What are your favorite lakes in the Sierra?

[ndwoods]

Oh, and definately in the eye of the beholder. One guidebook calls Lake Italy the ugliest lake he'd ever been to....I LOVE that lake!:)

[MountainMinstrel]

Resurrecting an old thread here. To me, my favorite lake is the one that had the most impact on my life. That would be Pear Lake. It was the first day hike I took as an adult and when I turn the corner and got my first look at that lake stuck in that huge bowl of granite I was hooked on the backcountry. That was nearly 15 years ago and it still give me goosebumps just think about it.

[davidsheridan]

1000 Island Lake (sunsets staring at Banner Peak)
Ediza (Great campsite above the lake)
Saiylor Lake (Great place for a base-camp for a few days to Explore Sabrina Basin)
Kearsarge Lakes (1st Eastern Sierra experience for me)

Trinity Alps:
El Lake, Canyon Creek Lakes and
Boulder Creek Lakes in Trinity Alps: great views and great swimming

[hurricaniac]

Ok, I'll bite too (I tend to be So. Sierra centric):

1. Reflection
2. Sphinx (upper)
3. Kearsarge
4. Precipice
5. Finger (Mid. Pal)

[SSSdave]

Fun to read this Maverick's old 2009 thread has been revived. Mavericks OP requested aesthetic lakes not personal favorites that usually have only a little to do with aesthetics. Quickly posting went into just naming lakes members liked some of which are rather butt ugly haha while others are merely popular icons people read about. Several members commented that (lake) beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some truth there but more seriously if voted upon by a large number of people, usual aesthetic qualities common to art would emerge so indeed there very much are ways to more seriously size up lake aesthetics. And that also comes through when looking at what kind of imagery is actually hanging in big city photographic art galleries. I'll add to that point below with some brief comments on a few recent digital lake images that does not come close to showing the scope of lake imagery that is possible.

Early 2014, the Sony A6000 was released and after I bought into that camera system, my huge 4x5 color film view camera system has been collecting dust. The main issue with film in this era is digitizing film with drum scanning is quite expensive. I have hundreds of 4x5 transparencies I'll only scan if I come into a lot of money, something as a modest frugal peon I have low motivation in. But it is easy to share digital images so have been collecting a lot of images since 2014. Some of the below lakes have a name, some do not. One might glean some idea of where they are by hunting around in my my trip chronicles folder for the particular year in the image link path. For example this first image shows 2015. I structure the image file names with a suffix that indicates stitch blending frames. For instance this first image, OI06070-06105-4x2vw.jpg, was a stitch of 4 columns by 2 rows of vertical orientation 4000 pixel wide by 6000 pixel high frames to create an 11500 by 9000 pixel full image. The "w" is code for small downsized web display version. Thus a total of 8 frames that were made from 36 total shots since I also focus stack blend each frame. Almost all stitch blended frames have a vertical orientation though I occasionally will create panoramas with a horizontal orientation that may show say 3x1h. I've been waiting about a decade to begin exhibiting work on large displays and now UHD 8K displays are now just moving out of early designs into consumer products.

This first lake in the John Muir W has a name that I don't divulge in my text though is hardly a secret. The dramatic background has an unusual geometry and here had some spectacular clouds. The edge of the morning sun had nearly reached my tripod position and I was keen to get all the shots in before that happened as a reflection is stronger when water is in shade plus my tripod and body would cast a shadow making the shot useless. A few rocks or elements in a foreground of water reflections often adds a positive aesthetic. Most importantly with reflections is how quietly still the water surface was with even gentle breezes the enemy. Even with lakes with breeze ripples one may find quieter coves. In some lakes, trout are so active water becomes continually disturbed. Occasionally I've tossed rocks into such areas to scare fish away haha.



This next is Heather Lake in Desolation W maybe 8:30am early summer when its north facing far shore is snowy as is the Crystal Range peaks a couple miles behind it. A mix of snow and melted out backgrounds often work best.



Same location at sunrise on a clear morning showing how the peaks in back are actually a lot further back. Without the snow behind the lake that area would just be boring dark so this shows how partial snow in shadows can add an important element to a reflection.



A lot of my favorite bodies of water are small shallow no-name ponds like this. With small waters, water ripples quiet quickly calming and opposite shore elements are close enough to be recognizable features. Intensely green turfy grass hummocks pools are some of our most gorgeous High Sierra features and here with alpine laurel blooming extra so. Very important is positioning a tripod precisely so reflection elements show nicely without being obscured. Our high elevation blue skies are often so saturated deep blue that it alone without clouds is more than enough.



