with a raging river welcoming you:
Into the wild we go!
We got caught in a small thunderstorm. Besides the worry for our cameras, it was so refreshing.
I think we all felt so ALIVE on this hike:
The sunset was pure magic:
Check out our other site too!
