Little Lakes Valley Trail - 7/24/12

Little Lakes Valley Trail (19), originally uploaded by kimberzy.

At the top of Crankcase Grade, the trail levels off. At the fork in the trail, you can continue straight ahead with the Little Lakes Valley Trail, or take the right fork to the Mono Pass trail, a strenuous, 8-mile round trip trail that ascends along the east side of Mt Starr.

The Little Lakes Trail takes you past many lakes, such as Mack Lake, Marsh Lake, Heart Lake Box Lake, Long Lake and Chicken Foot Lake (at 10,761 feet). The trail is rated as easy to moderate, as there is not much elevation gain. But the elevation, at about 10,000 feet, can make you huff and puff quite a bit - lol. Carry lots of water and use plenty of sunscreen!

In midsummer, this area explodes with wildflowers. You can find columbine, tiger lily, rein orchid, shooting stars, indian paintbrush, cinquefoil, monkeyflower, to name a few.

The lakes in this area are popular fishing spots, containing fish like brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and cutthroat trout. The highest lakes contain golden trout.