The Plateau of Ponds in the JMW is a superb destination for photographers looking for small pond reflections. Here I found a pool in glacial polish bedrock and by getting the camera quite low was able to get a sine wave S-perspective. An example of a subject only possible with new era focus stack blending that would otherwise be depth of field impossible. Also note the sprinkling of snow below the craggy ridge. A little snow but not too much, goes a long ways in adding an aesthetic thus many of my trips target the late July thru early August period.



Another basin with lots of no name pools is Granite Park in the JMW. As sun altitude rises in a morning, most dramatic light shifts off axis where it is also less harsh. Shadowing adds 3-dimensional relief to elements on a landscape. I also like subjects with a variation of color. Here rusty iron minerals in the granite cause rusty surface stains on rocks adding a rich orange to complement the white, grays, greens, and blue.



Here is a named lake in the JMW full of pan sized golden trout that required some rock throwing spooking to get this shot in. What I refer to as a split bilateral mirror reflection showing how with a good geometry a foreground would only detract from beautiful symmetries. Again notice the shadowed boulder that shows how I timed taking this shot to for just before sun reached the shore that would otherwise have cast my shadow.


And this same lake looking another direction during an uncommon early morning clearing thunderstorm event that provided exceptional though brief dramatic lighting. By base camping a few days a bit back from these shores, I was always ready to pounce on skies like this if they arose. Note the dark skies also enhanced the intensity of the reflection that otherwise would be blended with light from the shallow lake bottom.



A favorite no name body of water I've been visiting for decades in Dusy Basin of KCNP. Here the foreground is a significant part of the aesthetic with the darker muddy sand much better than if it were just bright white sand as embedded rocks better stand out.



A small named lake in Desolation W at sunrise. At some small lakes with a low shore background, one may be able to put conifers on opposite shores to silhouette up against the sky. An added bonus here was the Crystal Range at sunrise adds wonderful warm color. Notice this image is a really wide 6x1 pano,



Huge Lake Aloha in Desolation W has much to offer and some of its best perspectives are not down by the lake shores. As a hunter of landscapes, I much enjoy the challenge of rambling about areas where few others ever bother, looking for complementing elements like groups of wildflowers or gnarly junipers.



Another productive basin to hunt for lake subjects is 20 Lakes Basin with dramatic North Peak and Mount Conness for backgrounds while the metamorphic geology adds unique rock hues and textures. Those white bands are white limestone plus some snow. Here the foreground is the wonderfully glowing green turf that also adds much texture to the close foreground.



Last summer in Humphreys Basin of the JMW, Glacier Divide. After several patient days of base camping I needed just one brief calm morning period to get this big 4 column 2 row stitch blend subject in. Some of our best lakes do not readily give up their precious jewels.



Another often breezy shallow no name body in JMW, here in Humphreys Basin. With a mostly level background of distant peaks, one can do much with clouds. Without clouds numbers of boulders poking through the sky blue water surface reflection can do just as well.


In the fall one of the Sierra Nevada's crown photographic jewels, North Lake, comes into prime. Years ago with my big view camera would be lonely in the icy cold while in this era photographers line it's morning shore including those in workshops. A 15400 by 8600 pixel stitch and focus stack blend that required several tricks both during shots and later in post processing.

[davidsheridan]

Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos SSSDave!

[Sal]

When I was there I really loved Guitar Lake

[Wandering Daisy]

This is one of my favorite lakes; an unnamed little lake in Gardiner Basin.

IMG_1763.jpg

IMG_1765.jpg

[TehipiteTom]

Name 4 lakes in SEKI, 2 in Yosemite, and 4 in section between SEKI and
Yosemite based purely on beauty, and nothing else.

Without looking at any responses...

SeKi: lake northeast of Mungoat Pass in Kid Lakes Basin; westernmost Swamp Lake; Lake 10,554 below Emerald Peak; Lake 10,232 at the head of Goddard Creek. Bonus lake: the lowest Kid Lake.

Yosemite: Obelisk and Red Devil. Bonus lake: Edyth.

Between: Hortense; Peter Pande; Lake 10,200 southeast of Ward Mountain; Disappointment. Bonus lake: Cathedral.

10 years later I'm basically pretty good with this list.

In SeKi I might add Bench Lake and/or L-shaped lake in Lakes Basin.

In Yosemite I might add Matthes Lake and Rock Island Lake.

In between I might add Fourth Recess Lake.

[Mike M.]

Wandering Daisy, regarding your first Gardiner Basin photo above, I camped next to the trees near the center-right of your photo in August 2016. Very comfortable and not a soul in sight. Your beautiful photo is far better than any I took that day.

Mike M.